AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was a practice swing unlike any other.
Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, stepped to the tee box on the No. 13 hole at the tail end of Amen Corner during Friday’s second round.
Johnson teed up his ball, squared up his stance and took a practice swing. What came next might be a staple of every weekend hacker’s repertoire, but something rarely seen on the PGA Tour, especially at fabled Augusta National Golf Club.
Johnson inadvertently hit the ball on his practice swing, sending it caroming off the tee marker on the right. The ball ended up about three of four yards in front of Johnson, who scooped it up and re-teed.
Under United States Golf Association rules, a ball isn’t considered to be “in play” until it’s actually hit from the tee area. Since Johnson didn’t have the intention of hitting the ball, he was allowed to re-tee and hit again.
The exact scenario is actually covered under Rule 18-2 in the USGA rulebook, “Ball at Rest Moved.” If the mishap had happened on his second shot from the middle of the fairway, after he’d already hit his tee shot, he would have had to replace his ball to its original position and incur a one-stroke penalty.
The good news for Johnson: he hit his actual drive down 285 yards down the middle of the fairway, knocked his second shot to 30 feet and two-putted for birdie on the 510-yard, par-5 hole.