'Controversial Golf Rule'... 'OB Due to Barner 3rd Generation Gallery'

RBC Heritage Round 2 Hole 10 Situation

Harold Varner III

Harold Varner III (USA) was frustrated by a gallery's unexpected behavior.

On April 15 last year (local time), during the second round 10th hole (par 4) of the PGA Tour RBC Heritage (total prize money $8 million) held at Hilton Head Harbour Town Golf Links (par 71, 7,121 yards) in South Carolina, USA, an incident occurred.

Varner III's tee shot flew toward the right course boundary and landed near the out of bounds line. Varner III asked a fan to identify the ball. The gallery member picked up the ball, confirmed it was Varner III's, and then placed it at a different spot, not the original location. The officials ruled that Varner III's ball was in the OB area. As a result, Varner III ended up with a double bogey on that hole.

Varner III expressed his frustration, saying, "The ball was clearly in bounds, but during the gallery's repositioning, it became out of bounds. It's very unfair." Although Varner III performed well with an 8-under par in the third round, he was satisfied with a tie for third place, one stroke behind (12-under par 272). In this tournament, Jordan Spieth emerged victorious after a playoff against Patrick Cantlay (both from the USA).

Varner III debuted on the PGA Tour in 2015. As of the 8th, his world ranking is 45th, and he has yet to win a tournament. His best PGA Tour result was a tie for second place at the RBC Heritage in April 2021. Varner III transferred to LIV Golf, sponsored by Saudi Arabian capital, last year.