'Controversial Golf Rule'... 'Peters Putting Without Penalty'

Last Year's French Open Round 2, Hole 3 Situation

He putted twice in the same spot without penalty. This is rare even in friendly rounds. Such a rare scene unfolded in a tour event. This is the story of Thomas Pieters (Belgium, photo).

It happened at the 3rd hole (par 5) of the 2nd round of the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) French Open last September. Pieters was left with a 40-foot (12.19m) putt. Just as he was about to stroke, a gallery member coughed. Pieters tried to stop his putting stroke but accidentally touched the ball.

Pieters recalled golf rule 13.1d, which states that "if there is no intention to strike the ball, the player may play the ball as it lies without penalty, or may replace the ball on its original spot and play it from there." He explained the situation to the referee and continued play without penalty. Pieters finished the 3rd hole with a par. His final result in the tournament was a tie for 3rd place (11 under par, 273 strokes).

Pieters is a strong player ranked 31st in the world. He mainly competes on the European circuit. He debuted on the DP World Tour in 2014 and has won six times in total. His most recent victory was at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last January. He performed well at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing 4th. He has yet to win on the PGA Tour. He placed tied 4th at the 2017 Masters and tied 6th at the 2018 PGA Championship.