During the Charles Schwab Challenge, golfer Ben Griffin managed to win the event and bring home the trophy and glory. It is a story that doesn’t have many surprises; the only real surprise was Scottie Scheffler struggling with an injury. However, fans took note of a moment that some think handed Griffin the win during the event. On the Sunday of the Challenge, Griffin was given a free relief drop when he found that an advertising sign was in his way after his tee off went astray. Fans are calling this moment ridiculous, a joke, and in some cases, sanctioned cheating. Now, what did this moment do much to help Griffin, and does it even matter?
Griffin’s Free Relief Drop
As stated before, Ben Griffin was given the free relief drop because an advertising sign was in his path. Analyst Mark Dusbabek explained it as it was happening on television.
“We call this line of sight relief for a temporary movable obstruction. It is free relief. What you do is you measure on your equidistant arch from where the ball was lying, go in line with the outer limits of that temporary movable structure, which is the 18 sign, in line with the flag stick. He gets to drop in the second club length, which gets him luckily away from this tree.“
On the hole in question, Griffin managed to score a par. Some suggest that it could have easily turned into a double bogey.
Fans Respond
Fans are very unimpressed with the free relief drop ruling. Part of the reasoning is that when they play their own round of golf, they enforce the old play it as it lies rule. Essentially, they have to work with what they’ve got, no matter what, and bad luck is just part of the game.
Some fans were complaining that Griffin and most other pros are not punished harshly enough for missing the fairway. Others say that pros are working in some of the most ideal conditions in each game.
One golf fan said, “I don’t care what anyone says, the pros have it easier. I would gain a few strokes per round from stuff like this and the perfect greens.“
When fans were looking at the footage, they heavily doubted that the sign was an obstruction. Examining the footage, the sign in question doesn’t look very intrusive at all. It is only a couple of feet taller than the spectators around it.
Should Ben Griffin Have Been Given The Free Relief Drop?
The footage shows that the sign at most would have blocked Griffin’s view of what’s ahead. Fans can argue that he could have easily just shot the ball over the sign. Failing that, it was a movable object. The sign could have been scooted over a little, avoiding this whole debacle in the first place. The fans were right, pros play in very different conditions. The play it as it lies rule has been known to create some issues. Rory McIlroy had a run-in with a fan regarding a past Masters tournament when he had to do just that. In this case, it is possible that the free relief could have helped Griffin in the long run, but realistically, that is debatable.
Main Photo Credit: © Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
