First: pin placment… Because at the Masters, the pins placement and course set-up are done by 3 members of the Augusta National Golf Club.
Many players did not like Thursday’s pin placements. The Committee decided to make them easier for Friday’s round. But for the weekend, the pins were at their usual place.
At Golf Quebec and in all my other assignments, I never let the Club decide.
SAME PENALTY AREA BUT YELLOW OR RED
The same body of water is shared by holes # 15 and # 16. When playing # 15 it is RED but YELLOW on the 16th hole. If it would have been yellow on the back of 15, the only option for the players would be to play under Stroke and Distance. Being RED, it gave the possibility to the players to take a drop near the green at not more than 2 club-length from the edge of the penalty area.
GREEN READING MATERIAL
In the Rules of Golf, we are allowed to use a book giving slopes for all the greens. The Rules only limits the size of the book and the scale of the drawings. The Masters Rules Committee decided to prohibit the use of that book. All players had to use the book that was supplied by Augusta with much less information.
DAMAGED CLUB
SI WOO KIM slammed his club on the ground and damaged the putter. Under the Rules, he was allowed to continue to play with this club, but he decided to use his 3 wood instead for the remainder of the round. Because it was done on purpose, he was not allowed to replace it. A local rule is in place to permit the player to change clubs if the damage would have been accidental.
MAKING A FEW STROKES IN A PENALTY AREA
When a player tries to get out of a penalty area with a stroke and does not succeed, even after many strokes, he never loses the options (play outside the penalty area) he had before making those strokes. (Stroke and Distance, 2 club-length or Back on the line relief).
VIDEO EVIDENCE
During his backswing, Abraham Ancer touched the sand in a bunker. He did not see it but later that night, the Rules Committee looked at a video. Because it was possible to see that breach with the Naked Eye, the general penalty was imposed to the player.
https://golf.com/news/abraham-ancer-penalty-first-round-masters/
BALL HITTING A SPECTATOR.
When you make a stroke and the ball hits a spectator, there is no penalty, even if it is your father. Same rule if the ball had struck his caddy or himself, there is no penalty, and the ball must be played where it lies.