Scottie Scheffler Receives Big Slice Of Rules Luck At Genesis Invitational

Scottie Scheffler looks at his yardage book before teeing off.

Golf has the capacity to throw up some surprises and not even the World No.1 is immune to some strange circumstances on the course.

Playing the second round of the Genesis Invitational, Scottie Scheffler moved into contention at the halfway point at Torrey Pines, but that could all have been so different after a bizarre start at the Signature Event.

Teeing off on the back nine for the second round of the tournament, which is taking place at Torrey Pines instead of Riviera Country Club due to wild fires in the Los Angeles area, Scheffler safely parred the 10th before drama at the par 3 11th.

Measuring 215-yards, the 28-year-old pulled his tee shot left with his iron and, after clearing the fans up by the green, the ball hit the cart path and finished on the 12th tee box, some 50 yards long of its designated target.

For any normal player, a bogey would be a good score but, after locating his golf ball, Scheffler found himself pressed against a large water cooler box on the tee. Because of this, the American was able to take free relief and, after dropping the ball, Scheffler was able to take a second placement, due to 'preferred lies' being in play during the second round.

In the end, he would make an up-and-down for par, eventually firing a blemish-free round of 67 to sit one shot back of Davis Thompson going into the weekend at Torrey Pines.

Scheffler is searching for his first victory of 2025 and sixth Signature Event (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Orlando Pope, the on-site PGA Tour official for the broadcast, everything Scheffler did was within the rules and, for those wondering, the ruling falls under USGA's Rule 16.1 - Abnormal Course Conditions.

The rule states that "free relief is allowed from interference by animal holes, ground under repair, immovable obstructions or temporary water... Interference exists when any one of these is true: 'Your ball touches or is in or on an abnormal course condition. An abnormal course condition physically interferes with your area of intended stance or area of intended swing, or only when your ball is on the putting green, an abnormal course condition on or off the putting green intervenes on your line of play.'"

Because the 'abnormal course condition' affected where Scheffler could stand to address the golf ball, he was able to take free relief.