Players Championship Final Group Forced to Hit From TPC Sawgrass Range After Unique Ruling
Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia encountered an unusual rules situation during the third round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, with both players having to hit shots from the driving range.
On the par-4 fifth hole, Lee and Bhatia hit their tee shots left into bushes. After declaring their balls unplayable, they were able to drop as far back as desired while keeping the original ball location between themselves and the hole, as permitted under Rule 19 (Unplayable Ball).
The players dropped approximately 60 yards back, leaving themselves over 250 yards to the hole for their third shots. The situation resulted in:
- Both players making double bogeys
- A 25-minute delay to complete the hole
- Lee following with bogeys on 7 and 9 for a front-nine 40 (+4)
- Bhatia bouncing back with pars and birdies on 6-8
Two golfers swing in contrasting environments
This wasn't Bhatia's first rules incident in 2025. At the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, he received a penalty for playing from the eighth fairway while on the 13th hole, as it was deemed internal out of bounds for that specific hole.
The unique situation at TPC Sawgrass demonstrates how the Rules of Golf can create unexpected scenarios, even at the highest level of professional golf.