Jordan Spieth nearly penalized for not dropping from knee height
Jordan Spieth Stalker PGA Tour

Jordan Spieth nearly penalized for not dropping from knee height

A picture of golfer Jordan Spieth in 2017 A picture of golfer Jordan Spieth


Jordan Spieth had an out-of-sorts first round of 2019 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and a rules incident was emblematic of his year-dropper at Waialae Country Club.

Spieth, who opened over par in his first round since getting married in November, found himself in a situation during the round where he needed to take relief from a sprinkler head. As he was preparing to drop, Spieth held the ball and took his arm to shoulder height, preparing to drop. It was at that point that the PGA Tour's Slugger White stepped in, saying, "Whoa!"

Spieth was about to commit a penalty under the new Rules of Golf. Under the new golf rules, players have to take relief by dropping from knee height, not shoulder height, as has been the rules for decades. If a player drops from shoulder height, it's considered an illegal drop and the player must again drop from knee height to correct the mistake. Had Spieth dropped the ball from shoulder height and gone on to play the ball, he would have incurred that one-stroke penalty.

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Why drop from knee height?

The change was made to prevent golfers from having to drop multiple times to take relief. By dropping from a lower height, the ball arrives at the ground with less speed, meaning it's less likely to bounce and roll out of the determined relief area for the ball. With a drop from knee height, it's more likely a golfer will drop just once.

The dozens of changes for the new golf rules in 2019 were designed to make the game easier and quicker for the average player. However, for competitive pros, following the rules are absolutely essential to avoid needless penalties or disqualification. The pros, then, are facing a learning curve as they take on rules situations that were cut and dry.

Fortunately, White was able to prevent Spieth from taking an illegal drop and a needless penalty stroke.

Unfortunately, Spieth did not start his year in style, falling nearly 10 strokes behind the Day 1 lead.

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Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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