JJ Spaun is not the most well known name on the PGA Tour, but he might be after Sunday’s round at The PLAYERS Championship.
After making a bogey on the par-3 8th, he found himself one shot back of Rory McIlroy atop the leaderboard.
The Los Angeles native then got an unbelievably lucky break on the par-5 9th, and took advantage of the PGA Tour rules.
Spaun hit his second shot into the deep rough. It was going to be incredibly difficult to get up-and-down, bringing par and even bogey into play.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
The ball was in a horrible lie and he was left standing on a sprinkler, which allowed him to get relief.
Upon taking his free drop, Spaun allegedly dropped the ball purposefully on another sprinkler head. That, per PGA Tour rules, allowed more free relief.
Suddenly, Spaun found himself in the fairway with a perfect life. He was able to get up-and-down and make birdie, tying McIlroy for the lead.
Jim “Bones” Mackay, an NBC Sports on-course reporter, seemed shocked as he explained what happened.
It is important to preface that Spaun did not break any rules, but this situation still feels seedy.
The incident left fans online calling it disgraceful.
“JJ Spaun getting relief from a sprinkler head on a terrible lie in the rough and dropping in the fairway is ridiculous,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“The fact that what JJ Spaun just did is considered within the rules is a disgrace,” another chimed in.
This video and image sums up the unearned advantage Spaun was awarded.
Spaun found himself in the lead after he shot a 2-under 70 Saturday afternoon. He was consistent through the first two days and then found a way to get around a problematic TPC Sawgrass course with 30 miles per hour wind gusts.
The former San Diego State Aztec has one PGA Tour win, the 2022 Valero Texas Open. However, this season has been a good start for him.
In eight starts, Spaun has a runner up finish at the Cognizant Classic, two top 10s and three top 25s.
He looks to close in on his first significant PGA Tour win and join that illustrious list of guys who call themselves PLAYERS champions.
However, will this drop be more of a focal point if he does win?
Should there be a rule change? Let us know in the comments.
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