A Penalty for Pulling Out an OB Fence

“A two-shot penalty is given for pulling out an OB fence, but no penalty is given for doing the same on a distance fence.”

Ahn Si-hyun (21, Koron Elord) suffered trouble, after taking as many as seven shots on a par-3 hole, as she forgot a basic golf rule.

The incident happened on May 20 on the third hole (par 3) at the New Seoul Country Club (par 72), where the first round of the MBC-XCanvas Ladies Open of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour was held.

Defending champion Ahn Si-hyun’s tee shot jumped over the green and stopped about a dozen centimeters before an OB fence beside the cart road. After making several trial swings for her second shot, she immediately pulled out the OB fence when her club was stuck with the fence. At that moment, she violated the rule that one should not change the location of OB fences, which is a fixed object and not an artificial obstacle, on any occasion. Article 13, Clause 2 of the golf rules stipulates that “a two-shot penalty is immediately imposed” when one “removes OB fences.”

She fixed the OB fence again, and she made her second shot. The shot, which was made in a state where any normal swing was virtually impossible, bounced into a bunker, giving her another two-shot penalty in a three-on and two-putt. She eventually ended up recording seven strokes.

Ahn Si-hyun, who made a rare quadruple bogey on a par-3 hole, closed the match with three-over-par and 75 strokes, in a tie for 53rd place.

Unlike OB fences, distance fences and hazard fences are artificial obstacles, so players can pull them out whenever they find these fences are disturbing their swings or stances.

Meanwhile, veteran Julie Inkster (45, U.S.), a member of the U.S. LPGA Hall of Fame, jointly took the top spot in this day’s first round with Lim Seon-wook (22) and rookie Kim Bo-kyung (19) by recording three under-par and 69 strokes with four birdies and one bogey. Lee Ji-young (20, Himart), the champion of last week’s Korea Ladies Open, continued her upswing by taking the joint seventh-place spot with one under-par and 71 strokes.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com