WATCH: Sam Burns involved in 10-minute rules incident at Scottish Open

PGA Tour pro Sam Burns was involved in a 10-minute rules incident during the third round of the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

Ben Smith

15 Jul 2023

WATCH: Sam Burns involved in 10-minute rules incident at Scottish Open

It was all going so well for Sam Burns as he was playing the third round of the Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Burns was within striking distance of the leaders at The Renaissance Club when he stepped up to No. 10.

What then followed was ugly. The 26-year-old American tugged his tee shot left and into the fairway bunker.

No problem, you might think to yourself. But what transpired was the stuff of nightmares, and something far more likely to happen to choppers like yours truly.

Burns attempted to lay up but was shocked to discover his golf ball then slammed directly into the face of the bunker.

The only problem for Burns was that the ball stayed there. It resulted in 10-minute conversation about what to do next.

More:

A DP World Tour rules official, Miguel Vidaor, could be heard telling Burns:

"So, in this particular case, because they're open [sod], if you had been interfered by the seam itself on the intended swing, we would be giving you relief but, the fact it is just interference with this [sod], we can't give you it, otherwise we would be taking all of the bunker faces out of play."

Translation? Play the ball as it lies.

Burns did, and went on to fall out of contention by making a nasty triple bogey on the hole.

The moment was not too dissimilar to what happened to Rory McIlroy during the final round of the 2023 U.S. Open.

Through no fault of his own, McIlroy took incorrect relief measurement. The USGA later admitted their mistake.

"He wasn't doing anything to gain an advantage and as he was told how to apply the rule on where to drop," a USGA official later said.

Watch the moment here: