Explained: The golf rule change that helped Hideki Matsuyama at Bay Hill

Hideki Matsuyama suffered an embarrassing double hit at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but was relieved to benefit from a recent rule change.

Johnny Percival

08 Mar 2024

Explained: The golf rule change that helped Hideki Matsuyama at Bay Hill

Hideki Matsuyama played one of the more relatable chip shots of his career when he clumsily double-hit the ball during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The 2021 Masters champion went on to shoot 5-under in the opening round and is currently two shots back from round one leader Shane Lowry, thanks to a rule change that prevented him from being docked two shots.

Matsuyama's double hit occurred on the 15th hole when the ball ballooned up out of the rough and caught his club during his follow-through.

Before 2019, the mistake would have cost Matsuyama two shots; however, thanks to a rule change, the Japanese star walked away unscathed.

The rule in question is 11.1a in the official R&A rule book. It states that:

If a player’s ball in motion accidentally hits any person (including the player) or outside influence, there is no penalty to any player. This is true even if the ball hits the player, the opponent or any other player or any of their caddies or equipment.

Following his lucky break, Matsuyama bounced back in style, chipping in on the 16th hole for an eagle from 50 feet.

After his round, he confessed he was unsure whether or not he would receive a penalty for the error.

Speaking to the media, he said:

"It wasn't like a difficult lie or anything, just hit it in the air.

"I was like, Oh, shoot, it hit. I wasn't sure if that was a penalty or not, but I asked the caddie, and he mentioned it's not a penalty, so I was able to keep my game going."

Watch his interesting short game display below:

Double hit to chip-in
Co-leader @HidekiOfficial_ had an interesting short-game sequence on Nos. 15 and 16 @APInv. pic.twitter.com/rVPCh15kWn
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 7, 2024

Matsuyama has already picked up one victory on the PGA Tour this season, with a win at the Genesis Invitational, and he will be aiming to add to that tally this week at Bay Hill.

However, the Japanese star also admitted post-round that he is currently struggling with some back issues.

He went on to highlight the issue in his post-round press conference, saying:

"My back was not feeling perfect. But I was kind of hitting, kind of protecting myself, so, but I feel like I was able to keep the momentum from the previous tournament, so I think that really helped.

"It happened maybe like two years ago. It didn't get worse since then. But my leg is a little numb right now, so it's really not the perfect condition."

Matsuyama will commence his second round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 17:30 GMT alongside Russell Henley.

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