Six new PGA Tour rules take effect – from fairway relief to pitchmarks and club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour informed players of five new local model rules and added a rule change regarding preferred lies. This brings a total of six new rules to take effect starting next week at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Steven Rintoul, Vice President of Rules and Officiating for the PGA Tour, told golf.com, ‘Good, sensible outcomes for golf at the highest level.’ He further explained that the new local model rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A effective January 1, 2026, continue the modernization of the rules framework initiated in 2019.
Below we present the new rules and local model rules, explaining the reasoning behind the decisions:
New Golf Rule Clarifies Penalties for Unintentional Ball Movement
Under Rule 9.4b, a player incurs a penalty stroke if they move their resting ball and fail to replace it before their next stroke, although they did not know the ball moved nor could have moved. In such cases, the player receives one penalty stroke but is not considered to have played from the wrong place (Rule 14.7a – two penalty strokes) if it is later established that they caused the movement.
However, if the player notices the ball moved, does not replace it, and plays from the new spot, the general penalty under Rule 14.7a for playing from the wrong place applies. Also, if it later turns out the player moved the ball and wrongly assumed they did not need to replace it, the same general penalty applies.
This new rule arose from an incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, where during a practice swing at the 12th hole he slightly moved the ball without noticing. After the round, officials, reviewing TV footage, assessed a two-stroke penalty after lengthy deliberation. Lowry found the penalty hard to accept but accepted it without protest.
Penalty-Free Relief Now Allowed When Ball Lies in Another Player’s Pitchmark
The next rule change concerns balls resting in another player’s pitchmark. Previously, penalty-free relief was only allowed if the ball lay in the player’s own pitchmark. Now, under Rule 16.3b, a player may take relief without penalty if a rules official determines the ball rested in a pitchmark below ground level caused by another player’s strike. A repaired pitchmark remains unaffected by this rule regardless of repair quality or completeness; repairs include marks fixed intentionally or accidentally with clubs, objects, or feet. Even pitchmarks partially flattened by greenkeepers are considered repaired.
Repeated occurrences, including another incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open where officials denied