Six new PGA Tour rules take effect – from fairway relief and pitchmarks to club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour communicated five new local model rules to players, adding a sixth rule change concerning preferred lies. The season opener at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii, next week will begin under these six new rules. Steven Rintoul, PGA Tour Vice President for Rules and Officials, told golf.com that these are ‘good, sensible outcomes for the highest level of golf,’ explaining the new local model rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A effective January 1, 2026, continue the modernization of the rulebook initiated in 2019.
Below, we present the new rules and local model rules and explain the reasons behind these decisions:
New Golf Rule Clarifies Penalties for Unintentional Ball Movement
According to Rule 9.4b, a player receives a one-stroke penalty if they move their ball at rest and fail to replace it before their next stroke, even if unaware the ball moved or could move. However, the player is not deemed to have played from a wrong place (Rule 14.7a – two-stroke penalty) if it is later found they caused the ball to move.
If the player realizes the ball moved, does not replace it, and plays from the new spot, they incur the standard penalty under Rule 14.7a for playing from the wrong place. Even if it later surfaces that the player caused the ball’s movement and mistakenly believed otherwise, the penalty under Rule 14.7a applies.
This rule emerged following an incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship in Royal Portrush. Lowry unintentionally moved the ball during a practice swing at hole 12. After the round, officials, having reviewed TV footage, penalized him with two strokes. Lowry found the penalty ‘hard to accept’ but accepted it without dispute.
Relief Without Penalty Allowed When Ball Lies in Another Player’s Pitchmark
Another change pertains to when a player’s ball rests in a pitchmark made by another player. Previously, penalty-free relief applied only if the ball lay in the player’s own pitchmark. Now, per Rule 16.3b, players may receive penalty-free relief if an official determines the ball rests below ground level in a pitchmark caused by another player’s stroke. Repaired pitchmarks remain excluded from relief, regardless of the repair’s quality or completeness—repairs include those done intentionally or accidentally using clubs, tools, feet, or maintenance equipment.
This change responds to multiple occurrences, most recently again involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship when his ball rested in a pitchmark and officials denied relief, resulting in a missed approach shot and visible frustration from Lowry.
“Out of Bounds” Applies Only When Played from the Tee
To prevent players from gaining unfair advantages by using adjacent fairways as shortcuts, inner boundary lines marked by white stakes have classically marked out-of-bounds areas throughout the course. Now, these boundaries only apply as out-of-bounds if the ball is played from the tee. This addresses frequent situations where players were restricted from playing back onto their fairway