Six new PGA Tour rules come into effect, ranging from fairway relief to pitch marks and club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour informed players of five new local model rules and added a change regarding preferred lies. This brings a total of six new rules starting next week at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Steven Rintoul, Vice President of Rules and Refereeing for the PGA Tour, told golf.com, ‘Good, sensible outcomes for golf at the highest level.’ He explained that the new local model rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A effective January 1, 2026, are a continuation of the modernization process for the rules that started in 2019.
New PGA Tour Rules: Clarifying Penalties for Unintentional Ball Movement
Under Rule 9.4b, a player receives a penalty stroke if they move their stationary ball and fail to replace it before their next stroke, even if unaware that the ball had or could have moved. The player does not play from a wrong place (Rule 14.7a – two penalty strokes) if it later becomes known that they caused the ball movement.
If the player notices the ball moved and does not replace it but plays from the new location, they receive the general penalty under Rule 14.7a for playing from the wrong place. Even if it later turns out a player moved the ball but mistakenly thought they did not have to replace it, the general penalty applies.
This new rule arose from a 2025 Open Championship incident where Shane Lowry accidentally moved his ball during a practice swing without realizing it. After the round, officials assessed a two-stroke penalty based on video evidence. Lowry called the penalty ‘hard to accept’ but accepted it without dispute.
Pitch Mark Relief Expanded and Other Key Updates
Penalty-free relief is now allowed when a ball rests in another player’s pitch mark below ground level, whereas previously relief applied only if the ball was in the player’s own pitch mark (Rule 16.3b). Repaired pitch marks are excluded from this rule. This change follows repeated incidents, including Lowry’s denied request for relief at the 2025 Open when his ball landed in a pitch mark.
Also, ‘Out of Bounds’ is now enforced only from the tee, preventing players from being unfairly penalized for crossing internal boundaries during play.
Relief for immovable obstructions on closely mown aprons is now permitted when the ball lies off the green and putts are common on such surfaces (Rule 16.1).
Players may now repair damaged clubs on the course using replacement parts carried in their bags, streamlining repairs without penalty (Rule 4.1b(4)).
Additionally, the relief area on poor fairways has been reduced from one club length (~46