Six new PGA Tour rules come into effect—from fairway relief and pitch marks to club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour announced five new local standard rules to players, adding a sixth change involving preferred lies. The season opener will thus start next week at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii, with six new rules in place. Steven Rintoul, Vice President of Rules and Officials for the PGA Tour, told golf.com these are \”good, sensible outcomes for the highest level of golf.\” He explained that these local standard rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A effective January 1, 2026, continue the modernization effort of the rules that began in 2019.
Below we present the new rules and local standard rules, explaining the reasons behind these decisions:
New Rule Clarifies Penalties for Unintended Ball Movements
According to Rule 9.4b, a player incurs a penalty stroke if they move their stationary ball and fail to replace it before their next stroke, even if unaware that the ball moved or could have moved. The penalty is one stroke. However, if it later becomes known that the player caused the ball to move, they have not played from a wrong place under Rule 14.7a, which carries two penalty strokes.
If the player notices that the ball moved but does not replace it and plays from the new location, the general penalty under Rule 14.7a applies for playing from a wrong place. Also, if later it’s found the player caused the movement but mistakenly thought they did not have to replace the ball, the penalty under Rule 14.7a applies.
This rule arose from an incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, where he inadvertently moved the ball slightly during a practice swing on the 12th hole. After the round, officials imposed a two-stroke penalty after reviewing television footage, which Lowry found difficult to accept but accepted without dispute.
Penalty-Free Relief Now Also Allowed When Ball Lies in Another Player’s Pitchmark
The next rule change concerns a ball 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 an official determines the ball lies in a pitchmark below ground level caused by another player’s stroke. However, a repaired pitchmark remains unaffected by this rule regardless of repair quality. Examples include repairs made with a club, other objects, or foot. If a greenskeeper has driven over the pitchmark with a mower but a depression is visible, it counts as repaired.
Following repeated incidents and recently again during the 2025 Open Championship, when Lowry’s ball landed in a pitchmark and officials denied his relief request, he missed his next approach and showed frustration on the turf.
\”Out of Bounds\” Now Only Applies from the Tee
Since