Six new PGA Tour rules come into effect, covering fairway relief, pitchmarks, and club repairs.
On Tuesday, the PGA Tour informed players of five new local model rules and added a change regarding preferred lies, bringing the total to six new rules starting next week at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Steven Rintoul, the PGA Tour’s Vice President of Rules and Officials, told golf.com these are \”good, reasonable outcomes for golf at the highest level.\” He added that these local model rules, adopted by the USGA and R&A starting January 1, 2026, continue the modernization of the rules that began in 2019.
Below, we present the new rules and local model rules, explaining the reasoning behind these decisions:
New Golf Rule Clarifies Penalties for Unintentional Ball Movement
According to Rule 9.4b, a player receives a penalty stroke if they move their resting ball and fail to replace it before their next stroke, even if unaware that the ball had moved or could have moved. This results in a penalty stroke, but the player is not considered to have played from the wrong place (Rule 14.7a – two penalty strokes) if it is later found they caused the ball movement.
If the player realizes the resting ball moved but does not replace it and plays from the new position, they receive the general penalty under Rule 14.7a for playing from the wrong place. Even if it is later found the player moved the ball and mistakenly believed they did not have to replace it, the general penalty applies.
This rule change follows an incident involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship in Royal Portrush, where he unintentionally moved his ball slightly during a practice swing on the 12th hole. After the round, officials imposed a two-stroke penalty after reviewing video evidence. Lowry found the penalty \”hard to accept\” but accepted it without dispute.
Penalty-Free Relief Now Allowed When Ball Lies in Another Player’s Pitchmark
The next rule change addresses cases where a player’s ball rests in another player’s pitchmark. Previously, penalty-free relief was allowed only if the ball lay in the player’s own pitchmark. Under new Rule 16.3b, a player may take penalty-free relief if an official confirms the ball lies in a pitchmark below ground level caused by another player’s stroke. Repaired pitchmarks, whether intentional or accidental, do not qualify for relief regardless of repair quality. Such repairs can be made with a club, other object, foot, or by the course maintenance, even if indentations remain visible.
This change comes after repeated incidents and notably again involving Shane Lowry at the 2025 Open Championship, where his ball landed in a pitchmark in the second round and officials denied relief. Lowry subsequently missed his approach shot and expressed frustration over the decision.
“Out of Bounds” Applies Only From the Tee Box
Many PGA players have sought advantages by using fairways of other holes as shortcuts or relief areas. The new rule states that internal out-of-bounds boundaries (often marked with white stakes) now apply only when the ball is played from the tee. Previously, players were sometimes restricted