It was an eventful final day at TPC Sawgrass: in addition to the four-hour thunderstorm interruption and the postponement of the crucial playoff to Monday, another curious situation on Sunday of the Players Championship 2025 caused a stir: Bud Cauley, who had started in the final flight with Lucas Glover and J.J. Spaun, accidentally stepped on his fellow player Lucas Glover’s ball. But what do the rules of golf say about this?
Rules of Golf: Misstep without consequences
Cauley was distracted by the action on the nearby 17th hole, where Rory McIlroy was about to tee off. The iconic par-3 with the island green has already provided plenty of drama, so it is understandable that Cauley also wanted to watch McIlroy’s approach from close up. However, he did not pay attention to what was directly in front of him – and soon buried the ball with his foot.
The scene is unusual, but the rules of golf in this case are clear:
“If it is known or virtually certain that an outside influence (including another player in stroke play or another ball) lifted or moved a player’s ball at rest, there is no penalty, and the ball must be replaced on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated)” (Rule 9.6).
So the action had no consequences for either Lucas Glover or Bud Cauley – the ball was allowed to be put back in its original position without penalty.
Different regulations depending on the cause of the movement
An important distinction concerns the cause of the movement: if the ball is moved by natural forces such as wind or water, it may not be replaced; instead, it must be played from its new position as it lies. Slightly different rules apply on the green: if the ball has already been picked up and replaced and then moves again it must always be replaced, regardless of the cause.