Tiger Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty Saturday after making an illegal drop in the second round of the Masters on Friday.
According to Sporting News, Woods made the illegal drop after his ball hit a flagstick and rolled into a water hazard.
“By rule, Woods should have either dropped the ball in a designated drop area near the green; on a line between the flag and where the ball entered the water; or as close to the spot of the initial shot as possible,” Sporting News staff wrote.
There was speculation Friday night about what kind of penalty would be levied against Woods for the infraction.
Some said that Woods should disqualify himself, even if officials allowed him to continue playing.
“The rules are the rules, whether you are 14 years old or a 14-time major champion,” wrote BBC Sport's Rob Hodgetts.
BBC Sport commentator Peter Alliss said the game's rules are intricate.
"The rules of golf are very complicated and 99.9% of people that play are not aware of most of the interpretations,” Allis said.
He said Woods had not gained any advantage from the officials' ruling.
Hodgett acknowledge officials were in a tight spot. Disqualifying Woods would have left a gap in the Masters, but not disqualifying him exposed them to accusations of favoritism.
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