Rory McIlroy getting a 'free drop' for his embedded ball at the 2023 US Open raises questions among fans

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was involved in one of the most controversial plays of the fourth round of the 2023 US Open. After his ball fell into a bunker, he did not have to hit it out, but was granted a 'free drop' out of the hazard to continue playing.

The play occurred on the 14th hole. Rory McIlroy sent his ball straight into one of the sand traps lining the fairway. It landed in such a tricky position that it almost had to be written off.

The Northern Irishman avoided the lost ball penalty by very few seconds. Not only that, but he was also granted the possibility of taking it out without hitting it. It is a decision by the official that has been all over the internet.

Many questions have been raised by fans as to why this decision was applied and how it was justified. However, the answer is only one: The official's decision was correct. He made it by applying the exception established in rule 16.3 of the US Open Championship rules.

It is an exception to rule 16, which applies to balls embedded in the grass, either in the fairway or in the rough. Attention: the exception does not apply to sand. If the ball is buried in the sand, the player must play it out.

The exception states that a ball embedded in the turf need not be played and a 'free drop' will be applied. A ball in this condition "should not be considered part of the normal challenge of playing a course" (Rule 16.3).

The moment when Rory McIlroy found the ball at the 14th hole's bunker (Image via Twitter @GolfDigestAU).

The following is the text of the exception, taken from the USGA website:

"This is an appropriate exception to the principle of playing the ball as it lies because having to play a ball that is stuck in soft or wet ground (whether in the fairway or the rough) should not be considered part of the normal challenge of playing a course."

Now, in the specific case of Rory McIlroy's ball on the 14th hole, it is true that it landed inside the bunker. However it did not land in the sand, but in the grass covering one of its slopes. Since it was not embedded in the sand, the exception of rule 16.3 applies, as the official stated.

How did Rory McIlroy fare on the 14th hole after all?

Upon receiving the free drop, Rory McIlroy dropped the ball to the distance equivalent to a club. It was still in the rough, however, so it was still a complex shot. So much so, that it ended up being the only bogey of the Northern Irishman in the entire round.

Eventually, this bogey was important for the definition of the US Open. The difference between Wyndham Clark and McIlroy was precisely one stroke.