United States of America. The ball flew over the hole and fell after 40 seconds. Penalty shot for golfer

The annual Players Championship golf tournament was held Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. When Austin Eckrot was playing the 11th hole, the ball he hit was hanging on the edge of the hole, which seemed to contradict the laws of gravity. For a long moment, Eckrot and his golf partner Joel Dahman watched her carefully, hoping she would finally fall.

However, when it seemed like the ball was hanging on the edge forever, after 40 seconds, it suddenly fell into the hole, sparking applause from the spectators who were following the competition. Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived, as the 25-year-old golfer was eventually punished.

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It turns out that a violation of the regulations was found. The American player's penalty came as a result of a rule regulating how long one can wait for the golf ball to reach the hole. Under Rule 13.3a, a player is allowed a “reasonable” time to reach the hole and an additional 10 seconds to wait to see if the ball eventually goes into the hole.

However, in this case, the ball did not fall until after 40 seconds, so Ecroat was punished with an additional stroke – the hole was considered the result of another stroke by the player, although in practice he did not make such a stroke.

As a result, Ecroat ended the competition on the eleventh hole with what is called a par – that is, the suggested number of strokes needed to put the ball on a given hole. In high-level competitions, golfers often complete holes with fewer strokes than suggested.

Many golf fans did not hide their disappointment in the video clip that was posted on social media. Many criticized the current regulations. However, competition organizers remained adamant, and a PGA Tour spokesman stressed that the penalty was “merely an application of the rules” of the game.

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