Overnight leaders Min Woo Lee, Akshay Bhatia hit from range after unique ruling at THE PLAYERS Championship
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Written by Sean Martin
Both players hit from TPC Sawgrass driving range after wayward tee shots on fifth hole
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Akshay Bhatia and Min Woo Lee began THE PLAYERS Championship’s third round in a tie for the lead. They matched rounds of 67-66 in the opening two rounds at TPC Sawgrass.
Their parallel paths also led to trouble early in Saturday’s third round, as each player took a unique path on the fifth hole that led to them hitting from the back of TPC Sawgrass’ driving range after taking a penalty drop.
High winds buffeted TPC Sawgrass on Saturday, and they sent the drives of Bhatia and Lee well left of the fifth hole. Both players were able to find their balls among the bushes and plants there, though, and elected to take unplayable lies.
One of the options under Rule 19 of the Rules of Golf allows a player to drop as far back as they would like, keeping the spot of the ball between the hole and where the ball is dropped.
Both Bhatia and Lee chose that option and, after taking a penalty of one stroke, dropped the ball on the back of the TPC Sawgrass driving range, which sits across a small lake from the fifth hole. It took Bhatia and Lee about 25 minutes to complete the hole.
Akshay Bhatia’s and Min Woo Lee’s wayward tee shots prove costly at THE PLAYERS
Both players dropped approximately 60 yards behind their tee shots, leaving them more than 250 yards from the hole for their third shot. Lee laid up about 90 yards short of the hole, but missed his 15-foot bogey putt. Bhatia hit his third shot about 25 yards short of the green and missed an 8-foot bogey putt.
The double-bogey came after Lee opened the round with four consecutive pars, dropping him two shots behind co-leaders Will Zalatoris, Alex Smalley and J.J. Spaun. Bhatia had birdied the opening hole, but bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4 preceded his trouble at the fifth hole. He fell three shots off the lead.
