Sydney’s wild weather on Wednesday has forced organisers of the Australian Open to make a last-minute rules change.
The storm cell – which stretched from Goulburn up to the Queensland border – lashed Sydney with lightning, heavy rain and even hail.
While The Australian and The Lakes courses in the city’s east appeared to dodge the worst of the weather, Sydney airport next door recorded 15mm between 4.30pm and 6.30pm, and Observation Hill in the CBD recorded 30mm in the same period.
As a result, tournament officials on Wednesday evening decided the first two rounds – which will split between the two venues – would be played with a preferred lie local rule on fairways.
Essentially, if a player’s ball finds the fairway, they will be permitted to mark it, pick it up, and replace it anywhere within a scorecard’s length – although not nearer the hole – of where it originally came to rest.
While often used as a winter rule at your local golf club, it’s seldom used at the top level.
But the reason the rule even exists is simple – mud.
A ball that lands on soft ground from a height could collect mud, and a ball that has mud on it won’t fly through the air in any kind of predictable manner.
It might fly left into a pond, or right into a bunker or tree.
So, the rule allows players who are on the fairway the opportunity to pick up and clean the ball before playing their next shot.
Any ball off the cut fairway though must be played as it lies – mud or no mud.
Officials will meet on Friday evening to determine whether or not the rule will extend into the weekend, which will be played exclusively at The Australian.