Golf officials have given Tiger Woods a two-shot penalty ahead of Saturday's Masters tournament play for his penalty drop on Friday.
Officials at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia reviewed video early Saturday of his penalty drop to determine whether he should be disqualified from the tournament. They said Wood's action deserved a penalty, but not a disqualification.
The four-time Masters champion's third shot on the 15th hole Friday hit the flag that was marking the hole and landed in a water hazard. The rules say he can use a penalty drop for his next shot that is "as near as possible" to the spot of his last shot. Woods told reporters he dropped the ball about 1.8 meters from the spot of his last shot, which onlookers pointed out was not technically as close as possible to the spot as it could have been.
After the penalty, Woods stands 5 strokes back from the current leader, Australia's Jason Day.
Day goes into Saturday's round six-under-par with a 138. Fellow Australian Fred Couples is tied for second, one stroke behind the leader.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Chinese golf sensation Guan Tianlang continues to make history at the 77th Masters Tournament, making the cut after Friday's second round by one shot despite being penalized one stroke for playing too slowly.
The teen had to wait an agonizing five hours before finding out that he played well enough to continue.
Guan moves into the Saturday's third round tied for 55th place, with a four-over-par and a score of 148.
Guan is the youngest player to continue to play the final two rounds in the history of the Masters, the United States' most prestigious golf tournament.
Officials at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia reviewed video early Saturday of his penalty drop to determine whether he should be disqualified from the tournament. They said Wood's action deserved a penalty, but not a disqualification.
The four-time Masters champion's third shot on the 15th hole Friday hit the flag that was marking the hole and landed in a water hazard. The rules say he can use a penalty drop for his next shot that is "as near as possible" to the spot of his last shot. Woods told reporters he dropped the ball about 1.8 meters from the spot of his last shot, which onlookers pointed out was not technically as close as possible to the spot as it could have been.
After the penalty, Woods stands 5 strokes back from the current leader, Australia's Jason Day.
Day goes into Saturday's round six-under-par with a 138. Fellow Australian Fred Couples is tied for second, one stroke behind the leader.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Chinese golf sensation Guan Tianlang continues to make history at the 77th Masters Tournament, making the cut after Friday's second round by one shot despite being penalized one stroke for playing too slowly.
The teen had to wait an agonizing five hours before finding out that he played well enough to continue.
Guan moves into the Saturday's third round tied for 55th place, with a four-over-par and a score of 148.
Guan is the youngest player to continue to play the final two rounds in the history of the Masters, the United States' most prestigious golf tournament.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
