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In a thrilling conclusion to the Australian Open, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen edged out Cameron Smith with a dramatic finish on the final green. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy found himself in one of golf’s more bizarre situations, adding to the sport’s intriguing collection of unusual ball lies.
These peculiar “lies” are not about falsehoods but rather the strange spots where golf balls sometimes end up, often creating unforgettable challenges for players.
On Saturday, McIlroy’s tee shot took an unexpected turn, landing inside a banana peel. Officials were called to assess the situation, but since the peel was considered a natural object, McIlroy was denied relief. Opting to play the ball where it lay, he hit from within the peel, resulting in a double bogey for the hole.
Rory McIlroy – Australian Open (2025)
“It was like a double setback,” McIlroy remarked after his round. “The ball was in a tuft of long grass and then covered by a banana peel, but it was my fault for hitting such a poor tee shot in the first place.”
Back in 2014, during the Barclays Championship at Ridgewood Country Club, Phil Mickelson faced his own unusual circumstances. On consecutive days, his shots landed in the hospitality tent. Remarkably, Mickelson played both from inside the structure, securing a par on the first day and a bogey on the second.
Source: Golf.com
Phil Mickelson – 2014 Barclays Championship
At the 2014 Barclays Championship at Ridgewood Country Club, Phil Mickelson hit the hospitality tent on back-to-back days. Mickelson played each shot from inside the structure, making par the first day and bogey the next.
“Again! Fore left!” Mickelson shouted during his Friday round as his ball bounded toward the tent on the left side of the fairway.
Fans embraced the moment, spray-painting an “X” near the general landing area of Mickelson’s tee shots. The tradition continued until the tournament moved away from Ridgewood.
Source: Golf Digest
Sergio García – 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational
A wayward tee shot from Sergio García on the 10th hole at Bay Hill Club left his ball lodged 15 feet up in a tree. With help from a golf cart, García climbed the tree to identify his ball and eventually pitched it back to the fairway with a one-handed wedge shot.
Although the shot was successful, he injured his shoulder in the process, made double bogey, and ultimately withdrew from the event.
“First I climbed to identify the ball, and I saw I could hit it one-handed,” García said in a statement on his website. “Luckily it went OK.”
Source: The Guardian
MONTREAL – SEPTEMBER 28: Woody Austin of the U.S. Team plays his second shot from the water at the par 4, 14th hole during the round two fourball matches at the Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club September 28, 2007 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Woody Austin – 2007 Presidents Cup
Things got wet and wild at the 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club. United States team member Woody Austin pulled his tee shot on the short par-4 14th into a water hazard. Believing the ball might be playable, Austin removed his shoes, rolled up his pants, and waded in.
During his swing, he slipped on a submerged rock and fell backward, nearly submerging himself as the ball failed to advance. Even the normally stoic Tiger Woods was seen laughing.
“The odds were very slim, but you don’t want to concede the hole without ever playing it,” Austin said. “We felt like if there was any minor miracle, I could get it to the bank and maybe chip it in. I didn’t know there was a rock in there, and it hammered the club. Then I stepped on another one, lost my balance, and I was done for.”
Source: Golf Digest
31 Jan 1999: Tiger Woods watches as fans move the boulder out of the way during the Phoenix Open at the TPC of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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Tiger Woods – 1999 Phoenix Open
One of the most famous loose-impediment rulings came at the 1999 Phoenix Open when Tiger Woods’ tee shot on the par-5 13th settled against a massive boulder. After giving the rock a nudge with his shoe, Woods called in Rules Official Orlando Pope.
“Tiger said he thought it was decorative and that it wasn’t attached—that it was a loose impediment. I’ve got to give him credit. Looking back, I would have never thought about asking for that ruling,” Pope said.
After examining the underside of the boulder, Pope agreed that it was, indeed, loose.
“Tiger then asked if he could move it, and I said yes,” Pope recalled in a 2023 interview. “Tiger thought for a moment, then asked if he could have help. I responded, ‘You can have all the help you want.’”
Woods enlisted a group of eight spectators to roll the boulder aside. His second shot found a fairway bunker, but he recovered and made birdie.
Source: PGA Tour
Golf.com (Rory McIlroy banana peel incident)
Dethier, Dylan. “Rory McIlroy Was Denied Relief from a Banana Peel. Here’s Why.” GOLF.com, 30 Nov. 2024, https://golf.com/instruction/rules/rory-mcilroy-banana-peel-relief/.
Golf Digest (Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin anecdotes)
Piastowski, Nick. “The 14 Weirdest, Wildest Lies in Golf History.” Golf Digest, 8 Apr. 2024, https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-14-weirdest-wildest-lies-in-golf-history.
The Guardian (Sergio García tree incident)
Booth, Robert. “Sergio García Plays Shot from Tree at Arnold Palmer Invitational.” The Guardian, 25 Mar. 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/mar/25/sergio-garcia-tree-arnold-palmer-international.
PGA Tour (Tiger Woods loose impediment ruling)
Everill, Ben. “The Loose-Impediment Ruling That Rocked the Golf World — and Still Does Today.” PGATour.com, 5 Feb. 2024,
