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Austin Eckroat was penalized after a birdie putt took over 10 seconds to drop into the hole during the final round of The Players Championship in Florida Sunday.
The 25-year-old American golf champ appeared to land a birdie when his 20-footer shot rolled around the rim of the cup at the par-five 11th hole.
But because the ball took over 10 seconds to ultimately drop in the hole, a stroke was added to his score and it was counted as a par.
Video of the precarious moment showed the shot, and Eckroat casually make his way to where the ball was hanging by the cup. He stood over and stared down the ball until it finally fell — to a chorus of cheers.
Eckroat, who ranks No. 48 and won his first PGA Tour title, the Cognizant Classic, this month, smiled and waved to the crowd when the ball finally fell.
But under golf rules, when a player’s ball overhangs the lip of the hole, a player is allowed “a reasonable time” to reach the hole and 10 more seconds to wait to see whether the ball falls. If the ball falls in that waiting time the player has “holed out with the previous stroke.” If it doesn’t the ball is treated as being at rest, and if it falls before it’s played, the player has “holed out with the previous stroke, but gets one penalty stroke added to the score of the hole.”
Ultimately the ball took about 13 seconds to drop after Eckroat met the ball from its overhang position. As it took over 10 seconds, the ball was considered “at rest”and he was hit with the penalty stroke.
