J.J. Spaun Involved In Drop Drama While In Contention At The Players Championship
Playing the ninth hole at TPC Sawgrass, the American received a huge slice of luck via a double drop at the par 5, with the move leading to a birdie


Winds were causing havoc at The Players Championship over the weekend, with some misguided shots being played from those in contention in Florida.
Taking the solo lead into the final round, J.J. Spaun was keeping his golf ball on the straight-and-narrow as he tackled TPC Sawgrass. However, at the par 5 ninth, while one shot back of Rory McIlroy and Akshay Bhatia, Spaun found himself in trouble.
Pushing his second shot at the par 5 ninth, the American found it in the rough and, after discovering it in a brutal lie, was handed a huge slice of luck.
Addressing his ball, Spaun's foot was reportedly on a sprinkler head which, under Rule 16, falls under 'Abnormal Course Conditions.' Because of this, the PGA Tour winner was able to receive relief.
However, the luck didn't stop there for Spaun as, reportedly, he was able to deliberately drop on another sprinkler head, thus receiving another slice of relief which ended up putting him in the fairway.
Spaun takes his drop on the ninth
Speaking on broadcast, caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay, who now works as an on-course reporter for NBC and Golf Channel, stated "it was fascinating. J.J's ball was in a horrible lie. He was standing on a sprinkler, but nowhere near the fairway.
"He took relief and within that clubhead was another sprinkler. He intentionally dropped it into that sprinkler and got a second club-length away from that and got himself into the fairway."
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Following the drop, Spaun stuck his third close to the flag and was able to roll in the putt for birdie to pull alongside McIlroy going into the back nine.
After the birdie, McIlroy fired back at the par 5 11th but, after moving to 12-under-par, play was suspended in Florida due to the threat of lightning in the area.
Although the drop got many golf fans on social media disagreeing and questioning its validity, it's worth noting that what Spaun did was not against the rules.
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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