Major Winner Involved In Rare TIO Relief Ruling At Solheim Cup

The Solheim Cup always features some rules drama and, during the morning foursomes on Friday, a rare ruling occurred involving Europe's Celine Boutier.

Playing the par 5 16th, Boutier and her playing partner, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, were 2-down as they came to the tee and, after the latter found the penalty area with her drive, it looked like the game would be all but over...

That was until Boutier was able to take free relief, despite the fact that the ball was inside the red stakes.

Although Madsen's drive was inside the penalty area, it was still playable as it wasn't in the water and sitting on the grass.

Stepping up to the ball, Boutier claimed her line to the green was blocked by a temporary immovable obstruction, which just so happened to be a bridge that connected one side of the penalty area to the other.

After a lengthy discussion with the Rules Official onsite, Boutier was able to take free relief despite being in the penalty area, with the Major winner forced to take a drop that remained inside the red stakes.

Along with that huge slice of luck, Boutier's first two drops rolled in to the water, which meant she was able to place the ball on the third attempt.

US captain, Angela Stanford, was present and, understandably, questioned the decision, with the Rules Official explaining that Boutier was able to take free TIO relief.

With her second, Boutier found the fairway but, following a poor third from Madsen, that led to a three-putt bogey, with Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin safely parring to claim a 3&2 win.

In the end, the drop didn't play a part in the outcome, but many were still questioning the decision, with No Laying Up tweeting: "I do not have words for the TIO relief that Celine Boutier just got on 16."

The Rules of Golf address movable obstructions in Rule 15.2 and immovable obstructions (one of the four types of abnormal course conditions) in Rule 16.1.

Line-of-sight interference is when the player’s ball is in or touches the TIO, or the TIO is located on a straight line between the ball and the hole, or within a club-length on an equidistant arc where the TIO would be on the player’s direct line of sight to the hole.

Because the shot was lying in the penalty area, the relief must be in the same penalty area.

It's not the first time we have seen controversial TIO relief taken in big events throughout 2026.

At The Open Championship in July, Scottie Scheffler hit his second shot into a hospitality tent at the par 5 17th during his final round.

Despite the ball not being located, he was given a free drop due to the TIO, with the World No.1 spared a penalty drop by Rule 17.1d, which covers instances when it is “Known or Virtually Certain” that a ball has gone into a TIO.