The Azalea hole is a picturesque 545-yard stunner that is 13th in line at the Augusta National Golf Course. The hole was the setting for an unfortunate incident on moving day involving recent Houston Open winner Min Woo Lee, rules officials, and an unfortunate ball roll. But what actually happened?
Lee tackled Azalea with confidence across the first two days. On both days, he made par and was looking to do the same or even better on day 3. The Australian had a crisp 294-yard drive to the middle of the fairway to start things off and was trying to use an iron to try to make the green and gain a birdie out of it, probably.
As he took out his iron to ready his swing, the ball rolled toward him. “Oh, that ball just moved,” Lee told his caddie, Bo Martin, who immediately called for a referee. The official came and Lee explained the situation to him. “I was just about to place [my club] down and the ball moved. I mean, it was like so quick. It happened so quick. I was just about to do that [address the ball] and then I picked up my club.” Lee stated.
The rules official talked to his tee partner Harris English and his caddie as well as Lee’s caddie and then asked Lee to proceed without imposing any penalty. Min Woo Lee went on to make par but the twist in the fate came later, when the Masters officials determined that Lee’s actions caused the ball to move, giving the Australian a one-stroke penalty.
The Official Announcement on socials read as such: “Statement from Tournament Headquarters: On hole No. 13, Min Woo Lee asked for assistance after his ball moved on the fairway. It was determined his actions near the ball did cause it to move and one penalty stroke was added to his score under Rule 9.4b.” Lee would have the final score be recorded as a bogey because of this rule application.
Statement from Tournament Headquarters:
On hole No. 13, Min Woo Lee asked for assistance after his ball moved on the fairway. It was determined his actions near the ball did cause it to move and one penalty stroke was added to his score under Rule 9.4b.
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 12, 2025
Fans had mixed reactions to Lee’s plight with some praising Lee’s presence of mind and honesty while others were disappointed with the decision made by the rules committee.
Fans react to Min Woo Lee’s mishap
One fan commented underneath the Masters’ official announcement on Twitter, stating, “Same old Aussies always cheating.” The user is clearly not a fan of the Houston Open winner and his fellow Countrymen.
This is a developing story..
What do you think of the situation? Did Min Woo Lee deserve to be penalized for a stroke, or was it too harsh a penalty from the Masters officials’ side?
The post ‘Always Cheating’: Golf World Outraged as Augusta National Catches PGA Tour Pro Bending Rules at the Masters appeared first on EssentiallySports.