Bubba Watson on the Last Hole at the Memorial

            On the 18^th hole of the Memorial Tournament, just a few moments ago, there was a little discussion about whether Bubba Wtason could be subject to penalty when he accidentally touched his ball in addressing it for his fourth shot.  They got it right on TV and as of now it appears the PGA Tour officials agree and there are two main reasons why:

            Under Rule 18-2a, if Bubba was not deemed to have already addressed the ball, the Rule allows a player to purposely or accidentally touch the ball in the act of addressing it, provided it does not change position (move).

            If Bubba was deemed to have addressed the ball, under Rule 18-2b he would only be subject to penalty if the ball moved, which by definition means the ball left its position and came to rest in any other place.  In this circumstance, the ball clearly neither left its position, nor came to rest somewhere else.  Therefore, even though it wobbled, it did not “move” as defined by the Rule of Golf.