Getty Image / Sam Greenwood
Just when you thought both the year 2020 and the new-look Bryson DeChambeau couldn’t one-up themselves, fire ants enter the discussion and things get taken up yet another notch.
During his opening round of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis on Thursday, DeChambeau pulled his tee shot on the Par 4 7th. His ball nestled up next to a tree and as he was getting his stance he claims to have noticed a few fire ants and a couple of small holes in the ground so he called a rules official over in hopes of getting a free drop.
In order for him to get a free drop, the holes would have to be deemed to have come from a burrowing animal. Anthills, however, are deemed loose impediments in most cases, especially if there is less than a handful of ants actually around you and the ball.
There is however a “dangerous animal condition” noted in the rules of golf A “dangerous animal (such as poisonous snakes, stinging bees, alligators, fire ants or bears) near a ball could cause serious physical injury to the player if he or she had to play the ball as it lies.
Sure, maybe DeChambeau did see a few fire ants, but it’s worth noting his ball was nestled between two sticks that if he moved them, his ball was certain to move and he was going to get hit with a penalty.
You have to watch this full exchange, it’s unbelievable. Clearly, these ants did not qualify under the ‘dangerous animal condition.’
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