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Apr 10th, 2016
Billy Horschel penalised as wind blows ball into water!
Golf rules... aren't they great....
Words: Tim Southwell Photography: Getty Images
That's all you need isn't it. You're just about to putt on the 15th green in the third round at The Masters when a gust of wind blows your golf ball straight off the green and into the water.
Billy's third shot, a chip at the par-five, finished 13 feet from the hole, where he marked his ball to have it cleaned for his birdie putt. Then he replaced his ball, walked around to line up his putt and watched in sheer disbelief as the ball started rolling (laughing probably as it went) down the slope, gathered speed and went for an early bath.
Horschel had no choice but to take a penalty stroke and drop his ball no closer to the hole.
"I didn't have my scuba gear to play it from the water," joked Billy, who bogeyed the hole en route to a 73 and a four-over 220 total.
"The course is on a fine line. A big old gust came through, my ball was a foot or two from a false front, and it started rolling and the wind kept pushing it to the false front and it went in the water.
"It's bad luck. Nothing like that has ever happened to me like that in the past that I can remember. It's not the rules officials' fault, it's not Augusta's fault, it's nobody's fault for that happening."
Oi, golfing Gods, listen up. You owe Billy Horschel one for sure.
"I think they owe me one," said Billy.
Yeah.
This is bonkers. Watch Billy Horschel completely dumfounded as the wind blows his ball off the green ... and he gets penalised?!