RELATED: Here\u2019s the right way to mark and move your ball when it\u2019s on another player\u2019s line<\/a><\/p>\n In Lowry\u2019s defence, it was brutally hot during the second round at Oakmont Country Club, and he was well on his way to missing the cut. You could argue that his brain was literally fried on that day.<\/p>\n Photo: Patrick Smith<\/p>\n That said, it\u2019s worth reviewing what you should do with your golf ball if you plan on lifting it, touching it or moving it in any other manner.<\/p>\n Where this typically comes into play is when some golfers don\u2019t bother putting a coin (or some other marker) down to orient the aiming line on their ball with their line of intended putt. The vague belief is that as long as you don\u2019t \u201clift\u201d the ball, it\u2019s legal. Right?<\/p>\n Well, wrong. Rule 9.4b<\/a> says, \u201cIf the player lifts or deliberately touches their ball at rest or causes it to move, the player gets one penalty stroke.\u201d Rule 14.1a<\/a> says, \u201cBefore lifting a ball under a rule requiring the ball to be replaced on its original spot, the player must mark the spot which means to place a ball marker right behind or right next to the ball, or hold a club on the ground right behind or right next to the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Simply touching an unmarked ball on purpose is grounds for a penalty, regardless of whether the player reorientated without lifting it. An exception here is if it was accidentally done in the process of searching for it in the rough or in any manner on the putting green, in which cases there is no penalty.<\/p>\n There also is no penalty if an unmarked ball is accidentally moved off the green for a number of procedural reasons such as in the process of marking, lifting or replacing a ball or when removing a movable obstruction.<\/p>\n Getting back to the situation in the headline, it must be stressed that even if you don\u2019t move your ball but you intentionally put your hands on it without marking, it\u2019s a penalty. So mark it! Just ask Shane Lowry.<\/p>\n![\"2220023006\"\/](\"https:\/\/golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/rules-2026\/Lowry%20fried%20brain%20us%20open.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.644.suffix\/1777391299920.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n