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PGA Championship 2012: Carl Pettersson Penalized 2 Shots For Grounding Club

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There isn't a single bunker on the course -- however many "sandy areas" -- but a golfer still managed to ground his club in a hazard at the Kiawah Island Ocean Course.

Carl Pettersson was playing the first hole of his final round when his tee-shot sailed right and settled in a clearly marked hazard area. During his second swing, Pettersson took his club back and clipped what appeared to be a dead leaf, which is the same as grounding one's club.

Pettersson managed to salvage what he thought was a routine par, having not taken the two-shot penalty on the first hole. Tournament officials quickly took to instant replay to see if a penalty was to be enforced, which ultimately was the case as Pettersson later learned. Thus, what was once a par now quickly became a double-bogey.

Rule 13-4 in the USGA Rules of Golf states that a player may not touch a loose impediment in a hazard on the backswing but may make contact on the downswing. Had Pettersson swept the leaf on his way down to hitting the ball, no penalty would have been enforced.

For news and updates throughout the week at the PGA Championship, stay tuned to this StoryStream. For all your golf news as the playoffs approach, visit SB Nation's golf hub.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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