Play the ball as it lies.
These were the Rules of the Game of Golf, specifically Rule 8told Cooper Dossey to do so during Sunday’s season-opening round of the Korn Ferry Tour at The Ocean Club golf course on Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Dossey, a 26-year-old Baylor alum from Austin, Texas, made his first birdie of the day on the par-4 13th hole (he started the round on the back nine or front nine in public play) when his tee shot on the par-4 14th hole he stopped on an upside-down piece of turf from a nearby divot.
“Something like this has never happened before,” Dossey said later. “One of my better birds!”
Yes, Dossey recovered and birdied the hole, then added two more as part of a bogey-free 4-for 66, six shots behind first-round leader John VanDerLaan, who started with a 60.
Last season, Dossey finished 76th in points on the Korn Ferry Tour, one spot shy of retaining full status. He was initially an alternate for this week’s tournament, but was placed after the PGA Tour expanded its field to 144 players – and several withdrew late.
