At the 1999 Phoenix Open, an irresistible force met a seemingly immovable object.
Turned out the object was movable, after all. But it took some doing. After his wild tee shot on the par-5 13th hole came to rest behind a boulder, Tiger Woods got the blessing from a rules official to move the “loose impediment” out of his line. Woods was also told that he could have all the help he wanted.
He got it. A small army of fans surrounded the rock, leaned in, and with a collective heave-ho rolled the one-ton boulder out of the way. Woods went on to make birdie. It was a remarkable moment, now etched into golf lore.
Some observers tipped their cap to Woods’s resourcefulness. Others argued that the boulder-moving violated the spirit of the rule.
What, exactly, does the rule say?
That topic was the focus of one of the USGA’s most-watched rules videos of 2025.
In the clip, USGA rules official Jay Roberts walks viewers through the loose-impediment rule in calmer surroundings, where his ball has come to rest behind a cart sign staked into the ground. Roberts grips the sign, gives it a gentle pull, and lifts it cleanly out of the turf. No drama. No gallery participation. Just a straightforward demonstration of the key standard in the rule: a loose impediment may be removed if it can be moved with “reasonable effort.”
(If the obstruction is immovable, the player is entitled to free relief if it interferes with the lie, stance or swing; otherwise, the ball must be played as it lies.)
That phrase does a lot of work. Reasonable effort doesn’t mean easy. It doesn’t mean you have to strain. And it certainly doesn’t mean you need a crowd. It simply asks whether the object can be moved without damaging the course or improving conditions beyond clearing the obstruction.
Which brings us back to Tiger and that boulder in the desert.
Was it movable? Clearly. Was it moved according to the Rules? Yes. But was a one-ton rock, rolled away by a pack of fans, really moved with “reasonable effort”?
The Rules gave the answer. The debate has lingered ever since.
