One such rare incident occurred during the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club involving professional golfer Richard Bland.While playing the 3rd hole, Bland struck a shot toward the green. As the ball rolled across the putting surface, a squirrel suddenly interfered with it. The animal stopped the ball and pushed it back off the green and into the fairway. As a result of the unusual interruption, Bland ended up making a bogey on the hole. He later shared the video of the incident online and continued his round without further issue because the rules of golf already clearly address such situations.In this particular case, three separate rules from the official golf rulebook applied. Each rule explains how the game should proceed when unexpected factors influence the ball.### Rule 11.1: When an outside influence deflects a moving ballThe first relevant regulation is Rule 11.1, which deals with balls that are accidentally deflected or stopped while in motion. According to this rule, if a ball in motion strikes or is affected by an outside influence, no player receives a penalty. Animals, spectators, and other external objects are all considered outside influences under the rules.Because the squirrel touched Bland’s ball while it was still moving, he was required to play the ball from its final resting position in the fairway. The key factor here was timing. Since the ball had not yet come to a complete stop when the squirrel interfered, the ball had to be played from wherever it eventually settled.This rule applies equally whether the ball is deflected by an animal or by a spectator. What matters is that the contact occurs accidentally while the ball is in motion. If the interference happens before the ball is played or after it has already stopped, different rules may apply.If Bland’s ball had already come to rest on the green before the squirrel touched it, Rule 9.6 would have allowed him to replace the ball at its original spot. However, because the ball was still moving at the moment of contact, the rules required him to play it from its new position.### Rule 13.1d: Accidental movement on the putting greenAnother important regulation is Rule 13.1d, which covers situations where a ball moves accidentally on the putting green. Prior to 2019, players would receive a penalty stroke if they accidentally caused their ball to move on the green. This rule often punished players even when the movement resulted from bad luck rather than carelessness.In 2019, however, the governing bodies of golf—United States Golf Association and The R&A—updated the rule to make it fairer. Under the revised regulation, if a player accidentally moves their ball on the green, there is no penalty. Instead, the player simply replaces the ball in its original location.If the exact position is uncertain, the player must estimate where the ball had been before it moved. This change was initially introduced as a Local Rule in 2017 before becoming part of the standard rules in 2019.The updated rule also applies in cases where natural forces cause the ball to move, such as strong wind or the motion created by a practice stroke. The idea behind the change was to avoid penalizing players for circumstances that are largely outside their control. Now, the focus is simply on restoring the ball to its correct position before the next shot.### Rule 4.1 and Rule 4.2: Substances applied to clubs and ballsAnother set of rules deals with what substances players are allowed to use on their equipment. Rule 4.2 outlines what golfers can use to clean their clubs. Acceptable cleaning methods include water, saliva, or a towel.However, substances such as grease or Vaseline are strictly prohibited if they are applied to alter the club’s effect on the ball. The rule allows players to clean their clubs but forbids any attempt to modify how the club interacts with the ball during play.This distinction is important because changes to friction between the clubface and the ball can influence spin and trajectory. Any deliberate attempt to alter those characteristics could give a player an unfair advantage. Equipment regulations are designed to maintain the integrity of the game by ensuring that all players compete under the same conditions.For example, wiping a clubface with saliva before a shot is perfectly legal. But coating the clubface with a substance intended to reduce spin or change ball flight would violate the rules and could result in disqualification.Players are also not allowed to apply such substances to their clubs before the round begins. All equipment must comply with official standards established by the sport’s governing bodies. If a club has been modified in a way that makes it non-conforming, it cannot be used in competition.### Keeping the game fairThe incident involving Bland and the squirrel illustrates how golf’s rulebook is designed to handle even the most unusual circumstances. Whether the situation involves animals interfering with the ball, accidental movement on the green, or the use of substances on equipment, the rules aim to determine what happened and ensure the outcome remains fair.Moments like these show why golf has such a detailed rule system. Unexpected situations can occur at any time, and the rulebook ensures that the game can continue smoothly regardless of how unusual the event may be.