The Athletic has live coverage of Round 4 at the 2026 Open Championship.SOUTHPORT, England — Scottie Scheffler received a unique ruling on the 17th hole at Royal Birkdale, which kept him in contention at The Open Championship on Sunday.The rule allowed him to take a free drop after a shot that sailed approximately 30 yards left of his target, landing in a gated hospitality zone.Since that area of the course is known as a “Temporary Immovable Obstruction” (TIO under the rules of golf), Scheffler utilized a rare subsection of the rule that does not require him to find his golf ball. It is listed as Model Local Rule F-23.Rather than being penalized for a ball he did not recover, Scheffler walked away with a birdie on the par 5. The defending Open champion got to 8-under, needing a birdie on the final hole to tie clubhouse leader Cameron Young.Scheffler subsequently bogeyed the 18th hole, finishing The Open at 7-under-par.
Scheffler gets another.
A remarkable 17th hole for the Champion Golfer ends with a birdie and puts him just one back. pic.twitter.com/IfV9sPttu3
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2026According to the R&A rules book, if a player’s ball is “known or virtually certain” to have come to rest in a TIO area, the player may take relief “using the estimated point where the ball last crossed the edge of the TIO.”
