‘Only a guy knew this:’ The PGA Tour leader is amazingly driving the rules himself

Cameron Young, in the end, did not lose the cause.

He may also gain a few followers.

On his second shot on the second hole at Trump National Doral, Young took his iron about halfway back, paused for a moment, then looked at his ball. He said it went a little further — and that’s all it took for the drama to begin in Sunday’s final round of the Cadillac Championship.

Young called an officer. The question is what moved the ball. Could it have been Younger? Could it have been something else? Young also led by five. The official left, and the Golf Channel marks Young as telling him that he doesn’t know “for sure” whether he was the one who caused the ball to go, before saying that he hit the grass and the ball rolled. The official told him it would be one penalty. Young again requested a video review, and the infraction was not changed.

In play was rule 9.2b (2) of the Laws of Golf, which reads:

“A player, an opponent or an external influence is considered to have caused the ball to move only if it is known or proven to be the cause. If it is not known or certain that at least one of these was the cause, the ball is considered to have been moved by natural forces. In applying this standard, all reasonably available information must be taken into account, meaning all information the player knows or can obtain with reasonable effort and without reasonable delay.”

And what does it mean to be “known or certain”? The Laws of Golf state: “Known or certain means more than probable or possible. It means: There is overwhelming evidence that the event in question occurred on the player’s ball, such as when the player or other witnesses saw it happen, or even though there is a very small doubt, all reasonably available information indicates that there is about a 95 percent probability that the event in question occurred.”

On the Golf Channel broadcast, chief rules officer Mark Dusbabek, announcer Steve Sands and commentators Smylie Kaufman and Curt Byrum said:

Dusbabek said: “So when you put your club down and your ball later moves, what could have caused it to move. You have to be sure that it was gravity that caused it to move or you yourself, and no doubt, you go back to gravity, but he was sure that you did something to make it move.”

Said Kaufman: “It seems to be a 50-50 thing, and most players in that situation will defend the field. And being able to sleep at night.”

Said Sands: “But you said I’m not sure.”

Byrum said: “By putting the club behind the ball, he wasn’t sure if that was what made the ball move or not.

Kaufman: “I think you should. Anytime you put your club behind the golf ball and the ball moves and you touch the ground, you have to think that’s what it was. I think if the ball was down and we were playing it down today, you probably wouldn’t have had this situation. The ball would probably have been pressed.”

Of course, Young had nothing to say about ball movement, a thought not lost on on-field analyst Roger Maltbie.

“It makes you proud to be a golfer,” he said on the Golf Channel. “He was the only guy who knew. I think that’s very impressive.”

As it followed.

Young hit his third stroke to 13 feet.

Then you make a par putt.

And his lead remained at five.