The second time was the charm for Beau Hossler, but still, it didn’t bag him a victory. The 29-year-old was denied a TIO (temporary immovable obstruction) relief at the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship as he finished the 18th hole but was given one in the playoff. Even then, Hossler couldn’t salvage his round and lost against Kevin Yu who became the third Taiwanese player to bag a win on the Tour. It was a bit disappointing for Hossler, as many accused him of cheating.

But it was not the first time that a pro asked for a TIO relief, and the golf world expressed a little frustration. This season, the relief was given three more times, which became the talk of the golf town for a while.

3. Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open

Bryson DeChambeau ended up winning the 124th US Open, but it was not because of the TIO relief, thankfully. The 2-time US Open winner was playing the par-5 5th hole (his 14th) on Pinehurst No. 2 when he found his ball in the wooded area. But there was also a ShotLink pole in his line of sight, as it inferred while he took a shot. According to the model local rule F-23, it was a TIO, and DeChambeau was given the relief.

However, many questioned the ruling and DeChambeau being allowed to play 30 feet from where his ball first was. Nonetheless, the LIV Golf pro was not disturbed by the backlash, as he said, “I got a really lucky drop” and expressed, “I used the rules to my advantage there,” GOLF reported him saying.

2. Matt Kuchar at the Wyndham Championship

For the more thing than one, Matt Kuchar made the headline at the 2024 Wyndham Championship in August. The veteran PGA Tour pro was first the talk of the town as he became the lone player to continue the event on Monday. And then, his sight of line relief on the delayed finish became controversial in the golf world.

Kuchar finished the Wyndham Championship at T12 after he opted to play the 18th hole on Monday due to darkness. Then, he asked for relief as a scoreboard prevented him from taking a shot, and was given the TIO relief. All was legal, and Kuchar finished 104th on the FedExCup standings after the T12 finish, securing the 2025 PGA Tour card, but the fans were skeptical of the ruling.

1. Carl Yuan at the Sony Open in Hawaii

Carl Yuan was in a five-way tie at the Sony Open in Hawaii on the final day and closer to winning his first PGA Tour event. However, on the 18th hole, the Chinese pro hit a shot from the bunker, and his ball hit the hospitality tent near the green and was nowhere to be found. The tent was regarded as a Temporary Immovable Obstruction by the PGA Tour official, and Yuan was given relief at a two-club length from the tent.

In the end, the netizens questioned the ruling as the ball was never found. Thus, many asked how it was certain that the ball didn’t bounce off the tent and wasn’t lost inside it. Nonetheless, the result of the event didn’t change as the 26-year-old made par for a T4 finish.

At the time of these three TIO reliefs, there was significant chatter that they should not have been given in the first place. But that didn’t change the verdicts, and unlike Hossler, these pros received the TIO relief advantage.