In 2022, the PGA Tour pro, Kevin Roy, had a little confession to make: “[After college] I figured, ‘Let’s give this crazy game a shot,’ and I’ve been at it ever since.” Although Roy is still looking for his first PGA Tour win, he has performed strongly this 2025 season. After a T8 finish at the 2025 Rocket Classic, the American started well at the ongoing John Deere Classic. However, whether he grabs his first win or not, his TPC Deere Run finish is likely to have a couple of hiccups along the way.

What hiccups? Well, alleged PGA Tour rules “abuse,” for one thing. Kevin Roy is currently competing in the 2025 John Deere Classic, where he began his first three rounds with impressive scores of 65, 67, and 70. Given his low scores, Roy even reached the top of the leaderboard at one point; however, one particular move of his grabbed Fried Egg Golf‘s Joseph LaMagna’s attention. 

During the Saturday round, Kevin Roy left his first bunker shot in a greenside bunker, resting just above his footprint. After calling for a ruling, a rules official determined that he could rake the sand in that area before taking his next shot because it “wasn’t in his line of play.” This ruling allowed Roy to smooth the sand without penalty, hence provoking a new set of discussion among the golf fans.

So, why are golf fans in confusion over this ruling? The situation surrounding Kevin Roy’s bunker shot is controversial because it raises questions about how to interpret and apply the rules regarding bunker play. While Rule 12.2b(2) allows players to rake the sand to care for the course without penalty, the subjective nature of what constitutes “improving the conditions affecting your next stroke” can lead to differing opinions.

Fans argue that allowing Roy to rake his footprint, which was close to his ball, may give him an unfair advantage by altering the sand’s condition right before his shot. A player (or his caddie) can smooth the bunker to care for the course as long as their actions in touching the sand do not improve the conditions affecting the stroke, in accordance with Rule 8.1a.

But did Kevin Roy’s movement improve his lie? Fans certainly think so.

The golf fans are looking unkindly at Kevin Roy

One golf fan said, “This is very bad, blatantly trying to abuse the rules and no pushback from the official,” while another couldn’t help but reply, “Surely that was wrong….” and shared a screenshot of the PGA Tour’s bunker raking rules. According to the USGA rules, when a golfer’s ball is in a bunker, they can rake the bunker at any time to maintain the course, as long as they don’t improve the conditions that could affect their next stroke, such as their lie, stance, swing area, or line of play [Rule 12.2b(2)]. However, after a golfer plays their ball out of the bunker, they can rake it without any restrictions [Rule 12.2b(3)].

A third fan said of the Kevin Roy situation, “Roy better not beat Champ by 1. The tour would be hearing from my lawyers.” So, here’s the thing: both Kevin Roy and Cameron Champ are hanging close to the 2025 John Deere Classic leader. As the TPC Deere Run event heads into its third round, Roy sits tied in tenth place at -11, while Cameron Champ holds tenth place at -11. So, there’s still no one-stroke difference between the two.

The co-founder of No Laying Up Podcast replied, “Bad!!!!” to which Fried Egg Golf’s Joseph LaMagna replied, “At a loss for words, TC. Make it make sense. Not good!” Another golf fan replied under the tweet, “Made no sense.” 

And although Roy is likely to face more flak if he wins the tournament, this isn’t the first time bunker “raking” has generated a strong response this season. In the 2025 Mexico Open at Vidanta, defending champion Jake Knapp faced a critical moment when he hit a bunker shot that failed to escape the sand.

Frustrated, he swiped the sand with his club, which initially resulted in a two-stroke penalty under Rule 12.2b for touching the sand before making a stroke, putting him outside the cut line. However, after reviewing the incident, officials determined that Knapp’s action was a result of anger rather than an intentional violation, leading to the rescinding of the penalty.