The loose impediment rule in golf has officially jumped the shark. Seven people. A 2,000lb rock. One shot that sparked a firestorm during an event with a $2 million prize. Tiger Woods might be an individual who’d have had a broad smile, but an analyst isn’t too impressed when he looks back in time.

For the uninitiated, Dean Burmester’s drive at the 2022 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters landed behind a massive boulder on the par-5 9th hole at Doha Golf Club. The rock sat directly in his swing path. Without hesitation, Burmester called over a few spectators from the gallery. They surrounded the obstacle and heaved it several feet away. He played his shot. He saved par. But that’s not the end of it…

“I think this is the most b——- rule in golf,” The Fried Egg Golf podcast team complained in the 2025 year-in-review episode. “I do not think that you should be able to receive outside help from like seven people in a gallery.”

The host didn’t mince words. The logic stung because it’s true. A player alone at a country club can’t summon helpers. Yet Burmester had instant labor. The analyst further hammered home the point.

“If I’m playing by myself at my country club, how do I get 10 people to come help me move a loose impediment? That’s horseshit,” the co-host continued, and then came the kicker. “Anything is a loose impediment if you have enough people. If you get 500 people, you could push an entire mountain over.”

Here’s where the controversy deepens. Gallery size determines the advantage. Burmester now competes on LIV Golf. He criticized the PGA Tour’s structure during an earlier podcast appearance, defending his February 2023 move to the Saudi-backed circuit. He joined Stinger GC alongside fellow South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, and Branden Grace.

But LIV Golf’s attendance varies wildly. Adelaide draws 94,000 fans. Chicago manages 30,000 to 40,000. The inconsistency creates unequal playing conditions across tournaments. Then moving on, the DP World Tour faces even starker realities. The Qatar Masters that week likely drew fewer than 25,000 spectators in total.

Burmester’s ability to find seven willing helpers on the 9th hole was pure luck. A player three groups behind him might face that same rock completely alone.

The WM Phoenix Open draws 500,000 to 700,000 fans weekly. Help is guaranteed on every hole. Regular PGA Tour events pull 50,000 to 80,000 spectators. Assistance remains likely. The gallery becomes the most powerful club in the bag for those who draw crowds.

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Tiger Woods set the ‘Boulder Precedent’ at the 1999 Phoenix Open

Tiger Woods created this template more than two decades ago. The 1999 Phoenix Open. Hole 13. His drive landed behind a one-ton boulder. Rules official Orlando Pope soon confirmed the rock qualified as a loose impediment.

“Tiger then asked if he could move it, and I said yes,” Pope shared in a telephone interview in November 2023. “Tiger thought for a moment, then asked if he could have help. I responded, ‘You can have all the help you want.'”

Woods gestured to the gallery. 10 to 15 fans rushed forward. They moved the massive rock. Woods made a birdie. He finished third, three shots behind the winner, Rocco Mediate.

Pope’s ruling became legendary. Size doesn’t matter, he explained. The only requirement? The object can’t be solidly embedded. A twig counts. So does a boulder. The rule makes no distinction.

Rule 15.1a permits removing loose impediments “in any way” without penalty. USGA interpretations explicitly allow seeking spectator assistance. The mechanics are sound. The ethics remain murky.

Golf prides itself on self-governance and honor. Yet this loophole rewards popularity over skill. A Monday qualifier playing in isolation can’t access the same advantages. The Fried Egg analyst nailed the fundamental problem. When human labor transforms boulders into movable objects, something’s broken. The rule won’t change without governing body intervention. Until then, the controversy survives. And somewhere, Tiger Woods is probably smiling.