Preferred Lies: A local rule that is adopted for fair play when course conditions make lies poor, allowing golfers to lift, clean, and place their ball in a specific relief area without penalty, usually within a club length of the original hole, helping to protect the course and ensure fairer conditions. 

The PGA Tour has spent the last year stuck in a strange zone when it comes to course conditions. If they invoked preferred lies, fans accused them of nullifying the competition. If they refused, players complained like at the PGA Championship. Somewhere between these two extremes, the Tour has now decided that the most-argued-over rule needs fixing.

Ahead of the 2026 season, the PGA Tour has modified its “Lift, Clean, and Place” rule when preferred lies are in effect. There was no formal press release announcing the same, but the change is set to take place before the 2026 season starts. Now, with the changes in place, golfers will no longer be allowed to place their ball within a full club length, which is roughly 46 inches. They will not be allowed to lift and clean it in wet or muddy conditions. Relief will be provided, but only of 11 inches approx. The same length as a standard PGA Tour scorecard.

This update came to people’s notice after Michael Kim shared the same on his X account on January 6.

“Great new rule change to the PGA Tour, lift and clean and place rule,” he wrote. “Experienced it during the DP World Tour and thought it was much better. A full club length can really change the angle of a chip shot sometimes.”

Kim’s appreciation is understandable, as he’s experienced both sides of the rules. In his first DP World Tour victory at the 2025 FedEx Open de France, he got to experience this himself, as DPWT events commonly choose scorecard length for the “turn, clean, and place” rule. Kim won the tournament after a seven-year winless drought.

Coming back to change, the PGA Tour is cautious in case anyone tries to deflect this rule. For the same reason, it has made all the scorecards used during matches identical in length. At the same time, it is also giving the players a certain benefit of the doubt. If a player accidentally places the ball beyond the scorecard length relief area, they can correct it. But that should be done before the next stroke. Otherwise, they would be slapped with a penalty.

Preferred lies will still be invoked in situations that demand it, such as when mud is present on the course, or when relief from temporary water forces players to go outside the fairway. The only change is the uncalled-for advantage players might gain once the rule is in effect. The timing of the change is perfect.

In May last year, during the PGA Championship, the PGA of America didn’t allow for the rule to be implemented, despite five inches of rain. Officials reasoned that the courses were “drying rapidly.” Naturally, it did not sit right with many players, including Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Xander Schauffele. Both of them had to suffer a double bogey on the 16th hole for the same reason.

“You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball,” Scheffler said in a statement, “and due to a rules decision, all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes.”

Opposing them, Jon Rahm, on the other hand, agreed with the officials on the course conditions. This led to a debate on social media. Interestingly, Michael Kim himself was among the players affected by mud balls that week.

Then in August, the situation took a 180-degree turn. At the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour implemented the preferred lies for three straight days. Social media again erupted, calling out the irrational advantages to players.

At first, the 11-inch change is an objective and easily enforceable measurement compared to the massive 46 inches any day. This has not only been the norm in the DWPT but also in the USGA events. And there are reasons for that.

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Why did the PGA Tour choose a scorecard length?

With a club-length relief, there is no uniformity. Different players have different clubs of varying sizes, which can lead to inconsistency. Scorecards, on the other hand, are uniform. At the same time, this narrow window will let the players remove the mud without giving them a chance to reshape the shot. As Michael Kim points out in his tweet, a full club length can dramatically alter chipping angles.

At the same time, by adopting this way, the PGA Tour brings its local role closer to its international counterparts. Players, now, wouldn’t be confused, something that Viktor Hovland also said during his time at the 2025 Ryder Cup.

The timing is also crucial. The Sony Open, the PGA Tour’s season opener, is set to take place in Hawaii. Many times, the region sees a higher chance of rain in this month, which could lead to the very condition for which this rule is implemented.