Tiger penalized two shots but not disqualified for dropped ball at Masters

Tiger Woods has been penalized two strokes for his dropped ball on the 15th hole at Augusta National yesterday, but will not be disqualified after an early morning review of the drop.  Instead of starting the day three shots behind the leader Jason Day, Woods will be five back.

Woods violated U.S. Golf Association rule 26-1, which dictates in part that the drop must be done as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. The rule gives the player another option. He can move the ball farther back, as long as his next lie and the pin are in line with the spot where his ball entered the water. Woods’s ball entered the water on the roll back, not on the front end of the hazard, and his new lie did not keep the three points – his drop, the ball’s entry into the hazard and the pin - in a straight line.

Officials did not DQ the golfer because of a relatively new rule which allows them to use their discretion when it comes to rules violations after the fact.

You can bet it has nothing to do with the fact that the golfer was Tiger Woods. Can you say increased drama?

Woods is scheduled to tee off Saturday at 1:45 p.m.