Believe it or not, just two years ago, the biggest drama in professional golf came from rules controversies. Boy, do we miss those times, dearly.

And few of those rules snafus garnered more social media attention than one involving Daniel Berger, Viktor Hovland and Joel Dahmen at the 2022 Players Championship. The back-and-forth, particularly between Berger and Hovland, went mega viral thanks to some well-placed microphones and cameras on PGA Tour Live. 

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What sparked it all was a water ball from Berger at TPC Sawgrass’ par-5 16th, where water runs all the way down the right side of the hole. Berger believed his ball had last crossed land much closer to the hole than Hovland did. Dahmen sided with Hovland, which only poured gasoline on the fire. 

The video below is my attempt to explain the situation in as much detail as possible, and to explain why Berger, a noted Rules Cop, got so heated. Did he actually … have a point? Let’s break it down. 

Also related:

The Breakdown: What was Jon Rahm thinking at the 2021 Players Championship?

The Breakdown: Tiger Woods epic Sunday charge at the 2012 Memorial Tournament

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com