Adam Hadwin got royally screwed by the Rules of Golf on Thursday at Bay Hill

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Golf fans often lament the fact that tour pros use the Rules of Golf to their advantage. The fact is, you have to use them to your advantage when you can, otherwise you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Plus, the rules have a way of rearing their ugly head every now and then, too, so you better exploit them when you have the opportunity.

Rory McIlroy couldn’t have made this fried-egg bunker shot look any easier

Just ask Adam Hadwin, who got royally screwed by the Rules of Golf on Thursday morning at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And we mean ROYALLY.

At the difficult par-3 second, Hadwin hit his tee shot short and left of the green, his ball seemingly going in the front left bunker. He saw it, his caddie saw it, his playing partner Max Homa and his caddie saw it, PGA Tour Live cameras saw it, I saw it sitting on my couch at home. We all saw where it went with our own two eyes. 

Unfortunately, though, that is irrevelant in a situation such as this one. Due to some rainfall earlier this week at Bay Hill, and the severe lips around the bunkers at Arnie’s Place, Hadwin’s ball apparently plugged in the lip of the bunker. It was so plugged that Hadwin’s group, which included a number of marshals on the scene, could not find the golf ball. Check out some of these photos, which look like a bunch of archaeologists conducting a dig:

Because they were unable to find it, it is deemed a “lost ball,” meaning Hadwin had to take stroke-and-distance relief and make the solitary walk of shame back to the tee box. Brutal. 

Playing three from the tee, Hadwin went short right and then managed to get up and down for one of the more unfair double-bogey fives you’ll ever witness. The Rules of Golf giveth, and the Rules of Golf taketh. 

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com