Lexi Thompson has registered her name on the list of most successful women in the field of sports. The professional golfer has amassed millions of fans with her beautiful performances in various tournaments. However, despite all her experience as a pro, Thompson once did something that almost got her penalized mid-tournament.

The rules of golf can be quite confusing when being updated regularly. One small change can lead a player to receive a huge penalty that could even result in a tournament loss. And a similar incident took place at the 2020 Women’s British Open on Thursday at Royal Troon when Lexi Thompson was about to end her first round.

When Lexi Thompson missed a penalty by an inch

Playing under immense pressure and on a challenging field, Thompson was not ready for what was ahead. She missed her tee shot on the par-5 16th when her ball rolled against some fescue grass. It was hard for her to hit a clean shot with all the grass surrounding her ball. And that’s when she made a tough call that led her to various controversies later.

Getting all set to hit the ball, Thompson decided to do something else first. She used the head of her club to move the surrounding grass away from the ball. But her move received several judgments from golf fans across the globe. She did the same thing twice before finally taking the shot only to make a birdie on the hole eventually.

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There were speculations that Thompson moved the grass to improve her lie and hit a better shot. And that’s what many golf fans believed too. However, the R&A released a statement later clarifying what actually happened. Did they find her guilty? No.

“Following a discussion between Chief Referee David Rickman and the player prior to her signing her scorecard it was determined that, although the player had moved a growing natural object behind her ball, it had returned to its original position,” the statement said. “Therefore, the lie of the ball was not improved and there was no breach of Rule 8.1.”

As per Rule 8.1, a player is restricted to do anything that might improve their lie before taking a shot. Thompson could not make the cut in the tournament. However, she definitely saved herself from being penalized and having a forever scar on her professional image.

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