Play the ball as it lies.
That was what the Rules of Golf, specifically Rule 8, directed Cooper Dossey to do during Sunday’s opening round of the Korn Ferry Tour season at The Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Dossey, a 26-year-old Baylor alum from Austin, Texas, was coming off his first birdie of the day at the par-4 13th hole (he started his round on the back nine, or the front nine for public play) when his tee shot at the par-4 14th hole came to rest on top of an upside down piece of turf from a nearby divot.
“Never had this happen before,” Dossey said afterward. “One of my better birdies!”
Yes, Dossey recovered to birdie the hole, and he added two more as part of a bogey-free, 4-under 66, which was six shots back of first-round leader John VanDerLaan, who opened in 60.
Dossey finished No. 76 in Korn Ferry Tour points last season, missing out on retaining full status by one spot. He was initially an alternate for this week’s tournament, but he got in after the PGA Tour expanded the field to 144 players – and some late withdrawals.
