Internal out of bounds, at a major?! Here’s why it’s at the PGA Championship

It may look inviting to take a route well right of the 6th fairway during this week’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, but pro golfers be warned: that’s a big no-no.

The 6th and 7th holes at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y. — a pair of par-4s — run parallel to each other, but any player who goes right of the 6th fairway and into the 7th for a better angle into the 6th green will in fact be hitting it out of bounds. This was not the case for the 2013 PGA Championship held at the same course.

So, what gives?

Since the 2013 PGA, the Donald Ross-designed East Course was restored by architect Andrew Green, who reworked bunkers, reopened sight lines and expanded and added roll-off areas to some greens. Several trees were also removed over the years, which is what happened in the area between the 6th and 7th fairways.

Back in 2013, that route wasn’t an option. But now the internal O.B is needed, according to Kerry Haigh, the chief championships officer for the PGA of America. He said it’s there to keep the integrity of the design (there’s a water hazard in the 6th fairway), for pace of play and player and spectator safety.

“A number of trees were removed during the renovation,” Haigh said, “which made the need for this local rule.”

This won’t even be the first major for this specific internal O.B. It was also put in place for the 2019 Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

It’s rare for organizers to use internal out of bounds at PGA Tour tournaments or majors, but it does happen. Royal Portrush had it at the 2019 Open Championship and, more recently, the Players Championship implemented it at TPC Sawgrass in 2021 — the Bryson DeChambeau rule — to prevent players from taking a short cut on the 18th hole.