Notable Rules Incidents of 2012

Carl Pettersson began the final round of the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island tied for second, three shots back of Rory McIlroy. On the first hole, Pettersson drove his ball into a sandy waste area. When taking his second shot, Pettersson's club nicked a leaf during his backswing, causing the leaf to move. Since the leaf was considered a loose impediment in a lateral hazard, Pettersson was penalized two strokes, costing him any chance of catching McIlroy, who went on to win by eight.