Notable Rules Incidents of 2012

It didn't take long for the Ryder Cup at Medinah to get heated. On the second hole of the first alternate-shot match, which pitted Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker against Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, McIlroy's tee shot landed next to a sprinkler near the green. McDowell asked for relief, but Furyk quickly argued that the lie did not allow for a free drop. After a long discussion, the rules official agreed with Furyk, and McDowell was forced to hit the ball from the original lie.