While the PGA Tour has two tournaments under its collective belt with the modernized Rules of Golf governing the action, this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will be the European Tour’s first go under the new provisions.
While there is sure to be some confusion with some of the changes, one aspect of the new rules has turned into a social media phenomenon.
The new provision to the Rules of Golf that protects players from double hitting the golf ball — in the event that you double hit the ball, so long as there was only one attempt at a stroke made, there is no longer a penalty attached to the second hit — has led to a play on the new rule in the form of the “Double Hit Challenge.”
View this post on InstagramNew double hit rule is clutch!! ? Tag golfers #TeamHiTS #SwingU @joshkelleygolf
Popularized by some of social media’s most popular accounts, including SwingU’s very own Josh Kelley, the “Double Hit Challenge” made its way to Abu Dhabi where the likes of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Tommy Fleetwood and Henrik Stenson took part in the challenge.
It took some trial and error, but it was pretty impressive how these pros were able to pick up and pull off this difficult exercise with relative ease.
Four of the world’s best golfers took on the double hit challenge.@hannahdgolf how did they do?#ADGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/lvmKb5GNx0
— HSBC Sport (@HSBC_Sport) January 15, 2019
Fleetwood, who is defending and going for a three-peat this week in Abu Dhabi came away with his first victory of 2019 after Koepka’s attempt scurried past his.
