• The Players Championship

Rose hurt by penalty on 18th hole

Justin Rose fell seven shots off the lead at TPC Sawgrass © Getty Images

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Justin Rose was penalised two strokes on Saturday at the Players Championship for failing to replace his ball after it moved behind the 18th green - a penalty that has since been rescinded by the PGA Tour.

Rose, the reigning U.S. Open champion, could have saved himself a stroke had he summoned a rules official and moved the ball back to its original position.

But after seeing a replay screen on the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass, Rose conferred with playing partner Sergio Garcia and thought he was OK. He spoke with rules officials for 30 minutes after the round and was told he had erred under Rule 18-2b.

The two-shot penalty turned a four into a six and a 71 into a 73, dropping him seven strokes behind leaders Martin Kaymer and Jordan Spieth.

"It's disappointing," Rose said. "I've gone from trying to chip in to make three, to walking off with six.

"So - disappointing, but in the same way, I'm glad now that at least the right decision's been made. The ball moved, obviously I made a mistake, it's not a one-stroke penalty, it's two, but, yeah, I've got to just move on tomorrow now."

Rose said it could only be determined through the video after the round that the ball had moved.

The United States Golf Association and R&A put into effect Decision 18/4 that addresses the use of high-definition or slow-motion video to detect whether a ball has left its position and come to rest in another location.

"The ball will not be deemed to have moved if that movement was not reasonably discernible to the naked eye at the time," according to the new decision.

But after viewing extensive video, PGA Tour rules officials determined that Rose's actions - he clearly stepped back when he thought the ball might have moved - suggested he could possibly see the violation.

"In some ways it is my own fault for trying to be my own rules official," Rose said.

This article originally appeared on ESPN.com

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