• The Players Championship

Rose's two-shot penalty overturned

Justin Rose found himself seven shots off the pace with the penalty on Saturday © Getty Images

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Justin Rose has had his two-stroke penalty rescinded and is now just five shots off the lead at the Players Championship at Sawgrass.

Rose was penalised after a 30-minute review for failing to replace his ball after it moved behind the 18th green, with camera footage showing the reigning US Open champion to have moved the ball.

However, the penalty has now been overturned as the movement was not clear to the naked eye as only high definition cameras could spot the incident. Rose will begin the final round five shots behind joint-leaders Martin Kaymer and Jordan Spieth.

"I was good with the way everything played out; I want to play by the rules," Rose said.

"But I was reading an article in the evening and the rule states - and I'm paraphrasing - but if a player can't discern whether the ball moved or not it's deemed not to have moved. I sort of scratched my head and said that's exactly what happened to me and yet I was docked two.

"But obviously all the governing bodies - the USGA, R&A and PGA TOUR - all got together overnight to talk about it."

The PGA Tour confirmed that a review had been convened to review Rule 18-4 - Television evidence shows ball at rest changed position but by amount not reasonably discernible to naked eye - which was introduced earlier this year but had not yet been applied in competition.

"The Rules Committee reopened the incident and focused on how much the use of sophisticated technology played a part in making the original ruling," read a Tour-issued statement. "After that review, it was determined that the only way to confirm whether and how much the ball had in fact changed position was to utilise sophisticated technology.

"This morning, after consulting with the governing bodies and PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, it was determined that without the use of sophisticated technology, it was not reasonably discernable to the naked eye that the ball had left its original position and had come to rest in its original place.

"Thus, the player's determination that the ball had not moved was deemed to be conclusive and the penalty does not apply in this situation. Having reached this decision, the committee immediately notified Rose and rescinded the two-stroke penalty."

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