Sent in the Golfletter2026-02-26

You are reading a past issue. At the 1991 Ryder Cup, Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal faced a 'One-Ball Rule' controversy against Azinger and Beck, fueling Seve's resolve to win. This incident highlighted the importance of local rules, inspiring a new feature for the LAZAR golf app and a call for beta feedback.

Seve's Fury: The 1991 Ryder Cup One-Ball Rule Controversy

Written byDani Salmerón

There's a local golf rule that Committees activate in high-level competitions. And it caused a massive uproar at the 1991 Ryder Cup.

"Model Local Rule G-4. The One-Ball Rule."

Which states that you can change your ball between holes, but it must be the exact same brand and model. Always.

Well, as it turns out, during the Friday Foursomes at the '91 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island, Seve and Chema Olazábal were playing against Paul Azinger and Chip Beck.

During the match, Olazábal (who notices absolutely everything) realized that the opposing pair was switching balls depending on the shot they needed to hit. Depending on the hole, they alternated between a 100-compression ball (harder with less spin, perfect for off-the-tee distance) and a 90-compression ball (softer, for better control and spin on approach shots to the green).

The "One-Ball Rule" was in full effect.

Upon reaching the 10th tee, Seve and Olazábal informed their captain, Bernard Gallacher, and reported the cheating to the referee. The referee explained that, according to the rules of golf, any dispute regarding a previous hole must be claimed before teeing off on the next hole.

Azinger and Beck denied swapping the ball. But once they saw they couldn't be penalized, they ended up admitting they had done it on the 7th hole, claiming they "didn't know the rule applied to foursomes."

Far from losing focus, Seve's fury actually made him and Olazábal play even better, and they ended up winning the match. Off the course, they all eventually ended up as friends.

All of this gave me an idea: to add a feature in LAZAR for the local rules of each specific course.

But before I do that, I want to know if you've been using the app. Send me an email if you are. I'm sure there are bugs and errors, and I need to know about them.

If you don't tell me anything, I'm going to get as mad as Seve. Hahahaha

Happy weekend, golfer! P.S. 1: Sign-ups for the LAZAR Beta are going great! P.S. 2: If you haven't signed up yet, you can do it here. Don't miss out, we close in March!

D

Dani Salmerón

Creator of Lazar AI and golf enthusiast. Analyzing rules and strategy to make the game easier.

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