Golf vs USGA Championship Golf — Same Game, Different Rules

Each player is entitled to one caddie at a time. The caddie may carry the bag, give advice, and assist within the limits of the Rules of Golf.; Caddie conduct, registration, apparel (the tournament bib), and the "behind the line" restriction on standing behind a player at the start of a stroke ar...

Each player must use a single caddie during the stipulated round; additional caddies are not permitted; Caddies wear a tournament-supplied bib displaying the player's name and number; The caddie is bound by the conduct expectations set forth in the Notice to Players; serious caddie misconduct can...

A standard PGA TOUR event is a 72-hole individual stroke-play competition played over four rounds on consecutive days (Thursday through Sunday for a typical week). The player who completes the 72 holes in the fewest total strokes is the champion.

Stroke play: most USGA championships (U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Senior Open) use 72-hole stroke play over 4 rounds; Match play: U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur, and U.S. Junior use a hybrid format with stroke-play qualifying rounds reducing to a match-play bracket; The Notice to Playe...

PGA TOUR Rules Officials: Trained officials stationed around the course rule on Rules of Golf questions, administer relief, monitor pace, and time groups.; Competition Committee / Tournament Director: Responsible for course set-up, the Notice to Competitors, starting times, the cut, suspension an...

USGA Championship Committee on site for each championship; rules officials on each hole during play; Referees may be assigned to specific groups for rules questions during play; The USGA Rules Officials provide pre-round ruling, on-course rulings, and post-round score verification

The PGA TOUR enforces a Pace of Play Policy. Groups are expected to keep position on the course; a group out of position may be put "on the clock."; When a group is being timed, each player is allotted a maximum time to play a stroke (with an extra allowance for the first to play). Exceeding the ...

First bad time: warning; Second bad time: one-stroke penalty; Third bad time: two-stroke penalty (additional)

The PGA TOUR Anti-Doping Program prohibits listed performance-enhancing substances and methods. Players are responsible for what is in their bodies and may be tested in and out of competition; the program is part of the integrity framework that surrounds equipment and play.

USGA championships apply the One-Ball Rule: during a stipulated round, the player must use a ball of the same brand and model. The penalty for breach is, in stroke play, two strokes per hole at which any breach occurred (with a maximum penalty of four strokes per round).

A PGA TOUR event is contested over an 18-hole golf course, almost always set up to a par of 70, 71, or 72. Total yardage for a TOUR set-up commonly falls in the range of roughly 7,100 to 7,600 yards, varying by course, elevation, and conditions.

Out of bounds is defined by the line between the course-side points of white stakes and fence posts at ground level. Where stakes and a fence are used together, the inside-edge-of-fence definition takes precedence at the discretion of the Committee.

A standard PGA TOUR event is a 72-hole individual stroke-play competition played over four rounds on consecutive days (Thursday through Sunday for a typical week). The player who completes the 72 holes in the fewest total strokes is the champion.

The USGA enforces a pace-of-play policy designed to keep play moving and to penalize unreasonable delay. The policy works as follows: Stroke play: most USGA championships (U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Senior Open) use 72-hole stroke play over 4 rounds; Match play: U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's...

The score for each hole is the number of strokes taken plus any penalty strokes; the round score is the total for 18 holes, and the championship score is the total for all rounds played.; Scores are commonly expressed relative to par (for example, "10 under par").; In stroke play, a marker (typic...

From 2018 onward, the U.S. Open playoff format is a two-hole aggregate playoff followed by sudden death: The player who completes the stipulated round in the fewest strokes wins; 72-hole total (4 × 18 holes) determines the championship in stroke-play events; A cut is applied after 36 holes in U.S...

The competition committee monitors weather, particularly lightning, throughout tournament week using on-site meteorology.; When a dangerous situation exists, the committee sounds the immediate-suspension signal and players must stop play at once, even mid-hole. A separate signal is used for a nor...

The three-tone air horn signals immediate suspension of play, typically for lightning. Players must stop play immediately, drop the ball as it lies (or mark with a small marker), and proceed to designated shelter.