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🔥 Sam Burns Gets Burned by a Rule
Rules, quirks & sports moments you can’t make up — but we’ll keep trying.
Ari Nitikman
June 20, 2025
In This Issue:
⛳ Sam Burns’ U.S. Open collapse started with a controversial call
🎾 Check out our new app, Ruley Tennis Edition
📚 Ruley explains the muddy logic of golf’s “temporary water” rule
🦅 A rare albatross at the U.S. Open — just the fourth in history
🏀 What even is a technical foul in the WNBA
🥏 Disc golf wants your feedback… and your opinion on jump putts
⌚ Still time to win a $299 GPS Golf Watch — just refer 3 friends!
Let’s get into it!
TRACK YOUR ACE, EAGLE, AND ALBATROSS: WIN THIS GOLF WATCH
Whether hunting for aces or that rare albatross, this watch will help you grab the best club for the attempt.
You can still win a Blue Tees Golf PlayMaker+ GPS Watch ($299 value). Just:
✅ Refer 3 friends to The Un-Ruley Sportsman
✅ Use your unique link at the bottom of this email
✅ Sit back and wait for that sweet AMOLED glow
⏰ Deadline: June 30
⛳️ SWING OF THE WEEK NETS A RARE ALBATROSS
Golf’s version of a mic drop happened at the U.S. Open, and it was Patrick Reed with the swing of the week.
On Oakmont’s 622-yard par-5 4th hole, Reed hit his second shot — a 286-yard three-wood from the fairway — and it rolled straight into the hole.
🎯 That’s an albatross (2 under on a par-5), one of the rarest scores in golf.
🤯 It’s only the fourth albatross ever recorded in U.S. Open history.
🗣️ Reed didn’t even see it go in. He realized what had happened thanks to the crowd’s roar.
📣 Moral of the story: Sometimes you don’t need eyes on the ball. Just a perfect swing and a lot of luck.
📬 Do You Have A Real Sports Story To Share?
We’d love to hear from you! Share your crazy, hilarious, epic, and wild tales of sports rules and decorum gone wrong with us, and we may highlight them for our newsletter audience. Send your stories here: [email protected]
Take A Swing With Our New App: Ruley, Tennis Edition
The
The Ruley tennis edition is now live on the app stores and includes the rules for Intennse, the new pro tennis team league format. Look for it on the App Store or Google Play.
🏓 ⛳️ 🐎 MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS THIS WEEK
🏎 Auto Racing
The Great American Getaway 400
June 22 | Pocono Raceway
⚾️ Baseball
Men’s College World Series: Championship Series
Coastal Carolina vs. LSU
June 21-23 | Omaha, Nebraska
🏀 Basketball
NBA Finals, Game 7: Thunder vs. Pacers
June 22 | Oklahoma City, OK
⛳ Golf
Travelers Championship
June 19—22 | TPC River Highlands
🔎 RULEY EXPLORES THE RULEBOOKS 🔍
Sam Burns Gets Burned by a Brutal Call
It’s one of those moments that leaves fans yelling at the TV and players muttering at the rulebook.
During the second round of the U.S. Open, Sam Burns hit what he thought was a clean approach on Oakmont’s par-4 12th hole. But the ball landed in what looked like soggy rough. Burns believed he should get relief due to temporary water under his ball, but the rules official disagreed.
“It felt like it splashed when I hit it. I could see water around the ball. But [the official] said there wasn’t visible water once I addressed it.”
Burns ended up double-bogeying the hole. He finished one shot outside the cut line. And just like that, his major was over.
📣 What’s the lesson? Even on golf’s biggest stages, knowing the rulebook (and who interprets it) can change your weekend.
So, let’s explore that rule and how it is written.
⛳️ Temporary Water (aka The Rule That Got Sam Burns)
Rule 16.1 of the USGA Rulebook defines temporary water as “an accumulation of water on the surface of the ground that is not in a penalty area, and can be seen before or after you take a stance.”
✅ Key Detail: You must be able to see the water without pressing down unnaturally with your feet.
🚫 If water isn’t visibly present, even if it feels soggy, no relief.
📚 Source: USGA Rule 16.1
📣 Why it matters: In golf, relief isn’t about how it feels. It’s about what you can prove. Just ask Sam Burns.
🎾 Sabalenka Sends a Post-Match Apology to Gauff
After losing to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, Aryna Sabalenka made headlines — not for her play, but for her post-match comments. She chalked up the loss to her “own mistakes,” implying Gauff’s performance wasn’t the deciding factor.
Now? Sabalenka’s walking it back.
Speaking to Eurosport Germany, the world No. 1 admitted the comments were “unprofessional” and confirmed she’s personally apologized to Gauff.
📣 Moral of the story: Owning your errors — on the court and at the mic — matters.
🥊 CAITLIN CLARK: POKED IN EYE, SHOVED TO GROUND IN SKIRMISH WITH SUN
🏀 WNBA: What Even Is a Tech?
ICYMI: A recent game between the Fever and Sky got spicy. The WNBA handed out a flurry of technical fouls:
Caitlin Clark, Marina Mabrey, and Tina Charles were all T’d up.
Jacy Sheldon picked up a flagrant 1 foul.
No ejections were made — just some heat and whistles.
“The contact made by Mabrey did not rise to the level of an ejection. Additionally, [it] did not meet the criteria for a flagrant foul penalty two.”
So… what is a tech? In WNBA terms, it’s a non-contact violation of conduct — excessive arguing, taunting, delay of game, etc. Basically, cross a line with your mouth or energy, and the ref will let you know.
📣 Moral of the story: Know the difference between physical and verbal violations — both can cost you points.
🥏 DISC GOLF WANTS YOUR INPUT
The Professional Disc Golf Association is considering a slate of rule changes for 2026, and they’re opening the floor to players for feedback (through June 20).
🚨 Some proposed updates:
No more “self-voting” on rules enforcement (801.02)
More time + clarity for shots from the fairway (802.03)
Redefined provisional throw procedures (809.02)
New putting definition: inside 20 meters = no jump putts
Yes — they’re even updating restroom standards for tournament events
📣 Why it matters: The sport is growing fast. But even in disc golf, the rules are evolving just as quickly.