Frittelli was rolling nicely at 6 under par when he hit the tee for his second-round eighth hole, the 557-yard par-5 17th. Scores across the field from the John Deere Classic The former Longhorn was sticking his tee shot, which traveled just 173 yards into the left rough. He was only able to advance his second shot about 30 yards, so things went from bad to worse. Frittelli’s ball ended up inside a tree, but it was at the base of the tree trunk and he tried to argue that it was an animal hole, so he would be entitled to free relief. A conversation with a rules official ensued, and Frittelli tried – unsuccessfully – to argue his relief. The exchange resulted in the official rules stating that Frittelli was inside the tree and no relief was given. The South African took a drop, along with a penalty, and eventually double bogeyed the easy par 5. Frittelli would rebound to shoot a 1-under 70 and enter the clubhouse at 6 under for the tournament.
