In 2006 I was playing 1st Stage of PGA Tour Q-School at Rancho California Golf Club in Murrieta, CA. I was paired with Jason Day (name drop) in the final round. The reason I bring this up is because of a Rules situation that happened to Jason in the first round of that event. I really wish someone would ask him about it sometime. It was one of the biggest debacles I've ever seen happen in a tournament. One of my best friends played with him in the round and this is how I remember what he told me about what happened.
I will try to describe it in as brief a way as possible.
Jason went for the green in two on #1, a reachable Par 5. His second shot went over the green and into the middle of a very thick bush. It was lodged in this bush so deep that you almost couldn't see it. Jason told his playing competitor (my buddy) that he wanted to take relief from the concrete steps that went up the hill away from the green because he would be standing on them if he were to play the ball as it lies. My friend told him that he would love to agree but that he should probably call an official over to handle the situation. Jason flagged down an official. Jason told the official what he wanted to do. The official said, "I'm not sure that ball is even playable." Basically, to make a swing at the ball was impossible as it was in the middle of an extremely dense bush and that the only reason Jason was asking for relief was due to the concrete steps being there, otherwise he wouldn't even consider playing it. Jason insisted that he would definitely play the ball as it lies regardless of the concrete steps. The rules don't allow for a player to take relief from a situation that is basically impossible or unplayable.
This is where it gets absolutely ridiculous.
The rules official tells Jason, "well if you make a swing at it and you demonstrate that the ball was playable I will give you relief."
WHAT??!!
Jason immediate took a rip at the bush and the ball drops a couple inches deeper into the bush. Jason says (paraphrasing here as I wasn't actually there), "See I made it move. The ball was playable." The rules official said he disagreed and that Jason demonstrated that it wasn't playable. Jason is now fully confused at this point as is everyone else. Three groups play through as the chief rules official on site show up to figure out what to do. The chief official tells Jason to play two balls. First, he needs to play the current ball in play, counting the stroke he just took at it in the bush. Second, he needs to play a second ball as if he would get the relief he had originally been looking for. Jason made a 5 with the ball he took relief with, and made 9 with the ball he swung at in the bush, which included the swing he took at the bush to try to show the ball was playable and then also take an unplayable lie penalty to get it out of the bush (as the ball was truly unplayable after it dropped further in the bush).
It took them 7 holes after calling PGA Tour HQ to come tell him to eat a 9.
He ended up squeaking through by 1 or 2 shots. Just imagine if he had missed getting through that 1st stage back in '06. That could have potentially changed things in his life. I still think he'd most likely be where he is today but who knows.
To this day it is the worst rules f**k up I've ever heard of. A rules official told a player to take a swing at a ball so he could determine if a rule was applicable. At Q-School. Unreal. If anything this shows that the PGA Tour is capable of making massive mistakes in officiating.