At the 2013 Masters Golf Tournament, Tiger Woods nearly holed an approach shot on the 15th hole – only to have it bounce off the flag and go back into the water. Tough break! A number of friends have asked me to explain the 3 strokes in penalty so I write it here for a wider audience. Below is a graphic of the Augusta 15th green along with a markers for the where the shot was taken, and available drop locations. The key point is that after the ball hit the flag, it did not bounce directly back toward the hitter, it went at an angle to the left and this changes the available drop locations.