England's Lottie Ward penalized 2 strokes for bunker violation at US Women's Open

England's Lottie Ward was penalized two strokes for a rules violation in a bunker during the third round of the 81st US Women's Open.

According to Golfweek and other media reports Sunday, Ward hit her second shot into a bunker beside the green on the par-4 9th hole during the third round at Riviera Country Club (par 71) in Pacific Palisades, California. With her ball plugged high on the steep bunker slope, Ward ran into trouble while trying to establish her footing on the unstable lie.

Under the rules of golf, players are permitted to work their feet into the sand to a reasonable degree when taking a stance. Ward, however, was ruled to have gone too far — pushing sand aside to build an excessive platform for support on the slope.

The violation fell under Rule 8.1a, which restricts actions that improve conditions affecting play. Ward was assessed a two-stroke penalty. Her first bunker attempt failed to clear the slope and the ball rolled back down. She then played her third bunker shot close to the pin and finished the hole with what appeared to be a bogey. The two-stroke penalty converted her score on the hole to a triple bogey.

Golfweek reported that Ward "crossed the line while trying to secure her footing in a difficult position on the bunker slope," adding that she "should have declared the ball unplayable or played it as it lay — instead, her excessive movement of the sand to improve her stance became a clear grounds for penalty."

The two-stroke penalty on the 9th hole left Ward with a third-round score of 3-over-par 74, dropping her into a tie for 60th place at 7 over par for the tournament.

A similar bunker violation occurred in the past involving Ahn Sun-ju, who was penalized during the third round of the 2014 Women's British Open. Ahn hit her second shot into a difficult bunker slope beside the green on the par-5 18th hole during the third round at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Lancashire, England.

While trying to steady herself and secure her footing on the steep sand, Ahn deliberately lifted her feet and pressed them back into the sand two or three times, effectively leveling the surface beneath her to create a stable platform.

Ahn finished the hole with a par and completed her round as the outright leader, but a video review was conducted based on broadcast footage. The rules committee ruled that Ahn had gone beyond simply grounding her feet and had deliberately flattened the sand beneath her — a violation of what was then Rule 13-3, governing the building of a stance — and imposed a two-stroke penalty.

As a result, Ahn's score on the 18th hole was corrected from par to double bogey, dropping her into a tie for second place and allowing Park In-bee to move to the top of the leaderboard.

Ahn said in media interviews at the time: "I didn't know the rule well. The sand was very soft and it was an uphill lie — I was just trying to plant my feet firmly to make the shot. I had absolutely no intention of breaking the rules. It feels unfair, but if that's what the rules say, I have no choice but to accept it."