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There is a famous story about how the USGA once planted a tree near a tee box during the middle of the U.S. Open to keep golfers from playing a specific hole the incorrect way. Golfers that year wanted to play their tee shot on the 8th hole down the 17th fairway at Inverness Club.

This year at Royal Birkdale, the R&A did not plant a tree, but they did declare the 10th fairway out of bounds because golfers were eyeing hitting their tee shot off the 9th tee down that fairway.

"When playing the ninth hole only, a ball on or beyond the 10th fairway (defined by the edge of the closely-mown area) is out of bounds," R&A chief referee David Rickman told players in a notice, according to Golf Channel.

So that's pretty intriguing, right? A ball in play on a fairway might be out of bounds during this championship. Of course, it would be tough to hit it that far off your line unless you were doing so on purpose. Here is the route some players were taking.

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Royal Birkdale website

Surely a rules controversy won't arise out of a made-up rule the week of this tournament, right?