I remember a few years ago Justin Thomas was getting from an official regarding his ball near a sprinkler in the fairway. The official asked if Justin thought that it would impact his swing or stance. I think the pros typically are going to say yes every time that question is asked, but Justin said no. And he didn't get relief. I gained some respect for JT that day. I found a link for it here.
I don't often get photographic evidence of my rulings, but I was playing solo today, so see the image below. There is a sprinkler in the second hole as well as the first. I am right-handed, but think I could make an argument that the slope around the sprinkler was going to impact my swing. But was the sprinkler head itself impacting my swing? I would have to say no.
Because of this, I was not entitled to relief. You need to follow a chain of definitions to get there. Relief in this scenario would be for an Abnormal Course Condition. The Abnormal Course Condition would be due to an Immovable Obstruction. The definition of an Obstruction is that it is an artificial object.
No relief, but I got up and down, which is highly unusual.
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