Links golf is hard enough as it is across the pond. Between the weather/wind, the pot bunkers and the high fescue, there are enough obstacles to make even the world’s best go mad. Soccer star Gareth Bale, playing in this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Pro-Am in Scotland, faced a new obstacle on Friday at Carnoustie – a mischievous dog.

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Bale, who plays off a low single-digit handicap, played a brilliant chip from the rough that came to rest about 10 feet from the cup. But the ball only rested for so long. A small pup came out of nowhere, sprinted onto the green and swiped Bale’s ball and ran: 

https://twitter.com/darrenmcrae3/status/1842173916044788008

Excuse me, sir, where is your owner? 

Funny enough, if you pause the very beginning of the video, you’ll notice the dog and its owner just chilling behind the ropes. It was only until the dog saw Bale’s ball rolling that his dog instincts kicked in. See ball, chase ball, it’s science.

For those wondering what the ruling is here, Bale gets to replace his ball without penalty. Per the USGA, if your ball is moved by an outside influence, such as an animal or a spectator, there is no penalty to anyone and the ball must be replaced. If your ball is moved by a natural force, such as wind, water, or gravity, you will usually play the ball from its new location without penalty. In other words, this dog is still a very good boy. 

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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com