Russell Henley used a special sort golf ball than the one he began the second spherical with on the Mayakoba Traditional on Saturday, costing him eight penalty strokes and resulting in a missed minimize.
Henley found after the spherical when autographing golf balls for spectators that he had a special model golf ball in his bag and did not know the way it obtained there. He then decided that he had used that ball for 4 holes in the course of the spherical — the ninth by the 12th — and it was a special sort of the Titleist Professional V1x that he makes use of.
The penalty is 2 strokes per gap, for a complete of eight penalty strokes.
“It was a small sprint, a special method it was marked that might have been simple to miss,” stated PGA Tour guidelines official Brad Fabel, in accordance with pgatour.com. “He got here to us and stated he did not know the way it had gotten in his bag.”
Fabel stated the principles officers on web site conferred for greater than an hour and in addition reached out to the USA Golf Affiliation for help.
The Guidelines of Golf allow a participant to modify golf balls after every gap, however there may be additionally an area rule that permits a committee to invoke a One Ball Rule, which is usually used at high-level occasions or skilled tournaments. It stipulates {that a} participant should use the identical model and sort of golf ball for the complete spherical.
So, for instance, Henley or any participant wouldn’t be permitted to begin with a Professional V1 and change to a Professional V1x or every other model or colour of golf ball. (The PGA of America, which runs the PGA Championship, doesn’t invoke the One Ball Rule in its competitions.)
Henley, 30, who opened the event with a 66, was within the high 10 after what he thought was a 69. The eight penalty strokes dropped him to a 77 and out of the event. He’s a three-time winner on the PGA Tour.
