With third-round leader
Padraig Harrington being disqualified -- for failing to sign his first-round
scorecard -- prior to the final round of the European Tour's Benson
& Hedges International Open, it brings up the subject of others who have
been the position of leading a tournament and being disqualified.
As long as golf has been
played, players have been disqualified from tournaments for Rules infractions.
It's hard to pinpoint the first time this ultimate penalty was used, but many
feel the first occasion was in the 1876 British Open at St. Andrews. Bob Martin
and Davie Strath were tied for the lead at the end of regulation play, and thus
a playoff would be needed to settle the matter. However, during the course of
regulation play, Strath was accused of a Rules infraction when he drove into
a group in front of him, a breach of the Rule providing that no one shall play
to a green with players on it. After nothing was resolved, it was announced that
the playoff would be played under protest. Strath refused to compete in the playoff
because no decision had been made on his alleged infringement of the Rule, thus
disqualifying himself from winning the championship.
Since then, hundreds of
golfers have been disqualified. What follows is a brief summary of the most famous
ones, situations that either cost players titles, a chance at a title, money
or some year-end reward.
1940 U.S.
Open
Ed (Porky) Oliver shot
a 71 in the fourth round for a 287 total to apparently get into a playoff with
Lawson Little and Gene Sarazen. But he was disqualified, along with five others,
for starting his final round ahead of schedule. With a storm brewing, the six
players dashed to the first tee. Former USGA administrator Joe Dey was the starter,
but he was having lunch at the time. A marshal told the players not to start
before their scheduled tee time, but they didn't listen and teed off. After the
round the USGA disqualified E.J. Harrison, Leland Gibson, Johnny Bulla, Ky Lafoon,
Claude Harmon, and Oliver. In the locker room, when told the bad news, Oliver
broke into tears. Both Little and Sarazen insisted that Oliver be included in
the playoff, but the USGA stood by its decision to disqualify the golfers.
1957 U.S.
Women's Open
When Jackie Pung walked
off the 18th green at Winged Foot with a 72-hole score of 298, it looked like
she was the winner. It was later discovered that the scorecard that she signed
had a 5 for the fourth hole instead of the 6 that she made. Even though the 18-hole
total on the card was correct, Pung had signed a wrong card so tournament officials
had no choice but to disqualify her. The first-place check that Pung didn't receive
was for $1,800. Winged Foot club members raised $3,000 to help console her for
the loss, but it couldn't change the fact her name is in the record books as
a DQ instead of a win.
1966 Pensacola
Open
After shooting a second-round
67 to go along with his opening round 63, Doug Sanders had a four-shot lead.
But instead of signing his scorecard, Sanders signed dozens of autographs and
forgot to sign his second-round card. While he was in the press room talking
about his round he was told that he was disqualified for not signing the card.
Back then first place paid $10,000. Sanders estimated the disqualification cost
him $25,000 in endorsements with companies that paid bonuses for tournament victories
1987 Andy
Williams Open
After finishing the tournament
at 270, Craig Stadler went to the scorer's tent feeling that he'd just finished
in second place. Instead, he was informed that he was disqualified for a Rules
infraction the previous day. On the 14th hole in the third round, Stadler's ball
landed beneath a pine tree in a muddy lie. He needed to play the shot from a
kneeling position and since he was wearing light-colored trousers he placed a
towel on the wet ground and kneeled on it while making the shot. At the time
nobody caught the mistake, but the next day while showing showing highlights
of the prevouis day's play Rules zealots spotted the error and relayed it to
PGA Tour officials. What Stadler had done was violate Rule 13-3, illegally building
a stance, and since he didn't add two strokes to his third-round score, he was
disqualified for turning in an incorrect scorecard. The disqualification cost
Stadler $37,333, which would have been his share of second place.
1990 Palm
Meadows Cup
Going into the third round,
it was appeared that a classic battle was about to unfold, as Greg Norman had
a one-shot lead over Curtis Strange. However, on the driving range he found out
that on the first day he had taken an illegal drop from a water hazard. When
told of the problem Norman disqualified himself, thus losing a chance at the
first-place check of $160,000.
1991 Doral
Ryder Open
When Paul Azinger finished
his second round, shooting a 65 to get within a shot of the lead, he wasn't ushered
off to the press room to recap his round but was met by PGA Tour rules official
Mike Shea, who took him to a CBS television truck. A television viewer from Colorado
watching the first-round coverage of the tournament saw a Rules infraction during
Azinger's round and called up PGA Tour officials, who viewed the tape and agreed
with him. What happened was Azinger drove into the edge of the lake on the 18th
hole at Doral. The ball was slightly submerged so Azinger decided to go into
the hazard and pitch it back in the fairway. While taking his stance in the water,
Azinger twice pawed the ground with his left foot, thuse kicking a small rock
out of the way. What the Colorado viewer informed the tour on was that Azinger
broke Rule 13-4, which prohibits a player from moving loose impediments in a
hazard. When Azinger viewed the tape he agreed that he had broken the rule, and
since his first-round scorecard was already signed it meant that he was disqualified,
even though he was only a stroke out of the lead.
1992 Million
Dollar Challenge
Two big disqualifications
changed the total scope of the tournament, which is famous for awarding a million
dollars to the winner. The first came in the third round when Nick Faldo was
disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. At the time, he was six back
of the third-round leader and was awarded last-place money of $105,000, a lot
less than if he could have earned with a solid final round. The other disqualification
happened to Nick Price, who was tied for the lead with David Frost. During the
round, Price hit a drive into the fairway and his caddie moved an advertising
board which was 25 yards ahead of Price's ball. The sign was classified as an
immovable obstruction, so Price should have gotten a free drop. He didn't know
that, and after his round when his scorecard was already signed, Price learned
that he should have dropped instead of taking the sign down. That meant that
Price had signed an incorrect scorecard. Even though local officials told Price
that he could change the card, Price rejected the offer and left the scoring
table, thus disqualifying himself from the tournament. Instead of a chance at
either the $1 million winner's check or the runner-up check of $300,000, Price
got $105,000.
1993 Shell
Houston Open
For Kim Young, a qualifying
tournament graduate who had won just $2,343 in his first seven events, his first-round
68 turned into a nightmare. After a rain delay, Young had to finish his round
on Friday morning. After he finished he only had 30 minutes before he had to
tee off for his second round. In his excitement, he never signed his first-round
scorecard. PGA Tour officials didn't notice the error unil Young played a hole
in the second round. They informed him on the second tee that he was disqualified.
1994 Doug
Sanders Celebrity Classic
A leader of a tournament
was disqualified for a Rules violation for the first time in Senior PGA Tour
history when Isao Aoki ran afoul of Decision 13-4/11 (smoothing footprints made
in search for a ball in a bunker before playing the stroke from a bunker). In
the second round, Aoki hit a shot on the ninth hole that plugged in a fairway
bunker. After finding the ball he declared it unplayable and picked it up. Then
he and his caddie raked the bunker before dropping the ball. According to the
Rules, he had improved his lie and should have incurred a two-shot penalty in
addition to one stroke for taking the unplayable lie. Aoki was unaware of the
infraction and signed for a 68 and was the second-round leader by one. The next
day tour officials were informed of the Rules violation, and when a videotape
was found that showed Aoki and his caddie raking the bunker it was deteremined
that Aoki did violate the Rule. Since he signed an incorrect scorecard, he was
disqualified. Aoki was told the bad news while he played the second hole of the
third round.
1994 Las
Vegas Invitational
All Curt Byrum had to do
was finish the tournament and he would have made enough money to retain his playing
privileges for 1995. But, on the 16th hole of the final round, Byrum mistakenly
played the wrong ball and teed off the next hole with it. When Byrum finished
the round he discovered the mistake and paid the price by getting disqualified
from the tournament. This dropped him to 128th on the PGA Tour money list. The
story had a happy ending, however, as the following week Jose Maria Olazabal
decided not to join the PGA Tour, which meant that another spot opened up and
Byrum, the man on the bubble, retained his PGA Tour card for another year.
1994 Alfred
Dunhill Masters
Nick Faldo was leading
by six with just seven holes left to play when it was reported that in the third
round he removed a piece of coral from behind his ball in a bunker. On the European
Tour this was allowed. However, this tournament, played in Bali, Indonesia, was
governed by the Australasian Tour, and so his action was an infraction. Since
Faldo had signed an incorrect scorecard following the third round, he was disqualified
from the tournament, losing the first-place check of just over $100,000
1995 Burnet
Senior Classic
After back-to-back rounds
of 69, Bob Murphy was only five shots off the pace going into the final round,
but he didn't have a chance because of a Rules infraction that happened in the
first round. After the first of two weather suspensions, Murphy retunred to the
12th hole to await the resumption of play. While he was waiting for the round
to continue he nonchalantly dropped a ball in the fairway and hit a few shots
with his putter. Mike Joyce noticed Murphy's actions and nonchalantly asked a
Rules official if this was legal. Even with the answer that it wasn't and that
Murphy should have been accessed a penalty, Joyce never told anyone until Sunday
morning when he told Murphy about it. Murphy then reported it to tournament officials,
and since he had signed his card he was guilty of turning in an incorrect scorecard
and was disqualified. Had Murphy shot 69 in the final round instead of being
dispaulified, he would have tied for fifth placed and won $40,000.
1996 Bay
Hill Invitational
After the second round
Jeff Sluman was only two back of the leaders, but he became concerned the night
after the round when he thought he may have taken an incorrect drop after hitting
into a water hazard. The next morning Sluman returned to the scene and confirmed
that the drop area which he used was closer to the hole and that his drop was
incorrect. He then disqualified himself from the tournament.
1996 Nike
Shreveport Open
While P.H. Horgan III was
waiting for the final group to finish before the start of the playoff between
himself and Tim Loustalot, he was talking with a Nike Tour tournament director
and related an incident that happened during the third round. It seemed that
Horgan accidentally moved his ball marker by dropping his ball on it. In talking
with his playing partner they agreed there was no infraction and proceeded to
play. However, it was a violation of Rule 20-1/5.5 and Horgan should have assessed
himself a one-stroke penalty. Since he signed an incorrect scorecard he was disqualified
from the tournament, and Loustalot won without having to have a playoff.
1996 Canon
Greater Hartford Open
Defending champion Greg
Norman, who shared the first-round lead, was disqualified before the third round
when it was found that the ball he was using was improperly stamped and not certified
by the USGA.
1996 Jamie
Farr Kroger Classic
Meg Mallon took the first-round
lead with a 6-under-par 65, but then the next day was disqualified for signing
an incorrect scorecard. She had stroked a putt that ended next to the hole and
slowly moved for another 18 to 20 seconds until it fell in. At the time, she
thought she made a birdie and signed her card for the birdie. But later on LPGA
officials caught wind that it could have been a Rules infraction. After investigating
the situation, the officials found out that Mallon did violate a Rule by waiting
to long for the putt to drop and had no choice but to disqualify her because
she signed an incorrect scorecard.
1997 Players
Championship
In the final round on the
17th hole, Davis Love III accidentally hit his ball on the putting green with
a practice stroke. He did not replace the ball, two-putted from there, and scored
himself as having made a bogey 4. However, he should have replaced his ball to
the original spot before continuing to putt. Not doing so is a one-stroke penalty,
and thus his score for the hole was actually a double-bogey 5. Officials found
out about the mistake, but unfortunately for Love it was after he signed his
scorecard. So instead of finishing T7th, he was disqualified for signing an incorrect
scorecard. The mistake cost Love $105,000 as well as valuable Ryder Cup qualifying
points. However, he did go on to make the 1997 U.S. Ryder Cup team.
1998 NEC
World Series of Golf
In the first round, Lee
Janzen was another in violation of Rule 16-2, waiting too long for his putt to
drop in the hole. On the 17th hole his birdie putt hung on the lip. Janzen walked
up to the hole, then past it, bent down to survey the ball, and stared at it.
He looked at his fellow competitor Vijay Singh, who also walked up and bent down
to see the ball creeping toward the hole. About 20 seconds after Janzen arrived
at the ball, he went to tap the ball in but it dropped into the hole. After the
round he signed for a birdie 3 instead of a par 4. When the incident was later
shown on television, viewers contacted PGA Tour officials, who in screening the
tape realized that Janzen violated the Rules and disqualified him. At the time,
it wasnąt a big deal, but at the end of the year the disqualifaction did cost
him a spot on the Presidents Cup team. He luckily got to play on the squad only
because Hal Sutton's father-in-law died, forcing Sutton to withdraw and give
his spot to Janzen.
