[Fun Golf Rules] "What Happens If a Player Signs an Incorrect Scorecard?"

Viktor Hovland submitted an incorrect scorecard due to a marking error on the 15th hole of the first round at The Players, but he was not disqualified.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Is it possible to be 'exempted' even if you sign an incorrect scorecard?

It is possible if the player was unaware of breaking the rules. Viktor Hovland (Norway) actually made a marking mistake on the green of the 15th hole (par 4) during the first round of the PGA Tour's "The Players Championship" (total prize money $15 million) held on the 12th (Korean time) at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (par 72, 7,189 yards). However, not knowing about the out-of-turn putting, he recorded a 2-under-par 70 without penalty.

He found out the fact while talking on the phone with his mother right after the round. When asked, "Did you receive a penalty on the 15th hole?" Hovland replied, "What do you mean?" His mother pointed out, "Well, you didn't put the mark back in its place." This is why Hovland urgently contacted the PGA Tour committee to inquire if there was video footage of the situation on the 15th hole. During the video review, it was confirmed that the mark was not moved back to the correct position.

His playing partner, Justin Thomas (USA), moved the mark to the left for his putting line, but after Thomas's play, it was placed further left than the original spot. The problem was that Hovland had already signed the scorecard. Signing an incorrect scorecard results in immediate disqualification. Fortunately, he survived dramatically under golf rule 3.3b, which states that "if a player was unaware of breaking the rules, relief can be granted."

Hovland avoided disqualification thanks to his mother's "hawk eye." His first-round score was corrected to an even-par 72 by adding two penalty strokes according to rule 14.7 related to out-of-turn play. Interestingly, Hovland missed advancing to the third round by "2 strokes" due to a poor second round 2-over-par 74. Without the two penalty strokes from the first round, he could have made it to the finals. His streak of making the cut in 22 consecutive PGA Tour events also came to an end.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.