[Kim Maengnyoung's Golf English Conversation] Why "Certify" and "Approved" Matter

'Certify' refers to signing off on an opponent's scorecard after confirming there are no errors following a round.

According to the 2019 revised rules, the term 'certify' replaced 'attest.' Choi Kyungju (51, SK Telecom), known as "The Tank," made an error last week at the KPGA Korean Tour Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyungju Invitational by mistakenly recording the wrong score due to his own oversight. On the first day, at the 16th hole (par 3), he made par but wrote down a bogey. As a result, he was one stroke short and missed the cut, finishing tied for 64th with an even-par total of 144 over two days.

According to golf rules, if a player submits a scorecard with a score lower than the actual score, they are disqualified, but if the score is higher, it stands as is. On tour, after finishing a round, players submit their scorecards to the tournament committee. At the top or bottom of the card, you can see fields such as competition, player, certified by, and approved by. Players double-check that the scores for each hole and for the front and back nine are correct. The marker signs the opponent's scorecard to confirm the total score is accurate.

The player then signs (approves) the scorecard to confirm its accuracy and submits it to the tournament committee. (After the round, the player and the marker (who keeps the player’s score) must certify that the player’s score for each hole is right and the player must return the scorecard to the Committee.) If a third party submits the card, the player is disqualified. Once submitted, the card cannot be corrected.

A: I enjoyed playing the round with you. Could you certify to my score?

B: Of course. No problem.

- 30 seconds later -

B: I’m finished. You have been playing pretty well. Don’t forget to return your card yourself.

A: What do you mean?

B: If you don’t return the score card in person, you cannot qualify for the tournament.

A: Thank you. I appreciate your advice.

By Kim Maengnyoung, Golf Columnist

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