Cam Davis on the 15th green on the Plantation Course in Kapalua on Sunday.
Golf Channel
Cam Davis should have scored from 48 yards. And Will Zalatoris should have scored from 37 meters.
If they had, they wouldn’t have been hit with double-bar penalties and, as it turns out, payroll deductions.
“It will be expensive,” the analyst said Mark Rolfing he said.
Problem? During Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour Sentinel tournamentevery pro learned that they were hitting each other with the ball on their third swing on the 551-yard, par-5 15th hole at Kapalua’s Plantation Course – a no-no under the rules. Davis AND Zalatori then they played from where they should have been, plus two shots, and finished with bogeys.
How did it happen? Neither player spoke at official press conferences afterward, although Golf Channel announcers offered some thoughts.
Rolfing said, “Wow, what two mistakes.”
He said Dan Hicks: “Especially considering the money and FedEx Cup points. It’s just frustrating, disappointing, all of the above.”
Said Rolfing: “In today’s game it seems almost impossible. You can’t play with your own ball.
Hicks said: “We’re losing focus a bit, aren’t we? Just be careless.
Ultimately, Davis tied for 13th for $410,000, while Zalatoris finished 26th for $163,333.33. But what if they each played the right ball on the hole and weren’t penalized? Davis would move to fifth place and earn $715,625, while Zalatoris would finish 15th and collect $283,200 – the difference in amounts would be $306,625 for Davis and $119,866.67.
It is worth noting that if the players had not corrected the error before the start of the 16th hole, each of them would have been disqualified. For clarity, I am providing the content of Art Rule 6.3c (1) which describes what happens when the wrong ball is played:
“In Stroke Play, the player receives a general penalty (two penalty strokes) and must correct the error by continuing to play with the original ball, playing it as it lies, or taking relief under the rules. A stroke made with the wrong ball and all strokes made before the error is corrected (including strokes made and any additional penalty strokes resulting solely from playing that ball) do not count. If a player does not correct the error before making the next hole stroke or, in the case of the last hole of the round, before returning the scorecard, he will be disqualified.”
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