Professional golfers will now have 15 minutes to correct any errors on their cards after turning them in, even if they have left the scoring area.
The decision comes after Jordan Spieth was disqualified for signing the wrong card at the Genesis Invitational in February.
It appears that Spieth will be the ultimate victim of an automatic disqualification due to a scorecard error. Credit: Getty
Previously, providing an erroneous scorecard to referees resulted in automatic disqualification of the golfer.
Now, the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and all the other major golf tours will give their golfers a grace period to prevent that from happening.
American star Spieth was the latest to be affected by the now-old rule, being disqualified in the second round of the Genesis earlier this year.
The scorecard he gave to officials in Los Angeles said he had a par on a hole when he actually made bogey.
Speith allegedly left the scorer’s booth so quickly because he had to run to the bathroom.
“Rules are rules and I take full responsibility,” Spieth wrote on social media at the time. “I love this tournament and this golf course as much as anyone on the PGA Tour, so it hurts not to be able to race this weekend.”
He was disqualified on the spot, but under the new rules, he would now have 15 minutes to realize his mistake and make the necessary changes.
Golfers hand their cards to the referees during the game. Credit: Getty
The PGA Tour officially announced the rule change Tuesday ahead of the Travelers Championship that begins Thursday.
In a statement, the PGA Tour said: “A new amendment will allow PGA TOUR players a 15-minute window to correct an error on their scorecard, even if they have left the defined scoring area.
“The change, announced in a memo sent to TOUR members on Tuesday morning, is intended to minimize penalties or disqualifications related to scorecard errors. The PGA TOUR worked with the USGA, R&A and DP World Tour to modify the definition of “when a scorecard is returned.”
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“In general, all players will now have a 15-minute period within which they can correct an error that could previously have resulted in a penalty or disqualification. Includes:
- If a scorecard is validated in the scoring system and the player has left the scoring zone. The player may correct an error again within 15 minutes of its validation.
- If a player has left the scoring area and an error is identified before the card is validated in the scoring system. The player may return to correct the error within 15 minutes after the referee has identified the error.
- If a player is in the scoring area when the 15 minutes expire, their card will be considered “returned” when they leave the scoring area.
“Across all of our Tours and other major golf organizations, a player’s scorecard is considered ‘returned’ to the committee once the player has left the defined scoring area… We are pleased to announce that an amendment to the ‘ scorecard returned’ will now provide the player with a 15-minute period to correct an error on their scorecard, even if they have left the scoring area,” the memo said.
“Exceptions may apply when restrictions within the competition limit a player’s correction time to less than 15 minutes, such as releasing tee times after the cutoff, starting a playoff, or closing the competition.
“Jordan Spieth was disqualified for signing an incorrect card in the second round of The Genesis Invitational at The Riviera Country Club. Spieth signed for a ‘three’ on the par-3 fourth hole and a 72 in the second round, when he actually made 4 on the hole and shot 73.
“Spieth left the scoring area and was unable to correct the problem. Under the revised rule, Spieth would have been able to correct the error, as long as he returned within the 15-minute window.
“The rule change will take effect immediately on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas (the week of June 17-23). The DP World Tour will also implement the change.”
The Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut will be broadcast live on talkSPORT 2 this week.
Spieth is part of a field of signings that also includes the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
More golf news on talkSPORT.com
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