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ROUND 1
By Pete McDaniel
Freelance Writer
(March 14, 2019)
Ponte Vedra, Fl.—Harold Varner III appeared to be on cruise control at three-under-par through nine holes Thursday morning during the opening round of the Players Championship at the TPC at Sawgrass.
However, he had actually been broadsided by a rules infraction that cost him two strokes and brought his momentum to a screeching halt.
Here are the details of the bizarre story told by rules official Mark Russell involving a golf shaft, a driver head, a well-meaning walking scorer and Rule 4.1b.
Apparently, HV3 (who was not available for comment) had a problem with his driver on the range while warming up and didn’t want to play with it. He began his round on No. 10 with only 13 clubs (players normally carry 14 clubs but are not allowed more than that). When he asked if he could replace it, he was told yes.
The problem began because the clubs were interchangeable which enabled him to take the head off and use the same shaft with a different head. So, he disassembled the head and left the shaft on the 10th tee for his representative to retrieve, have the new head assembled and brought to him on the course.
Or so the different characters thought.
Rules Official Mark Russell (Photo by: Chris Condon/PGA TOUR)
Unfortunately, the group’s standard bearer (walking scorer) picked up the shaft and returned it to HV3 on the next hole. According to Russell, both the player and his caddie had been told that he couldn’t take that shaft with him on the golf course and that the club could not be assembled on the course. HV3 not only accepted the shaft but also assembled the head when it arrived, thus breaking the rule and incurring a two-stroke penalty.
Rule 4.1b: (4) Restrictions When Adding or Replacing Clubs. When adding or replacing a club under (1) or (3), a player must not:
- Unreasonably delay play (see Rule 5.6a),
- Add or borrow any club from anyone else who is playing on the course (even if the other player is playing in a different group or competition), or
- Build a club from parts carried by anyone for the player during the round.
Penalty for Breach of Rule 4.1b: The penalty applies based on when the player becomes aware of the breach:
- Player Becomes Aware of Breach While Playing the Hole. The penalty is applied at the end of the hole being played. In match play, the player must complete the hole, apply the result of that hole to the match score and then apply the penalty to adjust the match score. New Rules of Golf for 2019 – Updated June 2018 18
- Player Becomes Aware of Breach Between Two Holes. The penalty is applied as of the end of the hole just completed, not the next hole.
Although HV3 was made aware of the breach and penalty at the 11th hole (his second of the round), the standard bearer had him at three-under after he left a 10-foot birdie putt two inches short at No. 18.
To add insult to injury, HV3 eagled the par-4 first hole (his 10th) before crashing the remainder of the side for a 39 and a disappointing 18-hole total of 74, nine shots off the pace set by Tommy Fleetwood and Keegan Bradley.
Tiger Woods, a two-time winner of the Players Championship, bogeyed No. 18 to finish at two-under 70, while Cameron Champ, playing in his first Players, had a rollercoaster round of 78 that included an eagle and two double bogeys.
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ABOUT PETE McDANIEL
Pete McDaniel is a veteran golf writer and best-selling author. His blogs and books are available at petemcdaniel.com
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