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Country: gb Page generated at: Tuesday, 7 July 2026 at 7:11:58 British Summer Time
rules
Rules of Golf
PGA Tour star DQ’d after ‘knowingly’ breaking rules

published: Nov 13, 2022

|

updated: Jul 31, 2024

PGA Tour star DQ’d after ‘knowingly’ breaking rules

Alex PerryLink

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Another week, another bizarre rules breach on tour

Mark Hubbard

There’s getting disqualified, and then there’s Mark Hubbard getting disqualified.

The American was booted from the Houston Open for having too many clubs in play.

Altogether now: You’re only allowed 14 clubs in your bag!

Not only that, the act, according to the PGA Tour, was deliberate.

Their statement read that Hubbard “knowingly added a 15th club at the turn and used the club several times without declaring it out of play”.

  • RELATED: Everything you need to know about the 2023 rules updates

But why?

A tour official later added: “He said he started with a Callaway driver that wasn’t spinning enough [and he was] missing a lot of fairways, so, thinking it would be a two-stroke penalty for each use of a different driver, he ‘knowingly’ switched to a Ping driver at the turn.”

This is a violation of Rule 4.1c, which states: “When a player becomes aware during a round that they are in breach of Rule 4.1b (1), (2) or (3) for having more than 14 clubs or for making a stroke with another player’s club, the player must immediately take an action that clearly indicates each club that is being taken out of play.”

The 33-year-old was DQ’d following his second-round 74, though he would have missed the cut anyway.

File this one under a week to forget.

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  • NOW READ: How much has each LIV golfer made compared to their PGA Tour earnings?

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About the author

Alex Perry
Alex Perry

Alex has been the editor of NationalClubGolfer.com since 2017 and took on the magazine at the beginning of 2021.

A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN.

Away from golf Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing videogames or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.

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