Justin Rose suffers rare rules blunder at Sentry Tournament of Champions
Justin Rose fell foul of the rules in club golfer-style during the first round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions
Even US Open champions aren’t immune to club-level rules mishaps.
Justin Rose revealed he hit the wrong ball during the first round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
It happened on the 7th hole at the Plantation Course in Hawaii which resulted in a damaging double-bogey.
You can view how Rose navigated the 7th hole through the PGA Tour’s Tourcast feature here.
Barstools sports’ Dan Rapaport shed some light on the situation by posting a message exchange with Rose’s playing partner Taylor Moore on X/Twitter:
Some reporting out there that Taylor Moore switched his ball and didn’t tell Justin Rose, which led to the penalty. That’s not true. Rose is the one who switched from a 1 to a 2, not Moore. Unfortunate situation but not Moore’s fault in the slightest. https://t.co/fKZKnzQuJl pic.twitter.com/t0KNBpNM7N
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) January 7, 2024
The Englishman went on to card a 2-under-par 71 on Thursday to fall seven shots behind Sahith Theegala.
“First day back at work after the festive period was interesting @TheSentry I hit the wrong ball on the 7th!!” Rose posted on X/Twitter after completing his round.
Rose earned his spot in the stunning setting of Kapalua this week by winning last season’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am, which was his 11th PGA Tour trophy.
First day back at work after the festive period was interesting @TheSentry I hit the wrong ball on the 7th!! 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/SA4T0wSZVH
— Justin ROSE (@JustinRose99) January 5, 2024
Golf rule: Playing the wrong ball
The Rules of Golf state if you make a stroke at a wrong ball, you get the general penalty of two shots in stroke play.
You must correct the mistake by continuing to play the original ball by playing it as it lies or taking relief.
If you don’t correct the mistake before making a stroke to begin another hole or for the last hole of the day before returning your scorecard, you’ll be disqualified.
If you play the wrong ball in match play, you receive the general penalty which is loss of hole.
Mackenzie Hughes suffered the same fate as Rose during the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
Hughes chipped what he thought was his ball by the par-5 9th green on the North Course, as it was marked by a volunteer’s flag.
But it turned out to be the wrong ball, and he was assessed a two-stroke penalty which led to a double-bogey seven.
NOW READ: Do I HAVE to play from the winter tee mat?
NOW READ: My ball hit a marker on the green and went in – does it count?
As this Justin Rose Sentry rules mistake ever happened to you? Tell us on X/Twitter!
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
