Spieth 'takes full responsibility' after falling foul of 'dumb rule' on PGA Tour

17 February 2024 , 23:03

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Jordan Spieth took responsibility for his disqualification at The Genesis Invitational

Jordan Spieth has accepted complete responsibility for his disqualification from the Genesis Invitational due to signing an inaccurate scorecard following the tournament's second day.

Spieth apologised for the mistake in a social media statement on Friday evening. He became the second player at the event unable to complete play after Tiger Woods withdrew on his sixth hole due to an illness, having experienced flu-like symptoms since Thursday night.

"Today, I signed for an incorrect scorecard and stepped out of the scoring area, after thinking I went through all procedures to make sure it was correct," wrote Spieth.

"Rules are rules, and I take full responsibility. I love this tournament and golf course as much as any on [the] PGA Tour [@PGATOUR], so it hurts to not have a run at the weekend. Really appreciated the support in LA, Genesis Invitational [@thegenesisinv.]."

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In the USGA's official handbook, section 3.3 B(3) outlines the procedures for handling the submission of an incorrect score in stroke play. The rule reads: If the player returns a scorecard with a wrong score for any hole:

• Returned Score Higher Than Actual Score: The higher returned score for the hole stands.
• Returned Score Lower Than Actual Score or No Score Returned: The player is disqualified.

The statement garnered attention and support from golf fans on Twitter, with many rallying behind Spieth, asserting that the rule was unjust. Some fans went as far as to label the rule as the "dumbest rule in all of sports."

One fan wrote: "Another benchmark in the dumbest rule in all of sports." Another fan replied, "We need more notable people in this country like yourself who are willing to be publicly accountable when mistakes are made. We have become a society of excuses. All the best moving forward."

Spieth was disqualified for incorrectly signing his scorecard

Another fan critical of the rule wrote: "The PGA Tour is the most outdated league ever. With all the modern technology and manpower, they can't even keep score?"

Fans continued explaining the perceived absurdity of instructing athletes to manually sign scorecards, which they don't actually fill in themselves during the round, in the era of advanced technology and cameras.

Spieth posted a 2-over 73 on Friday at Riviera Country Club. He mistakenly signed his scorecard indicating a par at the par-3 fourth hole during the second round.

In reality, he bogeyed after his tee shot missed the green, followed by a missed 5-foot putt to save par by just a few inches. Despite the bogey being promptly noted on the leaderboard, Spieth's incorrect signing of the scorecard upon turning it in after his round led to his automatic disqualification from the event.

Spieth was 3-under for the week during disqualification, trailing Patrick Cantlay by ten shots. Cantlay surged into a commanding 5-shot lead over the field after carding a bogey-free 65 on Friday, dominating the tournament's midway point.

Rory Robinson