Viktor Hovland put together a solid opening round at The Players Championship on Thursday, but it got a little worse when he was assessed a two-shot penalty after turning in his scorecard. Believe it or not, the up-and-coming star might not have known he committed a violation if not for his mother.
Hovland signed his scorecard as a 2-under 70, but the PGA Tour announced hours later that the 23-year-old was penalized two strokes for playing a ball from the wrong spot. Hovland had moved his ball out of a competitor’s putting line on the green at the par-4 15th, and he did not place it back in its proper spot before his own putt.
Rules official Gary Young said Thursday that Hovland was notified of the infraction from someone in his home country of Norway. During Friday’s broadcast of the tournament on The Golf Channel, it was revealed that Hovland was informed of his infraction when his mother called him from Norway on his way to the car.
Young said Hovland and his caddie reached out to the Tour and asked if there was video of the supposed violation. The footage confirmed that Hovland did not place his ball in the correct spot. While signing an incorrect scorecard can result in a disqualification, players are assessed a two-stroke penalty if they unknowingly violate a rule.
The penalty could prove to be extremely costly. The projected cut line for The Players Championship was at even-par on Friday afternoon. Hovland was hovering right around that line at the time.
We have seen players receive penalties after fans reported their violations, but this is the first time we can remember that a golfer’s mother delivered the bad news.
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