11 weirdest rules scenarios we saw in 2024 (and what you can learn from them)

The Rules of Golf always play a big role in the professional game, and 2024 was certainly no exception.

We saw major rules violations across all the world’s biggest tours, from the PGA Tour, to LIV, to the LPGA, DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and beyond. Some of these rules scenarios were hugely impactful, some displayed a lack of discipline from the pros and others were just plain bizarre.

For your reading pleasure, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest, weirdest and most notable rules scenarios from the year in pro golf, along with links to the original stories and tips on what you can learn from each.

So sit down, scroll below and enjoy.

11 big golf rules moments from 2024 (and a lesson for each)

Popular pro given rare 4-shot penalty. His response was endearing

Joel Dahmen would like this one back. The popular pro was hit with a four-shot penalty in the first round of the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open for one of the most avoidable rules violations: carrying 15 clubs in his bag, one more than the legal limit of 14. Dahmen noticed his mistake when he glanced at his bag and saw a 4-iron that didn’t belong.

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The penalty for too many clubs is two strokes for each hole before the violation is discovered, in this case two holes and four strokes.

“Never happened to me before,” he said. “I travel with 15, 16 clubs. I think most people out here do depending on conditions and courses. You know, been traveling out here for a long time and never happened before. I’d like to blame Geno. That would be the easy thing to do. It’s not his fault either. I played Tuesday and Wednesday out here. We didn’t see it in there.”

Lesson: While you’re playing partner in a friendly round likely won’t count your clubs, it’s essential to check your bag before you start any competitive round, especially if you, like Dahmen, are testing out some new clubs on the range.

Due to ‘serious misconduct’ rules violation, pro disqualified from PGA Tour event

At the 2024 World Wide Technology Match Play, 27-year-old Mexican pro Emilio Gonzalez was disqualified for a “serious misconduct” rules violation in the second round. After hitting his tee shot on the 15th hole into a desert area and following with a provisional, Gonzalez failed to make “reasonable efforts” to identify a ball that was found under the rules-allotted three-minute search time and continued to play the provisional ball.

But Rule 18.3 (c) clearly states that if player must “make all reasonable efforts to identify” his first ball before continuing to play a provisional, otherwise they will be disqualified for misconduct “contrary to the spirit of the game.”

Lesson: After a wayward drive in a competitive match, you can’t just assume your ball is lost and play a provisional for the rest of the hole. If somebody finds what they think is your ball, you’re obligated to check. With that said, don’t take more than the three-minute allotted search time or you’ll slow the pace of play for everyone.

The rules penalty that may cost Sahith Theegala millions? Here’s his side

At the season-ending Tour Championship, Sahith Theegala caught a tricky lie in a fairway bunker on East Lake’s 3rd hole. After hitting his next shot, Theegala felt strongly he had brushed the sand during his takeaway, which would be a violation of Rule 8.1a (4) for improving his lie.

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After conferring with playing partners and rules officials, Theegala self-reported the violation and its two-shot penalty, which, given that it was the Tour Championship, turned out to be extremely costly strokes.

“At the end of the day, I’ve played so much golf. You kind of just trust your intuition and gut, and right away I thought I moved some sand there,” Theegala said at the time. “I’m in the 90s percent that I thought I moved some sand. I’d sleep a lot better if I saw some clear image of me moving the sand.”

Lesson: A good general rule to follow in golf is this: when in doubt, charge yourself with a penalty, as hard as it might be on your scorecard. At the very least, your playing partners will appreciate it, and you won’t lose any sleep over it.

U.S. Open ruling results in momentum-killing penalty, questions about intent

The Rules of Golf play no favorites, even for rising stars who have the fans on their side. That was the case for then-amateur Neal Shipley. Playing in the U.S. Open after earning low-amateur honors at the Masters, Shipley ran up against the rules in Round 3.

On the 13th hole, Shipley’s short approach spun off the front of the green and rolled back down into the fairway on a severe upslope. Shipley set up for his wedge shot, then stepped back with a shocked look on his face. It turns out then when he set his wedge down, his ball moved, a violation of Rule 9.4.

“In preparing to make the stroke, Neal set the club down behind the ball and then adjusted the club when the ball then moved,” the USGA said in a statement. “Because the ball had been at rest for some time and then moved immediately after he adjusted his club, it is virtually certain that he caused the ball to move.”

As a result, Shipley received a one-stroke penalty and had to replace his ball to the original spot. His playing partner called the ruling “a shame,” but the good news for Shipley is that he still went on to win low-amateur honors at Pinehurst.

Lesson: If you face a tricky, sloping lie off the green as Shipley did at the U.S. Open, it’s best to avoid touching the ground altogether before hitting the ball. Instead, treat it like a bunker shot and hover your club off the ground before hitting, thereby avoiding Shipley’s fate.

Due to club training aid, two-time major winner is hit with rules violation

The case of Minjee Lee at The Annika LPGA event in November proves that the Rules of Golf don’t care what you happen to call a golf club. Lee had been using an extra club as a training aid to prep for the event, but when she arrived at her second hole in the third round, she noticed the club was still in her bag.

Because she had 14 real clubs in the bag as well, as with Joel Dahmen at the Shriners Children’s Open, Lee was in violation of Rule Rule 4.1b (1) for having too many clubs in her bag. But unlike Dahmen, because she had only played one hole when she discovered the offending club, Lee was only hit with a two-stroke penalty.

Lesson: If you’re playing in a tournament, check your golf bag before you tee off for anything that would run up against the rules, especially extra clubs. Then check again. While non-club training aids are allowed in your bag, it’s probably best to leave them all in the car to be safe.

Rules officials boot LPGA star from event, one day after a miracle find

In the second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Nasa Hataoka hit her tee shot on the 9th hole into long fescue grass. After she and a large group of people searched for and failed to find her ball, a cameraman allegedly spotted it and alerted Hataoka. She then took an unplayable, made a drop and played on.

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But the next day the LPGA announced Hataoka had been disqualified. They had determined she had exceeded the allotted three minutes to find her ball, a violation of Rule 18.2. Had she declared her ball lost, she would have been required to go back to the tee and hit a second tee shot, which would count as her third official shot, also known as stroke and distance.

But because Hataoka hadn’t declared her ball lost and instead took an unplayable, the LPGA determined her actions were “considered a serious breach of Rule 14.7 with a penalty of disqualification if not corrected in time.”

Lesson: The Rules of Golf are hard, so you should always be brushing up on the details and keeping them in mind on the course. Even then, strange situations like this can arise, in which case all you can really do is accept the punishment for the good of the game (and your conscience).

Surprising rules gaffe leads to disqualification at Women’s British Open

The popularity of rangefinders and other distance measuring devices has grown exponentially in recent years. Even in the pro ranks, where varying levels of acceptance to the devices can be found on the world’s major tours. The LPGA, for example, allows their use in most regular events.

Unfortunately for rookie Ana Pelaez and her caddie, Miguel Evangelio Gomez-Escolar, the Women’s British Open is not a normal event, and the 2024 event’s host, the Old Course at St. Andrews, is not a normal venue. A local rule at the Open prohibited the use of distance-measuring devices, a fact Gomez-Escolar forgot in the second round when he used a rangefinder in two different instances, a violation of the local rule.

Especially difficult for the pair was the fact that the violation for a single incident is just two strokes. But if a player or caddie uses one of these devices two or more times, as in this case, the player is disqualified.

Lesson: While you might not run into this specific local rule at tournaments you play in, other local rules are much more common, such as lift, clean and place. Be sure to always check the local rules before teeing it up, especially at a course or tournament you’re unfamiliar with.

In rarely seen time situation, LIV pro hit with penalty, is nearly booted

Being prompt counts, and being tardy can cost you. That’s the lesson LIV pro Scott Vincent learned the hard way. At the Asian Tour’s International Series Morocco event in July, Vincent arrived 4 minutes and 30 seconds late to his 12:30 p.m. ET start time.

Rule Rule 5.3 governs players starting tournaments on time, and many violations result in a DQ. Fortunately for Vincent, one exception to the rule states that if a player is late to his tee time but less than five minutes late, his not disqualified, and instead should receive a two-stroke penalty.

Lesson: This one is simple: don’t be late. But if you are going to be late, make sure you are no more than 4 minutes and 59 seconds late, otherwise you might as well stay home.

Why LIV Golf leader arrived to course — and was hit with 2-shot penalty

At the 2024 LIV Golf Mexico event at El Camaleon, Joaquin Niemann attempted to take free relief from a cart path on the 13th hole during the second round. Following Rule 16.1, he measured one club-length left of his ball with his driver. But before he took his drop, he took one more step to the left, causing his ball to end up left of the one club-length allowed.

After rules officials reviewed the video that night, they determined he had violated the rules. But because the officials conferred with Niemann the next morning before he started his third round, and because he accepted the penalty and altered his scorecard, he avoided a disqualification for signing a score lower than his actual score, and instead received a two-shot penalty. And good thing they did, because Niemann went on to defeat Sergio Garcia in a playoff to win.

Lesson: You should always try to follow the rules, but if you do commit a violation, the Rules of Golf often allow for a lesser punishment if the violation is promptly reported, and a more severe punishment if it is not. So be sure to report every violation you make — or else.

‘I used the rules’: Bryson DeChambeau explains flukey U.S Open break that led to birdie

Temporary Immoveable Obstructions are immoveable objects on a golf course that are not typically there. Think leaderboards or TV towers at pro events. If one of these TIO interferes with a player’s shot physically or with his line of sight, he is allowed to take a free drop away from the TIO.

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Bryson DeChambeau knows this well and used it to his advantage on his way to winning the 2024 U.S. Open. When he hit a wayward drive on Pinehurst No. 2’s 5th hole in the opening round, he found a narrow ShotLink pole, used to track pros’ shots, in his line of sight. Under the rules he was allowed to take a free drop two club-lengths from the nearest point of relief. But that nearest point ended up being about 30 feet closer to the fairway, giving DeChambeau a hugely improved lie and a shot at the green, which helped turn a potential bogey into a birdie on his way to victory.

Lesson: Most of the time following the rules by the letter leads to penalty shots. But Bryson’s example shows that sometimes a thorough knowledge of the rules can actually help your score, so read up!

Pro takes second look at rule. Then comes 7 penalty strokes

Local rules matter. At the 2024 Victorian PGA Championship, pro Anthony Quayle learned that in painful, costly fashion. After using lift-clean-and-place rules throughout the first 15 holes of his opening round, Quayle double-checked the local rule to make sure he had read it correctly. He had not.

It turns out the local rule for the event only allowed lift-clean-and-place on one specific hole, the 13th. After conferring with officials on the 15th tee, Quayle determined that on three occasions, he had used preferred lies and played from a different spot than his original one, leading to three two-shot penalties (under Rule 9.4). On one occasion, he had used preferred lies and returned the ball to where it had been, leading to a one-shot penalty (also under Rule 9.4). In all, he was forced to apply seven penalty strokes to his scorecard.

Lesson: As if learning all the Rules of Golf isn’t hard enough, you need to be extra careful about fully reading and understanding any local rules applied to a tournament or course before you start playing. Otherwise, the penalties can follow — and they can really add up.