‘Going to be expensive:’ Pros’ confusion leads to 4 rules penalty strokes 

Cam Davis should’ve hit from 48 yards away. And Will Zalatoris should’ve hit from 37 yards away. 

Had they, they wouldn’t have each been hit with two-stroke penalties and, as it turned out, pay-stub deductions. 

“It’s going to be expensive,” analyst Mark Rolfing said. 

The issue? During Sunday’s final round of the PGA Tour’s Sentry tournament, each pro learned they’d hit each other’s ball on their third swings on the 551-yard, par-5 15th hole on the Plantation Course at Kapalua — a no-no according to the rules. Davis and Zalatoris then played from where they should’ve, plus two shots, and finished with bogeys. 

How did it happen? Neither player spoke in formal press conferences afterward, though announcers on the Golf Channel broadcast offered some thoughts. 

Said Rolfing: “Wow, what a pair of mistakes there.” 

Said Dan Hicks: “Especially with the money involved here and the FedEx Cup points. It’s just frustrating, disappointing, everything above.” 

Said Rolfing: “Almost doesn’t seem possible in today’s game. You cannot play your own ball.” 

Said Hicks: “Losing a little bit of focus, right? Just kind of get careless.”  

In the end, Davis tied for 13th and cashed for $410,000, while Zalatoris tied for 26th and took home $163,333.33. But what if they had each played the correct ball on the hole — and not been penalized? Assuming they would’ve both made birdies, Davis would’ve moved up to a tie for fifth and earned $715,625, while Zalatoris would’ve tied for 15th and collected $283,200 — the difference in money being $306,625 for Davis, and $119,866.67 for Zalatoris. 

Notably, had the players not corrected the mistake before starting the 16th hole, they each would’ve been disqualified. For clarity, here is the wording of Rule 6.3c (1) that describes what happens when a wrong ball is played:

“In stroke play, the player gets the general penalty (two penalty strokes) and must correct the mistake by continuing play with the original ball by playing it as it lies or taking relief under the rules. The stroke made with the wrong ball and any more strokes before the mistake is corrected (including strokes made and any additional penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count. If the player does not correct the mistake before making a stroke to begin another hole or, for the final hole of the round, before returning their scorecard, the player is disqualified.”