Mel Reid began Saturday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship just a shot out of the lead, but after bogeys at 1 and 4, she needed to stop the bleeding at the 5th.
Then she made a regrettable error.
Reid was hit with a one-shot penalty during the third round at Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course for marking her ball while off the putting green on No. 5.
The PGA issued a statement clarifying Reid’s ruling.
“During play of the 5th hole, Reid’s second shot came to rest near the back left of #5 green approximately four inches from the putting green, on the collar,” the statement said. “Reid did not realize that the ball was not on the putting green and marked, lifted, cleaned and replaced her ball. She then called for a Referee who confirmed that the ball was not on the putting green.”
Under Rule 9.4b, “If the player lifts or deliberately touches their ball at rest or causes it to move, the player gets one penalty stroke.”
The penalty resulted in a third bogey of the day for Reid and her slide continued into the back nine after she made three more to fall to six over for the day through 14 holes and eight shots off the pace of Leona Maguire and Jenny Shin.
The ruling has already proved somewhat controversial. Two-time major champion Brittany Lincicome, who missed the cut this week, tweeted the line between the fringe and green on the hole was a “joke” and she was “scared” to mark her ball in that area during the first two rounds.