This Masters rookie already inadvertently broke one long-standing Augusta National rule

Augusta National Golf Club, you might recall, has a unique set of rules in place. Not only for its club members and their guests and patrons during the Masters, but also for pro golfers competing in the first major of the season.

Masters rookie Talor Gooch apparently forgot, or wasn’t aware, or one of them.

According to David Westin of The Augusta Chronicle, Gooch was putting on a practice green for about 15 minutes on Saturday before he was approached by co-head pro J.J. Weaver. The issue? Gooch was — gasp! — wearing shorts.

Shorts are a no-no at Augusta National, and that includes members, their guests and Masters competitors (patrons this week, you are approved to wear them). It wasn’t until recently when the PGA Tour started allowing players to wear shorts for practice rounds, but they are still not allowed for any tournament rounds.

According to the report, Gooch eventually got his hands on some black rain pants and fixed the issue, then continued his practice.

Gooch, 30, won the RSM Classic in November to secure his first Masters invite. He’s currently +12500 to win.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.

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