Categories
PGA Tour

Rules of Golf: Wrong ball played – Pro disqualifies himself

A small mistake with big consequences: At the Corales Puntacana Championship, a breach of the rules was Ben Crane’s undoing. After making a mistake at the PGA Tour event, he disqualified himself.

On hole 8 of the third round in the Dominican Republic, the ball supposedly landed in the water after the tee shot. Crane then played a second ball from the tee, which came to rest near the penalty area. Once there, however, the American found two balls. His first ball had not landed in the water but hit the rocks and bounced back onto the course. Crane made a mistake in identifying the ball and inadvertently continued to play his first ball. As the second ball was already in play, this was illegal. It was not until the following hole that Crane discovered scratches on his ball caused by the impact with the rocks and realized his mistake.

Rules of golf: Wrong ball played

The Rules of Golf state that, as a rule, a hole must be played with one ball from start to finish. Rule 6.3b states: “If the player’s original ball has not been found and the player put another ball in play to take stroke-and-distance relief or as allowed under a Rule that applies when it is known or virtually certain what happened to the ball: The player must continue playing with the substituted ball, and the player must not play the original ball even if it is found on the course before the end of the three-minute search time.”

If a player continues to play with the original ball, this is regarded as playing the wrong ball. According to Rule 6.3c(1), a player is obliged to correct a mistake before teeing off on the next hole. It states: “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.”


Ben Crane addressed the public after the incident via his X account and described the situation from his perspective. He explained how the mistake came about and why he decided to take the consequences in the form of self-disqualification. His honest account and the decision to hold himself accountable were widely appreciated in the golf community.

Categories
Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2025 Tee Times: Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau fight for Green Jacket

The Masters Tournament 2025 is set to finish this Sunday at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club, where golf’s elite will compete for the coveted green jacket. Tournament favorite Rory McIlroy makes another attempt to complete his career Grand Slam, but Bryson DeChambeau seeks for the Green Jacket himself.

Golf fans worldwide are eagerly anticipating what promises to be another thrilling chapter in Masters history.

Tee Times The Masters Tournament 2024 Runde X

Tee Time Player 1 Player 2
1 9:40 Brian Campbell
1 9:50 Hideki Matsuyama Akshay Bhatia
1 10:00 Justin Thomas Min Woo Lee
1 10:10 Brian Harman J.J. Spaun
1 10:20 Patrick Cantlay Wyndham Clark
1 10:30 Danny Willett J. T. Poston
1 10:40 Sam Burns Stephan Jaeger
1 11:00 Matt Fitzpatrick Nick Taylor
1 11:10 Tom Kim Charl Schwartzel
1 11:20 Davis Riley Tommy Fleetwood
1 11:30 Daniel Berger Bubba Watson
1 11:40 Aaron Rai Sahith Theegala
1 11:50 Michael Kim Denny McCarthy
1 12:00 Maverick McNealy Harris English
1 12:20 Joaquín Niemann Jon Rahm
1 12:30 Byeong Hun An Rasmus Højgaard
1 12:40 Jordan Spieth Max Greyserman
1 12:50 Tyrrell Hatton Matt McCarty
1 13:00 Davis Thompson Tom Hoge
1 13:10 Collin Morikawa Viktor Hovland
1 13:20 Sungjae Im Max Homa
1 13:40 Nicolas Echavarria Xander Schauffele
1 13:50 Justin Rose Zach Johnson
1 14:00 Scottie Scheffler Shane Lowry
1 14:10 Ludvig Åberg Jason Day
1 14:20 Corey Conners Patrick Reed
1 14:30 Rory McIlroy Bryson DeChambeau
Categories
Travel

Adventures in Golf: In harmony with nature

This time in the Adventures in Golf series, Erik Anders Lang is looking for the world’s most difficult golf course and has found it in Hawaii. With a slope rating of 155, the Koʻolau Golf Club is one of the most difficult courses in the world. Unofficially, the rating is 162, but the scale officially only goes up to 155. Embedded in the impressive Koʻolau Range, it offers spectacular views in challenging terrain. With narrow fairways, steep slopes and natural greens, it demands both physical endurance and mental strength. Dealing with the many lost balls and navigating through the untamed nature of Hawaii make golfing here a spiritual adventure.

Adventures in Golf: Hardest golf course ever?

Categories
PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy cracks 100 million in prize money – hunt for Tiger Woods begins

Rory McIlroy has reached another milestone in his impressive career: the Northern Irishman is only the second player in the history of the PGA Tour to pass the 100 million dollar mark in official prize money. Only Tiger Woods was able to break this mark before him. But how did McIlroy achieve this historic success, and can he even overtake Woods in the coming years?

Rory McIlroy’s recent successes bring crucial millions

A decisive factor in McIlroy’s financial success was his victory at the 2025 Players Championship. In a nerve-wracking play-off, he secured the title and the prize money of 4.5 million dollars from a total pool of 25 million US dollars.

Another lucrative highlight was his triumph at the 2024 DP World Tour Championship. With a final score of 15 under par and a flawless final round, McIlroy secured the prize money of 3 million dollars and further increased his financial cushion.

How prize money is transforming golf

McIlroy’s monetary success is not just a personal triumph, but also an indicator of the increasing commercialization of golf. Increasing sponsorship deals, growing media coverage and higher prize money have made the PGA Tour one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the world in recent decades.

McIlroy already topped the European Tour’s money list in 2018 after finishing in a tie for second place at the Open Championship. This took him over the €35 million mark in prize money on the European Tour.

Can McIlroy overtake Tiger Woods?

Despite McIlroy’s impressive financial record, Tiger Woods remains unrivaled with over 120 million dollars in official PGA Tour prize money. However, the rising prize money and McIlroy’s consistent performance could make the race for the number one spot in the money rankings exciting in the coming years.

At 35, McIlroy is at a stage where many golfers reach their financial peaks. If he continues to strategically participate in tournaments that pay out large prize money, he could actually catch up with Woods in the next few years.

McIlroy as a giant of golf

Rory McIlroy has played his way into the exclusive league of golf millionaires through a combination of sporting ability, strategic tournament planning and economic foresight. The coming years will show whether he can break Tiger Woods’ 120 million dollar mark. But one thing is certain: McIlroy is not just a top golfer – he is a brand in his own right.