Jordan Spieth issued a statement after being disqualified from The Genesis Invitational for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Spieth finished Friday’s round with a double-bogey. And while that was a bad way to finish, he was in a tie for 20th place and potentially in position to have a strong finish. Only, shortly after the round, Spieth got worse news. He would not play the weekend. The reason? He was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Spieth bogeyed the par-three fourth hole. But a par was marked on his card and he did not correct the mistake.
After the disqualification, Spieth issued a statement, accepting blame for the error.
“Today, I signed for an incorrect scorecard and stepped out of the scoring area, after thinking I went through all procedures to make sure it was correct,” the statement said. “Rules are rules, and I take full responsibility. I love this tournament and golf course as much as any on @PGATOUR so it hurts to not have a run at the weekend.”
Scorekeeping in golf has long been a controversial issue. As golf has evolved, with every shot on the PGA Tour on camera and the tour easily having the resources to keep scores electronically, having such a harsh penalty for a minor (and easily corrected) offense has often been a frustration of fans. This incident was no exception, with Spieth drawing a lot of support.
And while Spieth shouldered 100% of the blame, one has to wonder if this event might trigger golf’s governing bodies to rethink how scores are kept.
[Jordan Spieth on Twitter/X]