Golfer given two-stroke penalty for arriving late on tee at US Women's Open

Jing Yan was assessed a two-stroke penalty for turning up late on the first tee for her 9.42am start time on day one at the US Women's Open.

Despite arriving late on the tee and being docked two strokes in the process, Yan went on to make a birdie on the hole to record a bogey-five.

She went on to card a 3-over par 74 to lie seven strokes off the pace set by Amy Olson. 

Possible confusion about Yan's tee time reportedly occurred due to players going off both first and 10th tee but on two different courses on Thursday morning. 

Yan played at the University of Washington and now lives in the Dallas area.

The 24-year-old from China, who is making her fifth US Women's Open start this week, has missed the cut in five of her previous six tournaments. 

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5.3 Starting and Ending Round

a When to Start Round

A player’s round starts when the player makes a stroke to start his or her first hole (see Rule 6.1a).

The player must start at (and not before) his or her starting time:

• This means that the player must be ready to play at the starting time and starting point set by the Committee.
• A starting time set by the Committee is treated as an exact time (for example, 9 am means 9:00:00 am, not any time until 9:01 am).

If the starting time is delayed for any reason (such as weather, slow play of other groups or the need for a ruling by a referee), there is no breach of this Rule if the player is present and ready to play when the player’s group is able to start.

Penalty for Breach of Rule 5.3a: Disqualification, except in these three cases:

• Exception 1 – Player Arrives at Starting Point, Ready to Play, No More Than Five Minutes Late: The player gets the general penalty applied to his or her first hole.
• Exception 2 – Player Starts No More Than Five Minutes Early: The player gets the general penalty applied to his or her first hole.
• Exception 3 – Committee Decides that Exceptional Circumstances Prevented Player from Starting on Time: There is no breach of this Rule and no penalty.