"I lost count of my missed putts" PGA Tour pro DQ'D after CONTROVERSY over score

PGA Tour pro Johnson was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after signing for an incorrect scorecard.

Andy Roberts's picture
Sat, 4 Mar 2023
"I lost count of my missed putts" PGA Tour pro DQ'D after CONTROVERSY over score

PGA Tour pro Kamaiu Johnson was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on day two after signing for an incorrect scorecard, with controversy surrounding his score on the par-4 9th at Bay Hill. 

Johnson insisted he made a double-bogey six on the hole, but the walking scorer, rules official and PGA Tour Shotlink data all had him down for a triple-bogey seven

While Johnson was making a mess of things on the green, playing partners Nick Hardy and Kyle Westmoreland had already walked onto the 10th tee box so they did not see was happening. This was because the group had been put on the clock. 

Hardy soon asked Johnson what he made on the hole to mark his score down on the card, and he "insisted he made 6." 

But this was not the case, according to the rules official, walking scorer and Shotlink data, which all recorded Johnson making a seven on the hole. 

The incredible story was told by @acaseofthegolf1 on Twitter: 

Kamaiu Johnson was DQ'd from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Friday for signing an incorrect scorecard. 
The dispute centred around Johnson's score on the 9th hole, where he made a triple-bogey 7 but signed for a 6. 
According to Nick Hardy, who played in the group along with Kyle Westmoreland, Johnson had a putt from the fringe for par.
Because the group had been put on the clock earlier in the round, Hardy headed for the 10th tee after making par and watching Johnson miss his 22-foot par attempt.
According to Shotlink, he then missed putts from 3 and 4 feet before tapping in for 7. 
Westmoreland, who made bogey, also left for the next tee before Johnson finished. 
In scoring after the round, Hardy said the walking scorer noted a scoring discrepancy on the hole. 
Both the walking scorer and a rules official who was following the group because of the pace of play stated they thought Johnson had made 7.
Shotlink also had Johnson down for a 7. 
According to Hardy, Johnson insisted he made 6. 
After the round, the PGA Tour reached out to Hardy asking for his version of the story.
He reiterated he was on the 10th tee and did not see Johnson finish the hole.
An hour later, Hardy ran into a Tour official who informed him that the Tour had reviewed video from cameras around the green and confirmed that Johnson had made 7. 
Westmoreland, reached by text, said the Tour called to inform him there was 'video proof of a 7'.
Multiple calls to Johnson and his team were not returned. The Tour confirmed that Johnson was DQ'd but offered no other details. 
Johnson finished at 8 over and would have missed the cut by six.

Johnson has since taken to Twitter in response to his disqualification. 

He said he "got a little overwhelmed in the moment". 

Johnson tweeted: 

"I take the integrity of the game very seriously and I'm sorry this happened.
"I got a little overwhelmed in the moment with the group on the clock and lost count of my missed putts from 3 feet. 
"I'll do better."

The rule that was broken was Rule 3.3b(3). 

The rule that was broken comes under Rule 3.3b(3), which states that: “During the round, the player should keep track of his or her scores for each hole. If a player returns a score lower than the actual score or no score returned, the player is disqualified.”

Johnson earned his playing rights in the tournament as a result of success on the Advocates Pro Golf Association, which aims to improve opportunities for black and ethnic minority players. 

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