Joel Dahmen already faces an uphill climb to obtain PGA Tour standing in 2025.
However that highway simply obtained a complete lot more durable.
Throughout Thursday’s opening spherical of the Shriners Kids’s Open, the PGA Tour assessed Dahmen a four-shot penalty. He had 15 golf equipment in his bag—yet another than the utmost of 14. His 4-iron was the responsible social gathering.
So, as a substitute of Dahmen carding a pair of pars on his opening two holes, the PGA Tour added two strokes on every, that means he started with two doubles. That turned a benign begin into an aggravating one.
However in accordance with the US Golf Affiliation (USGA), Rule 4.1.b inside the Guidelines of Golf reads:
You will need to not begin a spherical with greater than 14 golf equipment or have greater than 14 golf equipment throughout the spherical.
While you develop into conscious that you’re in breach of this Rule by having greater than 14 golf equipment, you need to instantly take the surplus membership or golf equipment out of play.
For stroke play occasions, akin to this week’s Shriners Kids’s Open, the penalty for breaching this rule is as follows:
Two Penalty Strokes, Most of 4 Strokes: You get the final penalty (two penalty strokes) for every gap the place a breach occurred, with a most of 4 penalty strokes within the spherical (including two penalty strokes at every of the primary two holes the place a breach occurred).
NBC Sports activities’ Smylie Kaufman reported that Dahmen observed he had an additional membership on the 4th tee. However as Kaufman identified, Dahmen may solely obtain a four-stroke penalty.
It’s nonetheless harsh, particularly when Damhen is preventing for his livelihood. He arrived at TPC Summerlin ranked 124th within the FedEx Cup Fall rankings. Solely the highest 125 obtain PGA Tour standing for 2025, that means he has loads of work to do over the subsequent few weeks. 4 occasions on the FedEx Cup Fall calendar stay after this week’s Shriners Kids’s Open.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. Be sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.