But after learning that he had been disqualified from the Tour ’ s third signature event of the season for signing an incorrect scorecard , this streak came to an end and sent the golfing world into a frenzy .

So , how did Spieth manage to make this rare mistake ? The issue can be traced back to his fourth hole of the day , a 245- yard par 3 where his tee shot came to rest pin high in the left rough . Spieth hit a quality pitch to inside four feet of the hole but was unable to secure his par and tapped in for a disappointing bogey . Patrick Cantlay , Spieth ’ s marker for the round , recorded a par on Spieth ’ s official scorecard despite the missed par attempt and eventual bogey . This discrepancy was not flagged by Spieth following the round , and his card was signed and returned to the Tour committee with a wrong score for the fourth hole .

With the dawn of new shot tracking technology , streaming services and large galleries at events , this situation raised

many questions as to why Spieth ’ s mistake resulted in such a grave penalty . Fans and Tour players alike took their stand on each side of the argument , with some calling for a softening of the rules and others arguing that it was Spieth ’ s responsibility , and he should have done his due diligence knowing that the rule is in place . As Spieth noted in a statement following the incident , “ Rules are rules ,” so let ’ s take a closer look into some nuances of stroke play specific scoring regulations .

The Nuts and Bolts of Stroke Play Scoring As the old saying goes , “ There are no pictures on the scorecard .” It does not include how many three putts you had , or the bad break off the tee on number 17 — just cold ,

CHRIS LANG

12 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY / J UNE 2024

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