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Former NCAA Champion disqualified from LPGA Q-Series after incident allegedly involving her mother

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The LPGA Tour has had its fair share of drama in recent years when it comes to rules infractions, and on Saturday at the LPGA Q-Series at Pinehurst Resort, a truly curious incident occurred, which resulted in a disqualification.

Doris Chen, the 2014 NCAA individual champion at USC, and the 2010 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion, was the player in question. She was deemed to have breached rule 15-3b after she played a ball that had gone out of bounds and then was moved back in bounds by “an outside agency.” The incident occurred on the 17th hole during Friday’s seventh round at the No. 7 course. According to reports from Golf Channel and Golfweek, it was Chen’s mother, Yuh-Guey Lin, who moved the ball back in bounds.

Speaking with GolfDigest.com on Sunday morning, Chen stated that she was unaware that the ball had been out of bounds, believing that the ball had been kicked from a bad lie to a good lie. Thinking that she was allowed to play the ball as it lies, Chen claimed that after her round she was then informed that the ball had been out of bounds.

“My caddie and I didn’t see anything happen. We were looking for the ball. I didn’t see the ball move. It was just what the homeowner said, In my mind, I thought I was just supposed to play the ball as it lied. … I realize now I should have called for a rules official to investigate.”

When asked if she had spoken to her mother after the round and whether or not it had been her that moved the ball, Chen stated that if it was indeed her, then it was an accident, before taking responsibility for the incident.

“She (Chen’s mother) told me that she didn’t and she doesn’t know. And if she did, it may be by accident and she wasn’t aware. What I would like to say is that it was a misunderstanding. It was a stressful week and not my intention for any of it to happen. I was not directly involved in any way, but I take the responsibility and accept the ruling. I was not trying to cheat and I am not a cheater.”

Regarding the decision to disqualify Chen, the LPGA released a statement clarifying just what Chen had done wrong, stating:  “Ms Chen and her caddie were made aware that the ball had been moved. Doris elected to play the ball, which was a wrong ball by definition, from its altered lie. Ms. Chen did not correct her error before teeing off on the next hole, thus resulting in the DQ penalty.”

At the time of her disqualification, Chen was placed T74 at 14-over par and six strokes out of 45th place. The top 45 finishers and ties at the end of the eight-round event earned LPGA Tour cards for 2019.

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. FirstTimeReally?

    Mar 30, 2021 at 5:18 pm

    I’m pretty positive it’s not the first time her mom moved the balls. The mom may thought she was playing the secret angel. Mom, the truth is that you are destroying your daughter’s career.

  2. ck

    Nov 8, 2018 at 4:31 am

    NO child should hang his/her mom out to dry…..

    • John Hall

      Nov 8, 2018 at 10:29 am

      So cheating’s OK if it involves a member of your own family?

  3. Poulterguist

    Nov 6, 2018 at 7:58 pm

    Think she should play her future rounds with a rules official present in the group.

  4. Kevin

    Nov 6, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    I mean, how did her mum know it was her daughter’s tee shot?

  5. Steve O

    Nov 6, 2018 at 10:24 am

    I feel for Chen. She must have been mortified at what her mother did, which put her in a very difficult position. Do you protect your mother or do you call an official who would obviously discover her mother kicked the ball. Ultimately she did the wrong thing which REALLY put the focus on her mother and herself.

    • Richard Tucker

      Nov 6, 2018 at 7:26 pm

      Another case of win and succeed at all costs. Both should be banned for life I do not accept the player did not know about it she apparently told her caddie to keep quiet about it.

  6. Joe

    Nov 6, 2018 at 3:08 am

    Definitely a poor demonstration of sportsmanship and ethics. Sometimes these “tiger moms” crossed that fine line to win at all cost. What they fail to understand is that someone, somewhere is always watching. It’s a matter of time that you get caught. It might be presumptuous for me to say this, but I wonder how many times that actually happened already. And for a course home resident to have witness this, it must have been a very blatent behavior. After all, it was an OB ball, and in my opinion, they are never that easy to find. Sorry mom, you got caught and shame on you.

  7. John Hall

    Nov 6, 2018 at 12:20 am

    Tough break she got caught?? Her mother’s a cheat and should be banned from future tournaments. She is trying to exonerate her mother’s actions. “She (Chen’s mother) told me that she didn’t and she doesn’t know. And if she did, it may be by accident and she wasn’t aware.” – How can you kick a golf ball back into play by accident? I’d have a lot more respect for Ms Chen if she’d said ‘Mom did the wrong thing”

  8. JDeezy

    Nov 5, 2018 at 7:13 pm

    Her caddie has come out and said she did the wrong thing. She sounds like a cheat.

  9. B Ferguson

    Nov 5, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    Stage moms . . .

  10. John

    Nov 5, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    I don’t believe there was an intent to cheat, per we, but once told that her ball ha been moved by an outside agency, she needed to get an official to clarify her options. Obviously, what she considered proper was not. Tough break in any event.

  11. John Krug

    Nov 5, 2018 at 11:49 am

    Interview her mother.

  12. Jamie

    Nov 5, 2018 at 10:25 am

    WTF Mom? Seriously. Who does that? Oh, a Win at all cost New York locust.

  13. dixiedoc

    Nov 5, 2018 at 8:49 am

    Tiger’s ball used to do the same thing on occasion.

    • get a life

      Nov 5, 2018 at 3:28 pm

      amazeball you could pull tiger out of this. there’s nothing you tiger haters can’t do right?

  14. TRUMP 2020

    Nov 4, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    I doubt Doris knew. But her mom sure did.

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Morning 9: Scheffler starts strong | Nelly stays in touch | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Friday morning, golf fans, as day two of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Scheffler starts strong in Houston

AP report…” Scottie Scheffler had his 28th consecutive round under par to start the year, a 5-under 65 on Thursday that left him 1 shot behind Taylor Moore and Wilson Furr in the Houston Open.”

  • “Scheffler also extended his streak to 49 holes without a bogey dating to the third round of the Players Championship two weeks ago, where he became the first back-to-back winner in the 50 years of the PGA Tour’s flagship event.”
  • “The streak that matters is his bid for a third straight PGA Tour victory, a feat last accomplished seven years ago by Dustin Johnson.”
  • “That also was the last thing on Scheffler’s mind at Memorial Park, his final tournament before he heads to the Masters as a strong favorite.”
  • “I don’t ever really put expectations on myself,” Scheffler said. “I try to be committed to my shots. I try to stay patient out there. At the beginning of the week, I’m not looking forward toward Sunday. I’m just focused on today.”
Full piece.

2. Nelly stays in touch at Ford Championship

AP report…” Nelly Korda fought through brutal conditions to win in Southern California last week.”

  • “A solid opening round on a soft course in perfect weather has the world’s No. 1 player in position to win her third straight start.”
  • “Korda shot a 6-under 66 in the first round of the Ford Championship on Thursday, leaving her three shots back in a bid to become the first LPGA Tour player to win three straight starts in eight years.”
  • “Completely different today compared to last weekend,” Korda said. “The greens are quite soft. I know Arizona has been getting a good bit of rain throughout the winter. I knew there would be low scores out there, so needed to be aggressive.”
Full piece.

3. Why Malnati thinks his win resonated

Via Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…“Maybe they’re so good at winning that they just – it’s normal for them, and they’re right back in their normal routine the next day,” Malnati said Wednesday in Houston, where he’s in the field for the Texas Children’s Houston Open. “It certainly isn’t the case for me yet. So, there was definitely the thought on Sunday night and Monday morning like, oh, my goodness, I could use a week to just wrap my head around this like new reality that I have.”

  • “Malnati added: “I would not say I’m entirely focused yet on playing and working again, I still am enjoying it a little bit, but starting to get back into that mode of like wanting to do my job and keep building from here.”
Full piece.

4. Martin Trainer’s interesting putter backstory

Trainer talking to our Andrew Tursky…

  • You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?
  • MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.
  • And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.
  • When did it come back in the bag?
  • MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.
  • What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?
  • MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?
  • Do you remember how much you paid for it?
  • MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.
Full piece.

5. Finau on driver shaft change

Our Brian Knudson…”Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.”

  • “However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.”
  • “[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”
Full piece.

6. A 71 with nine birdies

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
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Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Wyndham Clark hurts back…still hopes to play

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark injured his back while working out at home Monday, but he hopes to play in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.”

  • “Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, said he was lifting weights and “got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and [his] back went.”
  • “It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn,” Clark said. “I’m trending in the right direction. I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day. I’m going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”
Full piece.

2. DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.”

  • “We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
  • “Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
Full piece.

3. Charley Hull’s course management problem?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.”

  • “After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.”
  • “While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.”
  • “I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
  • “The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
  • “In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else.
Full piece.

4. Sahith’s interesting idea

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Which brings Theegala to his big idea: “There’s got to be something, like a fan challenge or – I think it would be awesome to see a scratch handicap go out and play like the Monday after a tournament, keep the same conditions and see what they would shoot just to put it into perspective how hard a PGA Tour golf course is.”

  • “Theegala loves the thought so much that he’d even come out and watch.”
  • “Shoot, I’d commentate on it,” Theegala added before continuing, “I have a pet peeve, sometimes when I watch golf on TV, a great example is hole 8 at Valspar last week. It’s a 230-yard par 3, the green’s 12 yards wide and someone will hit the middle of the green and, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, really smart shot there.’ I’m like, ‘Well, no, he’s absolutely laced this 4-iron in the middle of the green, that’s right where he’s looking and to hit a 4-iron that straight is really, really hard.’ … Even like chipping, a lot of the stuff just looks flat on TV, but then when you get over the chip, like, oh, great, I have to land it over a mound on a downslope down grain?”
Full piece.

5. Top am Rachel Heck not going pro

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As Rachel Heck nears the end of her college golf career, she has decided that the LPGA isn’t for her.’

  • “Heck, the 22-year-old Stanford senior who won an NCAA individual title as a freshman and has climbed as high as second in the world amateur rankings, penned a first-person essay for No Laying Up in which she explained her reasoning for remaining amateur after graduation this summer and starting an internship not in professional golf but rather private equity. Heck, a political science major, also will be pinned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.”

Read her piece on No Laying Up: https://nolayingup.com/blog/why-im-remaining-an-amateur

Full piece.

6. DJ’s new LIV signing

Golf Monthly’s Elliott Heath…”Dustin Johnson‘s LIV Golf team 4Aces GC has announced former TravisMathew CEO Chris Rosaasen as the side’s new General Manager.”

  • “Rosaasen, who is a long-time friend of Johnson, is also the founder of the team’s apparel sponsor Extracurricular and has been CEO of the Omniverse Group for the past four years.
  • “He joins with more than 20 years of “brand-building, marketing, and business leadership” according to LIV Golf, which says his “record of innovation in the golf industry will strengthen and accelerate the growth of the 4Aces GC brand.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Four books for a springtime review

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One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.

There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.

        

Rainmaker

Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.

Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.

My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.

Decision: Buy It!

The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor

Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.

Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.

My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.

Decision: Buy It!!

Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal

Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.

One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.

Decision: Buy It!!!

Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie

Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.

Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.

My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.

Decision: Buy Them!!!!

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