News

Harold Varner III penalized 2 strokes in bizarre fashion

Published

5 years ago

Mar 15, 2019

Another week, and now, yet another rules infraction on the PGA Tour. While we’ve seen penalties handed out in 2019 for improper drops and confusion over the new caddie alignment rule, on Thursday evening, Harold Varner III fell foul of a very different regulation.

Varner III damaged his driver on the range before teeing off on Thursday and began his opening round at TPC Sawgrass with just 13 clubs in his bag after stating his intent to officials that he planned on replacing the club during his round, which is all perfectly legal under Rule 4.1b.

Varner III, wanting to keep the original shaft of his driver, and knowing that under the same rule that he is not permitted to take the shaft with him on to the course and have the new club assembled during play, left the shaft on the tee so that his agent could assemble the driver in the locker room.

However, a walking scorer believing that Varner had forgotten the piece of equipment brought the shaft to Varner on the course, and when the driver’s head was brought out to Varner, and the club was assembled on the course, Varner was deemed to have violated the rule and incurred a two-stroke penalty.

Speaking on the incident, PGA Tour vice president of rules and competition Mark Russell stated, per the Tour,

“We were under the impression he was going to take the driver back to the locker room and his agent was going to come back with another one. When they brought the head out and assembled it out there, it broke Rule 4. Can’t do that.

They don’t want clubs assembled and adjusted on the golf course. So that’s the reason for that rule. The rule basically says a player must not build a club from parts carried by anyone for the player during the round. They were aware of that situation, so that’s why he received a two-stroke penalty.”

Russell further explained how he understood that Varner III, who was in discussion with officials throughout the incident but misunderstood the situation, was not trying to gain an advantage, and how the walking scorer in their attempt to be helpful had led to the unfortunate event.

“Harold was trying not to do anything wrong. I guess they (the scorer) were thinking they were helping out or whatever, but when Harold and his caddie were aware that a walking scorer was carrying the golf club and it was assembled on the golf course, that’s when it violated the rule.”

The 28-year-old’s opening 72 was adjusted post round to a 74, leaving him nine shots off the front runner Tommy Fleetwood.

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38 Comments

Pingback: Harold Varner III penalized 2 strokes in bizarre fashion – PGA Golf Gameday
geohogan

Mar 29, 2019 at 1:40 pm

@Jack
That scorer could easily have cost the player $50,000 -100,000+

Its the reason they have rules for pros; that amateurs can ignore, unless they play serious tournaments. Whats that maybe 10-20% of ams?

Just because opinions count for WMD, doesnt mean they mean anything in golf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnFbCCgTo4
.

Reply Report comment
OB

Mar 18, 2019 at 1:09 pm

I think there should be an easy solution. They should always ask what the intent was, go by the honor system, and leave it at that, especially if it’s a first time infraction.

They do it for other rules. This should be the same.

Reply Report comment
Bo Fadeeznuts

Mar 16, 2019 at 11:25 am

Guys not a true wrxer. A true wrxer would have had three shafts at the ready and two tour issue heads with adjustment tools in the bag.

Reply Report comment
Herm

Mar 16, 2019 at 8:00 am

My question to the PGA Tour rules officials …

What should HV3 have done in this instance to avoid the penalty?

Not accepted the shaft & had it run back to the clubhouse for assembly?

It seems to me he was trying to follow the rules …

Reply Report comment
John Rominger

Mar 15, 2019 at 9:43 pm

Poor interpretation of rule 4. Varner could have carried the broken club since it did not put him over the 14 club limit. One could argue that carrying the shaft is equivalent to carrying the broken club. It is permissible for someone other than him or his caddy or his entourage to bring a new head to him and it is permissible for him or anyone else to install that head on the course. Of course the PGA Tour may have their own version of Rule 4 that specifically proscribes that, but the USGA Rule j4 as written allows it.

Reply Report comment
chip75

Mar 15, 2019 at 7:44 pm

The question is, why did they assemble the club on the course? why did the head turn up when it was meant to fixed off-course or in the locker room? It would have been completely acceptable for them to get a new club from one of the tour vans, why didn’t he have a back up? I’d argue that there was no intent by the player when the scorer brought them the shaft, but they didn’t assemble the club on the course, so the ruling was fair enough.

Reply Report comment
Curt

Mar 15, 2019 at 5:26 pm

Unfortunately he should know the rules. Hence being a pro. Fully deserved DQ. Sorry but I hate when people are messing around with drivers hole by hole.

Reply Report comment
- Tony
  
  Mar 15, 2019 at 6:55 pm
  
  That’s what you got out of that. You did read it didn’t you? No intention to change his club setting, it was to get his actual club in his bag after starting with 13.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - C
    
    Mar 16, 2019 at 1:37 am
    
    Curt is just being a cnut
    
    Reply Report comment
- Scratchscorer
  
  Mar 15, 2019 at 9:23 pm
  
  Your comment makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
  
  Reply Report comment
Tiger Noods

Mar 15, 2019 at 4:06 pm

So if he steps OB to assemble it, is it still a penalty?

I’m sorry, but this is one where an exemption needs to be made. The player did not ADJUST a club mid-round. He simply made it a playable condition, and he attempted to follow the letter of the law. It’s like saying if your shoe is untied, you can’t fix your shoe.

This is sickening, really. I wasn’t a proponent of the PGA doing its own rules, but maybe that’s the way out of this cave. People always follow the pro rules; ask someone about pass interference! And if the PGA clears some of this on-course stuff up, while sticking to the same equipment, maybe we get to a better place.

Reply Report comment
Mark

Mar 15, 2019 at 1:51 pm

It’s ok to protect the field and there should be a way to write a more logical rule. When Tennis, Hockey, Baseball and so forth are allowing to replace broken equipment. R & A, USGA rule makers aren’t there yet…!

Reply Report comment
Adam

Mar 15, 2019 at 1:46 pm

Just insanely dumb. HV3 does everything he’s supposed to do and an outside agent (not his agent) screws it up for him. And he gets penalized. This is so stupid. I sure hope that other players come to his defense. He should definitely get those 2 strokes back.

Reply Report comment
- Scratchscorer
  
  Mar 15, 2019 at 9:25 pm
  
  I agree. It wasn’t his mistake, it was the walking scorer who screwed it up. Should be no penalty under these circumstances. Varner did everything correctly.
  
  Reply Report comment
jack

Mar 15, 2019 at 1:20 pm

Hey PGA Tour and USGA – find some COMMON SENSE!

Reply Report comment
Dave

Mar 15, 2019 at 1:01 pm

What part of this do you not understand?

Restrictions When Adding or Replacing Clubs. When adding or replacing a club under (1) or (3), a player must not:
• Unreasonably delay play (see Rule 5.6a),
• Add or borrow any club from anyone else who is playing on the course (even if the other player is playing in a different group or competition), or
• Build a club from parts carried by anyone for the player during the round.

Reply Report comment
dat

Mar 15, 2019 at 11:32 am

And people wonder why we have such disdain for the USGA, no one plays by these rules in REAL life, and the game is dying…

Gee, I wonder why????

Reply Report comment
- Simms
  
  Mar 15, 2019 at 5:23 pm
  
  Game is dying because they only thing carrying it at the public level is the over 60 golfers playing during the week (5 hour rounds) and only playing the under $40 dollar green fee courses…so the $50 and up nice courses are not getting enough play and the lower end courses (less the $40) are getting the land re-zoned for housing and owners are selling…..
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Tim Armington
    
    Mar 17, 2019 at 8:14 pm
    
    If the 60 year old five hour round guys are only playing the under $40 courses, then why are they developing the land into housing?
    Why wouldnt they develop the elite courses that you say nobody is playing?
    Also, where are the 25 yr old 2 hr round, speaker in the cart with music blaring guys playing?
    
    Reply Report comment
Boyo

Mar 15, 2019 at 11:11 am

Another Philadelphia lawyer rule. Oy vey!

Reply Report comment
MikeB

Mar 15, 2019 at 11:06 am

No wonder golf is not attracting younger players and golf clubs are closing everywhere. This type of severe penalty just seems to typify the ” Golf has Rules” mentality that disuedes young folk from even getting involved with the game. HV3 clearly signalled his intent when he left the driver shaft at the first tee, what more could he have done? Perhaps in hindsight his caddie should have told the scorer to take or have gotten someone else to take it back to where it was left and have it assembled off course, caddies need to think about this stuff and let the player play.
The other guilty party is the person that brought the new head onto the course for assembly, surely they knew about the rule infringement.
Either way it’s another nail in the coffin for the mighty game of Golf.

Reply Report comment
joe

Mar 15, 2019 at 10:51 am

One rule the USGA/PGA Tour need to implement is the notion of “common sense”. The governing bodies have already added the word “intention” to some potential rulings, such as the player having the no intention to put the ball in play on a practice swing on the tee box which brushes the golf ball off the tee peg – So clearly there is a way for the officials to remove the fuzziness from tournament play. In this case there was no “intention” for Harold to violate the fundamental reason of why the rule regarding building your club from parts – was implemented. His case was DIFFERENT than the reasons he rule was designed. Come on officials. It’s crystal clear!!! NO INTENTION.

Reply Report comment
C

Mar 15, 2019 at 10:37 am

This ruling makes no sense. It’s a NEW driver head. Not the same one, adjusted during the round for play. So it should be considered a NEW club, therefore, not a 2 stroke penalty. Especially when they all found out how the new head came to be, regardless of who was carrying it, the shaft wasn’t being carried in the bag while they waited for a head.
I feel sad for golf.

Reply Report comment
Scott

Mar 15, 2019 at 10:30 am

Jebus Crikes, the PGA tour just can’t get out of their own way sometimes. I understand the intent of the rule. But Varner literally did everything he was supposed to do here at the beginning of the round. So because the walking scorer didn’t understand the situation it leaves him with two choices: 1. play the remainder of the round without a driver, or 2. take the two stroke penalty.

Or, OR, ORRRRRRRR the PGA Tour could actually uses some intelligent thought process here and realize that there was no intent by the play to circumvent the rules and reverse this unjustified two stroke penalty. SMH!!!

Reply Report comment
Shanker2000

Mar 15, 2019 at 10:19 am

Ok, so this is a pretty easy rule to follow, and it even makes sense. BUT…… the HV3 knew the rule, did everything in his power to follow the rule, no harm, good job. A person working at the tournament see’s that HV3 has left something, thinking “I need to grab that for him”, not doing anything wrong either. Then all of a sudden there is a rules violation and HV3 gets hit with a 2 shot penalty. This was not changing a loft setting from one to another, this was not gaining an advantage over any other player and this was not a case where the player HV3 knew the rule was being broken in the act of it happening. There was no need to give him a 2 shot penalty in this instance, there was no need to “Protect the Field” in this case. Reverse the ruling for this instance.

Reply Report comment
- Chuck
  
  Mar 15, 2019 at 10:41 am
  
  So I want to amplify two things and add one…
  
  1. “Ok, so this is a pretty easy rule to follow…” Yes. Maybe not “easy” in the trickiest of PGA Tour circumstances, but for the most part, yes; easy.
  
  2. “…and it (this Rule) even makes sense…” Yes, definitely. The USGA has to make Rules to avoid players taking interminable amounts of time to adjust clubs if they were allowed to on-course… or to fake damage to clubs to get specialized clubs added for specific holes/shots… etc., etc. The Rule makes sense, the more technical you get (and the USGA does have to be technical).
  
  3. And to add; this is a Rule, and a circumstance, that has little bearing on most recreational players. Who do not have a locker full of OEM-supplied backup clubs, and a tournament staff or personal manager to go get them when and if the need arises. The 2019 Rules changes were in fact intended to make some aspects of the “broken club” problem easier for recreational players. Another thread would be needed to address all of them.
  
  No doubt there will be much more whining about how the USGA is dumb and inflexible and elitist, without any regard to the actual facts.
  
  Reply Report comment
James Heard

Mar 15, 2019 at 10:13 am

Doesn’t intent account for anything? There was no intention of violation.

Reply Report comment
D

Mar 15, 2019 at 9:55 am

Grow the game

Reply Report comment
- alexdub
  
  Mar 15, 2019 at 10:02 am
  
  Don’t forget #liveunderpar
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Chuck
    
    Mar 15, 2019 at 10:33 am
    
    #liveunderpar is a PGATour marketing slogan. Has nothing to do with the USGA.
    
    HOWEVER; if you are going out of your way to mock the PGA Tour (and it was the PGA Tour, not the USGA that made what seems to have been a perfectly correct decision that lots of sports fans don’t like), then fine. Leave the USGA out of it.
    
    But I think that Mark Russell is one of the very finest rules officials in the game, and with his colleague Slugger White, is part of the best Rules staff in the history of the Tour.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - alexdub
      
      Mar 15, 2019 at 11:33 am
      
      #drinkingthekoolaid
      
      Reply Report comment
ShanksALotUSGA

Mar 15, 2019 at 9:49 am

What is the difference between tightening a screw on the course and walking to the locker room to do it? I get they didn’t want people adjusting their clubs on the course during a round, but I think using a wrench to tighten something is a little different than “building” a club on the course.

Reply Report comment
bulls9999

Mar 15, 2019 at 9:21 am

Is there no ‘body’ or committee that can say, the outside guy (walking scorer) made the mistake and not the player and say ‘no infraction’. This is just dumb, imo.

Reply Report comment
Crusher

Mar 15, 2019 at 9:01 am

They better fix these rules situations fast. It is negative toward the game. Please tell me how Varner’s “rules violation” gave him a competitive advantage over the field? Just plain stupid that he was assessed a 2 stroke penalty. Taking all fun out of playing the game and watching the game.

Reply Report comment
Tim

Mar 15, 2019 at 8:54 am

Wait? Is the scorer considered a ‘rules official’ in any way?

If so, that means that one rules official brought the shaft to Varner in the middle of his round and another rules official gave him a penalty because of that. He was essentially left with no choice but 1) to assemble the club on the course or 2) wait another hole or two for someone to run back to an area that is considered ‘off the course’ and assemble it.

Reply Report comment
- Geoffrey Holland
  
  Mar 15, 2019 at 5:25 pm
  
  yes he should have waited for someone to take the shaft and the head off the course and assemble them there because if he knew it was illegal to assemble them on the course he was just being an idiot by doing so.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Jack
  
  Mar 17, 2019 at 10:20 pm
  
  Scorers are not rules officials. They’re just volunteers who help out and are not experts on the rulebook.
  
  Reply Report comment

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

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