Tour News
Inside the Jeff Overton DQ at Colonial
Rule 14-3 of the 2012-2015 USGA Rules of Golf states, in part:
“During a stipulated round the player must not use any artificial device or unusual equipment…or use any equipment in an unusual manner.”
With all due respect to the USGA, the entire situation surrounding Jeff Overton’s disqualification at Colonial is an exercise in “unusual” that the framers of the Rules likely couldn’t have anticipated.
As the Indiana alum finished No. 9 of his third round, he was 4-under par and 7 strokes out of the lead. He was also facing a three-group backup on the 10th tee. Reportedly at the behest of a starter who told him he could practice with an alignment aid, Overton went to a nearby practice green to work on his stroke.
Using a designated practice area during a round is permissible. However, when Overton pulled out what we assume to be a traditional driveway stake/alignment stick, to aid his practice, he found himself in violation of the body of golfing law.
There are a number of opinions emerging on the matter.
Join the discussion about Jeff Overton’s DQ in our forums.
Some might say that the notion that Overton could have hit 500 putts in the middle of his round (at the designated practice area, assuming the backup persisted) with the USGA’s blessing is a bit counter to the spirit of competition. Additionally, there are many who feel that dropping a stick down to check his alignment on the practice green, shouldn’t have been grounds for Ovie’s dismissal…However, the Rules are the rules, at least until the next revision.
Still, others might say that Overton’s flippant attitude following the disqualification may not have been the best route to take. The golfer tweeted: “Looks like I gotta go back and rememorize a couple hundred pages of the usga (sic) rules book!”
Really, all Overton needed to do was not rely on the advice of a starter and think twice about pulling out a practice device during a competitive round, which is one of the great taboos in competitive golf. On some level, the ruling may be ridiculous, however, when an atypical situation arises, the onus is unfortunately on the competitor to get clarification from a legitimate source.
Here’s some more insight into the determination from the USGA’s companion Decisions text:
Q.During a stipulated round, a player uses a rod to check his alignment or his swing plane. What is the ruling?
A. The player is disqualified under Rule 14-3 as the rod is unusual equipment and such use, during the stipulated round, is not permitted. Carrying the rod is not, of itself, a breach of a Rule.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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News
Photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
GolfWRX is live this week at the Wells Fargo Championship as a field of the world’s best golfers descend upon Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping to tame the beast that is Quail Hollow Club in this Signature Event — only Scottie Scheffler, who is home awaiting the birth of his first child, is absent.
From the grounds at Quail Hollow, we have our usual assortment of general galleries and WITBs — including a look at left-hander Akshay Bhatia’s setup. Among the pullout albums, we have a look inside Cobra’s impressive new tour truck for you to check out. Also featured is a special look at Quail Hollow king, Rory McIlroy.
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we add more galleries.
General Albums
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Monday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Wells Fargo Championship – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Akshay Bhatia – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matthieu Pavon – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Keegan Bradley – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Webb Simpson – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Emiliano Grillo – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Taylor Pendrith – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Kevin Tway – WITB – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Pullout Albums
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rory McIlroy – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- New Cobra equipment truck – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Eric Cole’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Custom Cameron putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Matt Kuchar’s custom Bettinardi – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Justin Thomas – driver change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler – putter change – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s new custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Tommy Fleetwood testing a TaylorMade Spider Tour X (with custom neck) – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- Cobra Darkspeed Volition driver – 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying about our Wells Fargo Championship photos in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
GolfWRX is on site this week in McKinney, Texas, at the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson (FKA the AT&T Byron Nelson).
Last year at TPC Craig Ranch, Jason Day ended a five-year winless streak. J-Day is in the field again, as are Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim, and Will Zalatoris.
We have our usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums for your perusal. As always, we’ll continue to add links to additional albums as they make their way to us from the Lone Star State.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Monday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #1
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #2
- 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Pierceson Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kris Kim – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- David Nyfjall – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Adrien Dumont de Chassart – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Jarred Jetter – North Texas PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Richy Werenski – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Wesley Bryan – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Parker Coody – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Peter Kuest – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Blaine Hale, Jr. – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Kelly Kraft – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Rico Hoey – WITB – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Pullout Albums
- Adam Scott’s 2 new custom L.A.B. Golf putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Scotty Cameron putters – 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
- Ben Griffin playing Maxfli golf ball
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Nonameneeded
Jun 1, 2013 at 12:33 pm
Hang on. Does that mean if I practice my stroke on any green whilst waiting for my playi partner to tap in against a flag stick I’m DQed.??? I sometimes think the rules have become so complicated and unrealistic that even pros step over the line by mistake. I’m sure there is not a pro out there that would cheat on purpose. But taking a stick out of the bag and using to help alignment… Come on. Tiger dropped two yards away from an original spot. Huh?
3jack
May 29, 2013 at 6:06 pm
“…He was also facing a three-group backup on the 10th tee. …”
Somebody should have been penalized for that including the PGA for having no teeth.
Brother Dave
May 29, 2013 at 6:02 pm
A “professional” golfer should know the rules, period. Learning them is not like deciphering Hammurabi or the Da Vinci Code. The first 28 deal with what most golfers will encounter, Rules 29-32 governing alternate forms of play and administration and Rules 33-34 govern the committee and disputes. I don’t know what profession you are in, but mine requires continuing education and compliance with a way more intrusive regulatory state than the USGA or PGA Tour could ever muster.
Anyone who makes their living playing golf should make reading the rules and decision part of their regular routine. Seriously, something is very wrong when so-called professionals routinely hold up play to ask for a ruling on even the most simple situations.
I’ve got zero sympathy for any “professional” who acts as if ignorance of the rules is anything but their own fault.
Don
May 26, 2013 at 9:02 pm
Whether the rule is bad or not, the issue as I see it is that he broke a rule, got DQ’ed, then acted like a 9 year old. I liked Overton until he started his twitter tantrum. He could have said something along the lines of he unwittingly made a mistake, learned from it, and is moving on to get ready for next week. Instead he refused to accept responsibility and blames the official who told him that he could chip and putt for NOT telling him that he couldn’t use training aids.
I guess he needs to be read the 2013 Rules of Golf on the first tee next week.
G
May 27, 2013 at 2:31 am
I think you can say that there are 3 things wrong with this whole situation.
Jeff could’ve handled it more professionally, the rules don’t state WHERE ON the course the rule applies, and the official wasn’t forthcoming as to be cool enough to remind him that a player should not use any extraneous equipment at all. At the same time, in normal play, it is also understood that a player cannot USUALLY “practice” during a tournament round.
All very vague.
Paul
May 26, 2013 at 6:43 pm
Alignment sticks are in just about every pros bag… They are not “unusual”… This rule is crap, I don’t blame Jeff for being upset. If the violation does not take place within the boundaries of the course (not to be confused with practice area) then the rule should not apply.
John
May 27, 2013 at 1:35 am
Just because every pro uses them doesnt make it not a training aid. He was in the middle of his round anyways, not like he was practicing before his round on the practice area, but DURING his round!
G
May 27, 2013 at 2:29 am
@ Paul.
I agree. It wasn’t ON the course. He had stepped off the course to a practice green, as he was told he could do so. So it should not have applied.
Isn’t grabbing a can of beer during a round from the concession stand “unusual” equipment, especially when the stand is ON the course along the side of the fairway? And a can of beer is definitely equipment for some, right?
Randall
May 26, 2013 at 5:06 pm
Just claim you didn’t now the rule. Just a penalty and no DQ, ehh Tiger
G
May 27, 2013 at 2:27 am
I like that.
JB
May 26, 2013 at 4:52 pm
He should totally know that an alignment stick is unlawful to use in competition?? Seriously you don’t think twice about pulling that thing out??
Paul
May 26, 2013 at 3:44 pm
If he had instead used the shaft of another club as the alignment aid, would he have been DQ’ed?
ed
May 26, 2013 at 5:02 pm
Is a club ‘unusual’? No.
txgolfer130
May 26, 2013 at 6:55 pm
Yes he would have been DQ’d as well. The rule stipulates “…any equipment in an unusual manner.” Laying a club down is an unusual manner and is not allowed in a competitive round.
G
May 27, 2013 at 2:33 am
If it doesn’t say WHERE, does it really count? I think the rules apply during the round ON the course, but stepping off the playing area of the course to a practice green must mean something different, surely? Way too vague. And I thought the PGA Tour bifurcated this stuff anyways, no? :-p
John
May 27, 2013 at 2:39 am
Yea because you go to the tactics range/green sooo frequently during the middle of your round of a pga your event, much less ANY tpurnament or even a normal round. Seriously are trying to defend this guy? I mean come on, some rules are easy to misunderstand but this isn’t one of them, just a ignorant player.
Mario Good Times
May 26, 2013 at 12:13 pm
Rules are rules and how small the violation may seem its in place for a reason. This one I get… Its like signing your scorecard wrong, DQ!!! well unless your TIGER then you get special treatment..