A golfer has been disqualified from the USGA 4-ball this morning after having two grips on his putter that were a quarter of an inch too close together.

Popular Twitter account “Monday Q Info” shared the news of the equipment violation today with the following tweet:

to be clear the guy in the pic is NOT the guy who called the rule. I learned it was an official who pointed it out.

— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) May 18, 2022

“If you have two grips on the putter, they have to be a minimum of 1.5 inches apart. His were 1.25 inches apart…One of the USGA officials saw it yesterday afternoon…Went back to the hotel to confirm the rule…Measured this AM in parking lot and DQ’d him.”

Former professional golfer, Will Strickler weighed in on the disqualification.

Guy in the pic is who got unfairly (IMO) DQ’d

— Will Strickler (@wstrick17) May 18, 2022

It’s been a year that continues to throw up the unlikeliest of rules violations, but this one may just be about the harshest so far of 2022.

One golf fan on Twitter probably summed up the feelings of many frustrated people reacting to the reason for the DQ, saying: “And this is why some people hate golf.”

And this is why some people hate golf.

— Tim_Schnor (@tschnor) May 18, 2022

More from the 19th Hole

• 86-year-old Gary Player shows off remarkable club head and ball speed numbers
• ‘Absolutely disgusting’ – LPGA pro blasts Augusta National for its role in major venue change
• ‘Get it out of my face, man!’ – Brooks Koepka snatches phone from fan during tense exchange

Earlier in the week, a picture of the menu from Southern Hills was released. Many fans were outraged about the exorbitant price of beer and water, although some defended it.

A few PGA Tour players have now weighed in on the high prices, and it seems they too have differing opinions.

Justin Thomas said via Twitter that he disagreed with the prices and that you “Gotta treat the fans better than that”.

$18(!!!!!!) for a beer… uhhhh what. Gotta treat the fans better than that! ????? https://t.co/7DeyC7WTJE

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) May 17, 2022

Brooks Koepka, on the other hand, defended the prices of the beer.

“Yeah. Michelob Ultra is 18 bucks, but it’s a tall boy,” he said, referring to the fact that the cans of beer at Southern Hills are 25 oz. “It’s bigger than the normal 12 ounces, 16 ounces. It’s bigger than the normal ones, so you’ll be all right. You drink enough, you’ll be fine.”

It’s worth noting that Michelob is one of Koepka’s sponsors.

The tournament officials also defended the menu prices.

“We do have a new concession area, but we also have a new ticketing pricing offering for all the spectators this year, which includes basically as much food and non-alcoholic beverage as they want included in the price of the ticket,” Kerry Haigh, Chief Championships Officer of the PGA of America, said. “Starting Thursday, spectators will be able to drink non-alcoholic beverages and as much food as they want for the price of their ticket. For those on the practice days, all spectators can bring in bottled water, and starting Thursday we’ll have refills on water.

“The pricing of the product is sort of comparable to stadium events. We’re comfortable with where we are, and we hope spectators will come out and have a great time and a great experience.”

Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America, said these prices may be re-evaluated in the future though.

“It’s a new model for us, right, so at the end of it we’ll go back and, like we always do, try to figure out if it worked or didn’t work and what we can do better and raise the bar.”

More from the 19th Hole

• 86-year-old Gary Player shows off remarkable club head and ball speed numbers
• ‘Absolutely disgusting’ – LPGA pro blasts Augusta National for its role in major venue change
• ‘Get it out of my face, man!’ – Brooks Koepka snatches phone from fan during tense exchange

 

We will not see defending PGA champion Phil Mickelson at Southern Hills this week but his name is still creating headlines just a day before the first tee time.

• Related: ‘You have to earn it’ – Tiger shows no sympathy for Mickelson while firmly backing PGA Tour

It cannot be a coincidence that the release of Alan Shipnuck’s no-holds-barred biography was timed for this very week, but it is the nature of the content, plus previously reported excerpts from the book, that make PGA Championship week more than the names on the entry list.

• Related: ‘I don’t trust Shipnuck’ – Former PGA champ hits out at author of new Mickelson biography

Just a few days ago, we reported on a part of the bio that concentrates on a story told by golf scribe John Hawkins.

In the short piece, Hawkins alleges Mickelson made large numbers bets on college basketball games in a brief space of time, so many that he felt the now-maligned player to be “showing off”.

The book makes many further allegations, including a segment involving outspoken former professional and announcer Gary McCord.

In that section of the book, McCord alleges gambling took place on the putting green during tournaments, and in the most bizarre fashion.

“When I was in the TV tower, every time Phil got to my hole, Bones (caddie Jim Mackay) would look up at me and I would flash the odds,” McCord said. “If Phil had a 15-footer, I’d flash three fingers, which meant the odds were 3-1. If he was 60 feet, I’d give him 2-1 on a two-putt. Bones would go down and whisper in his ear and Phil would look up at me and shake his head, yes or no.”

“I can’t tell you how many wadded-up twenties I threw out of the tower until the Tour found out about it and I got word through CBS I was no longer allowed to gamble with Phil while up in the tower.”

Previous to these allegations, Mickelson’s gambling habits were the stuff of hearsay, but this is perhaps the wildest Phil related gambling story of them all.

More from the 19th Hole

• 86-year-old Gary Player shows off remarkable club head and ball speed numbers
• ‘Absolutely disgusting’ – LPGA pro blasts Augusta National for its role in major venue change
• ‘Get it out of my face, man!’ – Brooks Koepka snatches phone from fan during tense exchange