Golfer Gets Disqualified At Arnold Palmer Invitational

To the casual viewer, you may wonder how it's possible to be disqualified from the game of golf. However, there are, indeed, a number of ways in which you can be, with Kamaiu Johnson, a multiple-time winner on the mini-tour circuits, finding out at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Friday after signing for an incorrect scorecard.

This disqualification didn't tell the full story though... First reported by the Twitter page @acaseofthegolf1, it's claimed that Johnson had signed for a double bogey six on the par 4 ninth, when in reality it was, in fact, a triple bogey seven. Along with the incorrect score, his group were put on the clock due to slow play and it actually took a video replay to confirm whether it was a seven or a six!

According to the tweet, Johnson was in the group of Nick Hardy and Kyle Westmoreland with the group playing the ninth hole. Already on the clock (when a group has fallen out of position in the field due to slow play), Johnson faced a par putt from off the fringe.

Because they were eager to catch up, and the fact that Hardy was already in the hole for par and Westmoreland was in for bogey, the American pair walked to the 10th tee whilst Johnson missed his par putt. From there, the 29-year-old reportedly missed his four-foot bogey putt and his three-foot double bogey putt, tapping in for a triple.

Playing the remainder of the back nine, it was only when the trio made it to the scorer's hut that the walking scorer noted a difference in scoring. According to the scorer and Shotlink, Johnson had made a seven, whilst Hardy claimed that Johnson insisted he made a six. 

Obviously clarification was needed and, after the round, Hardy informed a rules official that he was stood on the 10th tee so had not seen the putting take place. An hour later, both men were informed that, thanks to video footage, it was indeed a seven and not a six, with Johnson subsequently disqualified, even though he was six shots back of the cut line.

The rule that was broken comes under Rule 3.3b(3), which states that: "During the round, the player should keep track of his or her scores for each hole. If a player returns a score lower than the actual score or no score returned, the player is disqualified."

Johnson certainly isn't the first to be penalised for scorecard related incidents. Back in May 2022, John Daly was disqualified for not signing his scorecard after two double bogeys in his final three holes. Along with 'Long John', Matt Wolff was also disqualified from the 2021 Masters after he signed for an incorrect scorecard.