Junior Amateur Golfer Disqualified From LPGA Event After Signing Incorrect Scorecard

Junior amateur golfer Mia Hammond was disqualified from the Mizuho Americas Open after she signed for an incorrect scorecard following her first round.

The Mizuho Americas Open, won last year by Rose Zhang on debut, features 24 amateurs from the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) who compete in a separate modified Stableford competition alongside the 120 LPGA Tour players in the main competition.

However, there will be one less AJGA member in the field on Friday morning after 16-year-old Hammond was disqualified after she signed for an incorrect first-round score.

"AJGA participant Mia Hammond was DQ from the Mizuho Americas Open for signing for a lower score (Rule 3.3b(3) in conjunction with 21.1b(3))," a press release said on social media. "Hammond self-reported the infraction."

Rule 3.3b (3) states that: "When the round has ended, the player should carefully check the hole scores entered by the marker and raise any issues with the Committee, make sure that the marker certifies the hole scores on the scorecard, must not change a hole score entered by the marker except with the marker’s agreement or the Committee’s approval, and must certify the hole scores on the scorecard and promptly return it to the Committee, after which the player must not change the scorecard. 

"If the player breaches any of these requirements in Rule 3.3b, the player is disqualified."

A similar incident occurred on the PGA Tour earlier this year, resulting in Jordan Spieth being disqualified after the second round of the Genesis Invitational.

Hammond, ranked 212th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, has previously competed in two LPGA events, impressively finishing T26 at the Dana Open last July - having Monday Qualified for the tournament - before missing the cut at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September later that year.

Meanwhile, Yana Wilson, the 2023 AJGA Girls Player of the Year, took a first-round in the junior event at Liberty National Golf Club having picked up 36 points. 

In the professional event, So Mi Lee fired an opening-round 66 to open up a two-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard. The South Korean started the day as the second alternate but remarkably found herself in the field after a number of late withdrawals, including from defending champion Zhang, who withdrew due to illness after three holes.