PGA Tour Pro Calls Penalty On Himself At Byron Nelson Championship

Greg Chalmers called a penalty on himself after his golf ball moved in a penalty area on the seventh hole

Chalmers watches his tee shot after striking a fairway wood
(Image credit: Getty Images)

There's no denying that Greg Chalmers is one of the more experienced players on the PGA Tour circuit, with the Australian holding professional status since 1995. Along with the experience, he is also certainly a fan favourite and, during the third round of the Byron Nelson Championship, his popularity rose even further!

After making the cut, Chalmers headed into the weekend at eight-under-par, with the 49-year-old looking to make further inroads as he went in search of a second PGA Tour win. Despite making a bogey at the first hole, he recovered with two birdies at the second and fifth. However, it was the par 3 seventh where Chalmers' most notable moment came...

First tweeted by the page @acaseofthegolf1, the tweet shows a text message from Chalmers' caddie, Conrad Shindler, which reads: "Greg's integrity is impeccable. He was in a hazard on 7, ball playable, goes to address it, and the ball moved. I was 7 feet away and didn't see it, nobody on this world could see it. Called it on himself."

Along with the screenshot of the text message conversation, the caption of the tweet reads: "I’ve been a @GregChalmersPGA fan for long time. But his caddie this week @CShindlerGolf sent me a story from today's round that makes me a bigger fan. For every story about cheating, remember guys like Greg and Tommy Kuhl who always do the right thing."

Huge respect for Chalmers who, following the double bogey, produced a bogey on the ninth with two birdies and two bogeys on the back nine meaning a two-over-par third round of 73.

Obviously, the actions of Chalmers caused a huge positive reaction on Twitter, with one user tweeting: "I've been fortunate to get to know @GregChalmersPGA the past few years. The story below does not surprise me even a little. He is simply an awesome guy in every imaginable way," whilst one commented: "This is what golf is all about. Great to hear."

It's not the first time we've heard players calling themselves out this week. Tommy Kuhl, a fifth-year senior at the University of Illinois, had just shot 62 at Illini Country Club in Springfield, Illinois to make it through at the US Open qualifier when he realised that he had to DQ himself.

Out watching his teammate, Adrien Dumont De Chassart, in a playoff for the final spot, his teammate made a comment about the aerated greens. That's when he realised that he wasn't allowed to repair the aeration marks, with Kuhl stating that: "I felt sick to my stomach. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t tell the rules official.”

Matt Cradock
Staff Writer

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.


Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.


Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?

Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°

Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°

Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°

Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x