'A Painful Lesson To Learn' - PGA Tour Pro Explains Farmers Insurance Open Disqualification

Michael Brennan might count himself unlucky to have been sent home early from the Farmers Insurance Open, after the PGA Tour winner was found to have breached a Model Local Rule relating to the use of "non-permitted green-reading materials".

The 23-year-old, who claimed a remarkable debut victory on the PGA Tour at last year's Bank of Utah Championship following a sponsor's exemption, is probably now more familiar than most with Model Local Rule G-11.

Brennan opened his Farmers Insurance Open account with a 70, but he took no further part in the tournament after reporting the matter to a Rules official.

Following his early exit, Brennan released a statement on his Instagram account to "clear the air on what happened", describing the disqualification as a "painful lesson to learn".

Brennan said that he started working with a new course data analyst at the beginning of the week in order to improve his course strategy.

After receiving green maps to help him plan approach shots, Brennan said that he sketched a few arrows.

On the completion of his round, Brennan asked the analyst for clarification on the green maps feature, only to learn that he wasn't allowed to transcribe any details on the greens from his diagram into his yardage book.

"Upon learning this, I reached out to a PGA Tour Rules official, reporting my mistake, and was subsequently disqualified from the golf tournament," Brennan said.

"While this has been a painful lesson to learn, I am looking forward to the party in the desert next week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open."

According to the PGA Tour handbook, the specific MLR "restricts the use of green-reading materials to only committee-approved yardage books and hole location sheets, and a map of the entire course no larger than letter or A4 sized paper."

Per the USGA, the first violation of Model Local Rule G-11 constitutes a two-stroke penalty while the second results in disqualification from the tournament.

It is not known at this time when Brennan picked up his first violation for breaching this Rule.

A further explanation of the Rule from the USGA says: "Handwritten notes may be added to an approved yardage book or approved hole-location sheet before or during the round by the player or the player’s caddie only and are limited to information gathered by the player or caddie only.

"Handwritten notes may contain information gained only through personal experiences of the player or the player’s caddie from the course or by watching a televised broadcast, but are limited to information gained: While observing a ball that was rolled or played (whether by the player, caddie or someone else), or through the player’s or caddie’s feel or general observations of the putting green."

Model Local Rule G-11 was introduced in January 2022 and saw Alex Cjeka penalized on the PGA Tour Champions circuit just a few months later.

The German pro, who was believed to be the first player to fall foul of the Rule on a major US circuit, was disqualified for using an "unapproved yardage book" in the third round of the Regions Tradition tournament.

Some may consider Brennan unfortunate, but Rory McIlroy, who was president of the Players Advisory Council in 2022, felt players had become "lazier" before restrictions were made on green-reading materials.

Back then, McIlroy said: "It's not that it's an advantage really; it's just taking away a skill that takes time and practice to be mastered.

"I think reading greens is a real skill that some people are better at than others, and it just nullifies that advantage that people have.

"Honestly, I think it's made everyone lazier. People don't put in the time to prepare the way they used to."