11 Times Players Have Received Controversial Penalty Shots In Majors

When dealing with the intense pressure and often brutal conditions of a Major, the last thing a player needs is a penalty to make things even harder.

Inevitably, rule infractions do occur from time to time, though, and as some who have fallen foul of them have discovered, they can be utterly unforgiving, without any concessions given for either misfortune or their place on the leaderboard at the time.

Some players have only had themselves to blame for picking up a penalty in a Major, whereas for others, it was a case of lady luck simply not being on their side.

Here are some of the times where pros have found themselves on the wrong side of the rules in the game's biggest tournaments.

Ian Woosnam – 2001 Open

In the final round of The Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Ian Woosnam, who was tied for the lead after 54 holes, almost made the dream start in pursuit of his second Major title.

The 1991 Masters champion came close to an ace on the opening hole before making a tap-in birdie. Or so he thought.

By the time he reached the second tee, a sickening realization had dawned on his caddie, Miles Byrne – Woosnam had 15 clubs in his bag, not the maximum allowed of 14.

The result? A two-stroke penalty, making his opening birdie a damaging bogey.

"It's the only thing that I've asked you to do,” muttered Woosnam to his caddie on being told the news.

He parred the second hole, but his momentum was lost as he bogeyed the next two, eventually missing out on the title by four.

Jeff Maggert – 2003 Masters

There was a bizarre – and extraordinarily unfortunate – moment for Jeff Maggert in the final round of the 2003 Masters. At the par-4 third at Augusta National, he led eventual winner Mike Weir by one.

Finding his ball in a fairway bunker, Maggert’s attempt to dig it out resulted in it hitting the lip before coming back at speed and striking him on the chest.

Maggert was assessed a two-stroke penalty for touching a moving ball. He eventually finished five behind the winner.

Dustin Johnson - 2010 PGA Championship

One of the most consequential rulings hit Dustin Johnson in the final round of the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Johnson led Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer by one at the 18th, when his ball landed in a sandy area beyond the gallery ropes.

Johnson didn’t consider it a bunker, so he grounded his club. Unfortunately for the American, local rules stated that even sandy areas were regarded as bunkers, which led to a two-stroke penalty.

That meant Johnson lost the lead at the worst possible moment, with Kaymer going on to defeat Watson in a playoff.

Tiger Woods – 2013 Masters

On the 15th hole of his second round at Augusta National, Tiger Woods’ third shot hit the flagstick before ricocheting into the creek in front of the green.

Woods assessed his options before taking a stroke penalty and dropping his ball.

However, the trouble began when former pro and rules official David Eger, who was watching on TV, spotted that Woods had dropped his ball in the wrong place and alerted officials.

A review followed and Woods was cleared. That wasn't the end of it, though. In his post-round press conference, Woods slipped up, admitting to the media he had dropped his ball two yards back to avoid hitting the flagstick again, leading to a retrospective two-stroke penalty.

Tianlang Guan – 2013 Masters

Aged just 14 at the time, Tianlang Guan made headlines when he became the youngest player to make the cut at a Major at the 2013 Masters, but he wasn’t helped by a penalty for slow play in the second round.

Guan had received several warnings about his pace of play, but on the 17th, it was the final straw for the rules officials when he took over a minute to take his approach shot after he had been told he had 40 seconds.

The result? A one-stroke penalty.

Dustin Johnson – 2016 US Open

Six years on from the legacy-defining penalty at the PGA Championship, Dustin Johnson was guilty of another, not nearly as damaging, infraction in the final round of the US Open at Oakmont.

The incident happened on the fifth green, where his ball moved ever so slightly. Johnson, not believing he was responsible for the movement, alerted a rules official, who decided there was no case to answer.

However, seven holes later, DJ was informed that the incident was under review, with a ruling due at the end of his round.

That was hardly ideal, as he led at the time, and therefore couldn’t have known how much of a cushion he’d need to ensure his maiden Major title.

In the end, Johnson cruised home by four over Shane Lowry, so he knew he’d won regardless of the ruling.

When it came, he was deemed to have moved the ball, resulting in a one-stroke penalty, with his winning margin becoming three.

Shane Lowry – 2025 US Open

It’s not often that a player incurs a penalty that they can simply laugh off, but that’s what happened to Shane Lowry at the 2025 US Open at Oakmont.

Unlike nine years earlier, Lowry was out of sorts at the venue, and struggling at 14 over by the time he reached the 14th of his second round.

As he reached the green, he inexplicably picked up his ball without marking it first, leading to a one-stroke penalty.

Realising a mistake that summed up his week, Lowry shared a laugh about it with playing partners Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose before finishing on 17 over.

Shane Lowry – 2025 Open

It was no laughing matter a month later for Lowry at Royal Portrush when he was hit with a two-stroke penalty at the scene of his Open victory six years earlier.

At the 12th during the second round, Lowry was in the rough, where his ball appeared to roll back slightly after he took a practice swing.

Video footage emerged on social media of the incident, and Lowry was told by an R&A official that a ruling would be assessed after the round.

It was later confirmed that Lowry would be given a one-stroke penalty for causing his ball to move and a further one-stroke penalty for not replacing it to its original spot.

Lowry said: “It's obviously very disappointing. I felt like I played really, really well today. And yeah, that's hard to take.”

He made the cut but eventually finished tied for 40th.

Garrick Higgo – 2026 PGA Championship

Garrick Higgo made a rookie error on day on the PGA Championship at Aronimink, when he arrived late for his tee time, leaving him with a two-stroke penalty.

After battling back for a one-under first round, Higgo explained what made him late.

He told Sky Sports: “I always cut it fine and this morning was pretty cold, and I never want to get to the tee 10 minutes before and get cold.

"Usually, I hit five putts before I go to the tee. My caddie dropped my TrackMan in the locker and I went to the putting green thinking I still had five minutes. I obviously did not.

"I hit one putt and then I heard my name (being called). My caddie was yelling at me and I ran down (to the tee) and got a two shot penalty.”

He added: “It's kind of - I was there on time, but the rule is, if you're one second late, you're late. So if you think about it, I was there on time, if you know what I mean."

Joaquin Niemann - 2026 US Open

A new code of conduct policy was introduced for the 2026 Majors, and Joaquin Niemann has the dubious honor of being the first to receive a penalty as a result of it.

The LIV Golf star was given two penalty strokes for throwing a club on the sixth hole in the first round, with the USGA stating the act "was determined to be serious misconduct under Rule 1.2b."

Niemann went on to finish T7 at Shinnecock Hills. Had he not thrown his club, he’d have been in a tie for third.

Bryson DeChambeau - 2026 Open

After three consecutive missed cuts at Majors in 2026, Bryson DeChambeau was well and truly back at The Open.

The LIV Golfer produced a brilliant 66 in the second round to move solo second – or so he thought.

After his round, he was summoned back to the fifth to argue his case over an earlier incident. His ball had landed in the rough there hours earlier, with the suspicion he had inadvertently improved the area of his swing before taking his shot.

Despite his protestations, he couldn’t convince R&A officials of his innocence, and he was penalized two strokes.

After suggestions DeChambeau may not play in the third round because of the ruling, he later cleared things up on social media, stating he was “disappointed” but that “this fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it.”