Seniors Disqualified From Tournament For Playing The Wrong Ball

Paul Lawrie and Carl Mason were both disqualified for playing each other's balls

Seniors Disqualified From Tournament For Playing The Wrong Ball

Paul Lawrie and Carl Mason were both disqualified for playing each other's balls during the first round

Seniors Disqualified From Tournament For Playing The Wrong Ball

Paul Lawrie and Carl Mason have been disqualified from the Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship for playing each other's golf ball by mistake.

They were disqualified from the tournament at Trevose in Cornwall under Rule 6.3, which says that hitting the wrong ball must be penalised with disqualification if the round is finished or a new hole is begun without the error corrected.

Both players completed the opening six holes before being disqualified, meaning that they didn't realise that they had played the wrong balls until after the hole had been completed.

1999 Open champion Lawrie was one under for the day, whilst Mason was two over.

Lawrie later revealed on Twitter that they hit the wrong balls on the 5th hole but didn't notice until the 7th tee.

"First time I've ever done that," he said.

"We both had similar marking on ball."

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Rule 6.3 says -

A player must not make a stroke at a wrong ball.

In stroke play, the player must correct the mistake by continuing play with the original ball by playing it as it lies or taking relief under the Rules -

  • The stroke made with the wrong ball and any more strokes before the mistake is corrected (including strokes made and any penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count.
  • If the player does not correct the mistake before making a stroke to begin another hole or, for the final hole of the round, before returning his or her scorecard, the player is disqualified.

Paul Lawrie, 50, now plays mainly on the over-50s circuit, most recently appearing in the Senior Open Hauts de France where he was T13th.

The Scot has won eight times on the European Tour including his Open Championship win at Carnoustie in 1999.

Carl Mason, 65, is the most successful European Senior Tour player of all time, winning 25 times.

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV