Wrong Ball Penalty Helps Woods Qualify For US Women's Open

Cheyenne Woods was issued with a two-stroke penalty for hitting the wrong ball, but still managed to qualify for the US Women's Open.

Wrong Ball Penalty Helps Woods Qualify For US Women's Open

Cheyenne Woods credits the wrong ball penalty for helping her win the US Women's Open qualifier at Spring Lake, making her concentrate better after incurring a two-stroke penalty.

Tiger Woods' niece, Cheyenne, accidentally hit her playing partner's ball on the par-four seventh hole, after both players hit blind second shots.

Woods thought her shot ended up in the rough on the edge of a bunker, while her playing partner confirmed that her own ball landed on the green.

However, after Woods hit her third shot she realised that the she played the wrong ball, consequently earning a two-stroke penalty due to the wrong ball rule.

Wrong ball penalties fall under rule 6.3.c, whereby "a player must not make a stroke at a wrong ball."

Players are given a two-stroke penalty as a general penalty for playing the wrong ball, though the stroke played with the wrong ball doesn't count.

Related: What Is The General Penalty? – Golf Rules Explained

The player has to play their original ball from the correct spot thereafter, while also returning the wrong ball to its original spot.

However, if the player fails to return the wrong ball before making a stroke to begin another hole, they are disqualified.

Thankfully, Woods immediately realised and returned her partner's ball to its original spot, incurring a two-stroke penalty for her mistake.

She ended up with a double-bogey on the hole, though she still managed to win the qualifier by five strokes and progresses to the US Women's Open on June 3-6.

The Olympic Club's Lake Course in San Francisco will host the US Women's Open, which Woods last qualified for in 2018.

“Honestly, I feel like the penalty really dialled in my focus and got me a little angry,” Woods told Golfweek.

“With my conditional status on the LPGA I don’t really have many opportunities to play.

"I’m very grateful for the ones I get.”