The Korn Ferry Tour Championship is one of the most stressful, but exciting, tournaments for those playing, with a spot on the PGA Tour for 2023-24 the prize for the top 30 who finish inside the Korn Ferry Tour's Points List.
Throughout the final day on Sunday, we were met with huge moments of drama, such as Rafael Campos thinking he had missed out on a card after a short missed putt on the 18th, before the Puerto Rican somehow managed to slip back inside the required 30.
That was just one moment of drama, but it was nothing compared to Shad Tuten who, following the completion of the final round, thought he was inside the magic number, with the American sitting 30th. However, he was informed of a moment on the 15th hole which, once reviewed, changed his position from 30th to 32nd, two spots outside the top 30.
Shad Tuten was assessed a two-stroke penalty on hole No. 15 under preferred lies local rule E-3, turning a 2-over 74 into a 4-over 76. Tuten also fell from projected No. 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List to No. 32.Chief referee Jim Duncan provided context on the ruling. pic.twitter.com/a5qXcqJLFCOctober 8, 2023
What was the moment you may ask? Well, playing the par 5 15th, Tuten's tee shot found the rough and, unable to go for the green, he laid back to his favourite distance on the fairway.
Because of the weather in Indiana, lift, clean and place conditions had been in play and, after cleaning his golf ball, the 31-year-old placed the ball back on to the fairway. Currently, there's no issue here, but that was about to change when, after putting his ball back down, it would move ever so slightly forward. As a result, he then picked the ball back up and placed it again, only this time a few inches to the right.
According to the Korn Ferry Tour VP of rules, competitions and administration, Jim Duncan, the local rule required that a player whose ball moves after being placed must replace the ball on the same spot. Speaking after the round, Duncan stated: “Then if it won’t stay at rest, that’s when you find the nearest place that you do, just like any other rule that requires placing. When he did not try to place that ball right back on the same spot (Rule 14.2e), that’s when he was under penalty, two shots for playing from the wrong place.”
Tuten is yet to make an appearance on the PGA Tour
The 'incident' meant that Tuten's birdie was crossed out and made into a bogey, which consequently dropped the American from T19 to T28 on the leaderboard and from 30th to 32nd in the Points List standings. Had he remained in a tie for 19th, he would have secured his first PGA Tour card.
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