Pro takes second look at rule. Then comes 7 penalty strokes

Anthony Quayle re-read the paper. Another look wouldn’t hurt. He’d felt sure of what he’d seen, but understandably wanted reassurance. 

He then wanted to vomit. 

“As soon as I realized, I felt sick in the stomach,” Quayle said, “I thought I’d done something terribly wrong.”

What followed at the Victorian PGA Championship, a PGA Tour Australasia event, included a call to the tournament director and multiple penalties, along with a pledge. The news was first reported by Martin Blake of PGA Australia and additionally circulated by Ryan French of the Monday Q Info golf website. 

The sequence came during first-round play Thursday, after players had been given a document alerting them to the option to use preferred lies — or lift, clean and place — on a portion of the 13th fairway on the Open Course at Moonah Links. Quayle said he looked at the announcement, but mistakenly read it as preferred lies being in effect for the entire course — and played in that fashion all the way to the 15th green.

But there, playing partner Tyler McCumber wondered: Were they in play? Quayle told him yes and said he’d been “doing it all day,” then came the double-check.  

Nope. 

On 15 green, Quayle called for referee and tournament director Heath McLeod. The ruling would be difficult. How many times did Quayle lift, clean and place? When he did, where did he place the ball — in its original spot, or somewhere nearby?

After a discussion, Quayle penalized himself seven strokes. On three occasions, he had used preferred lies and played from a different spot than his original one, leading to three two-shot penalties (under Rule 9.4). On one occasion, he had used preferred lies and returned the ball to where it had been, leading to a one-shot penalty (also under Rule 9.4). According to Blake’s story, Quayle told McLeod that he thought he returned the ball to its original spot on a second occasion, but wasn’t sure and took the two-shot penalty. (McCumber, meanwhile, was hit with one two-shot infraction.) 

Could it all have been avoided? Why did he read the rules sheet in the manner he did? Quayle told Blake he had a few reasons, though he was clear that it was a “rookie mistake.”  

“The fairways were decent,” Quayle said. “You could see how maybe we needed preferred lies because there were a lot of collection areas with divots. Our last three tournaments on tour have been preferred lie. The document I was handed is a little half-page document that is highlighted ‘preferred lie’ and highlighted scorecard length.

“It’s a massive rookie error on my part. I had just assumed on this tour we play preferred lie a lot. I just didn’t think too much more of it. I’m kicking myself now. Turns out on that document it only said it was preferred lie on the third hole in the blue painted area. I guess that sort of sat more in the fine print of the document.”

Still, Quayle, a 30-year-old pro from Australia who tied for 15th at the 2022 Open Championship, had at least 21 holes to go, and potentially 57. After signing for a first-round 73, maybe he could still make a run. 

And he did. During the second round, he shot a 67. During the third, he was a stroke better. Entering the final round, he was three back of the lead. 

Of course, you know where he’d be without the penalties — and so does he. 

“After I had a bit of time to process what happened on Thursday night, I sort of grew the opinion that let’s treat this as a bit of a challenge and see what we can do. Making the cut with a seven-stroke penalty is going to be impressive,” he told Blake.

“After I made the cut, now it’s finish as high as I possibly can because it’s going to be pretty impressive wherever I finish this week. I sort of want the story to be as good as it can be going forward. It could be one that I remember for a long time.”

McLeod, the tournament director and rules official, said he was impressed. Quayle’s honesty, he said, was admirable. 

“We’re proud of how Anthony handled it,” he told Blake. “As soon as he realised his mistake, he called me over and went through it out at No. 15 green. He took responsibility for his actions straight away and we worked through the four separate occasions he had breached the rules and he accepted the penalty without any fuss.

“It just shows the character of Anthony really. To have something like that happen on Thursday, to put it behind him and come out and play some great golf the last two days is great to see.”

Editor’s note: To read the PGA Australia story written by Blake, please click here. To read the information shared by French, please click here.