'Controversial Golf Rule'... Cheka Disqualified for Illegal Yardage Book

Another Mistake at the PGA Champions Tour Regions Tradition

It is a case of ‘Yardage Book Incident’.

The protagonist is veteran golfer Alex Cejka (Germany, photo). After finishing the 3rd round of the Regions Tradition, a major tournament on the PGA Champions (Senior) Tour held last May at Greystone Golf Club in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, he was disqualified by the rules committee. This was because he used a yardage book that was not approved by the committee.

This is a violation of the golf rules model local rule G-11, revised in 2022. Players can only use yardage books approved by the committee during the round. The location of the hole must also be included. Handwritten notes that could help read the putting line are also prohibited. Cejka is famous for his bad luck with yardage books. He was also disqualified at the 2019 PGA Tour Honda Classic for using a yardage book that was too large.

Cejka participated in the Regions Tradition as the defending champion and was tied for 14th place with a score of 7 under par 209 through the 3rd round, but he ended the tournament early due to the rule violation.

Cejka is a veteran who turned professional in 1989. He has a total of 17 wins on the professional stage, including 1 PGA Tour win and 4 DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) wins. Since 2021, he has been playing on the Champions Tour. In his debut year, he showed his strength by winning 2 major tournaments, the Regions Tradition and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.