[Golf Rules... Knowledge Is Power] When You Exceed the Time to Find the Ball

Hataoka Disqualified in ShopRite Classic 2R After Penalty
3-Minute Search Over Limit at 9th Hole Previous Day Results in One-Stroke Penalty
Scorecard Error Leads to Disqualification the Following Day

Golf has no referees. It is a "gentleman's sport" where golfers play by following the rules themselves. The golf rules are "assistants" created to help with play. If well understood and properly applied, they can greatly aid in score management. These are golf rules that weekend golfers must know.

Nasa Hataoka is teeing off on the 18th hole of the ShopRite Classic Round 1. [Callaway (USA) = AP·Yonhap News]

Japanese women's golf star Hataoka Nasa experienced a bizarre incident. On the 9th (local time) at the ShopRite Classic of the LPGA Tour (total prize money $1.75 million) held at Seaview Bay Course (par 71, 6,190 yards) in Galloway, New Jersey, USA. Hataoka is a world-class golfer who debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2017 and has won six career titles.

She was notified of disqualification before the second round of the tournament. The reason was related to her play on the 9th hole (par 5) during the first round the previous day. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4) and finishing at the last hole, the 9th, she hit her second shot into the rough beside the green. With the help of spectators, she found the ball, declared it unplayable, took a one-stroke penalty, and continued the round. She finished the second round with a 6-under-par 65, ranking near the top.

However, after reviewing the game footage, the LPGA Tour raised an issue with the time taken to find the ball and notified her of disqualification the next day. Hataoka exceeded the regulation time of 3 minutes to search for the ball. According to golf rule 18.2a, exceeding the allowed time results in a one-stroke penalty. The LPGA Tour stated that the ball that exceeded the time limit should have been treated as lost, and Hataoka should have returned to the spot where she hit her second shot, but she did not, violating golf rule 14.7. Ultimately, she was disqualified for submitting a scorecard without including the penalty, resulting in a scorecard error.