[Golf Rules... Knowledge Is Power] If You Break a Club in Anger

Stark Breaks Putter at KPMG Women's PGA
Strikes Caddie Bag with Putter After Leaving the Green
No Replacement or Repair Allowed for Intentionally Damaged Clubs

Golf is a sport without referees. It is known as a "gentleman's game" in which golfers are expected to follow the rules themselves as they play. The rules of golf are designed as "assistants" to help players during their rounds. If you know them well and use them appropriately, they can be a great help in managing your score. These are golf rules that weekend golfers must know.

Maya Stark of Sweden, who won this year's US Women's Open, made headlines with an incident. On June 22 (local time), during the fourth round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship?the third major tournament of the LPGA Tour season?held at Fields Ranch East Course (par 72) in Frisco, Texas, Stark showed her temperament on the 15th hole (par 4). After missing a birdie putt and settling for par, she walked off the green and struck her caddie bag with her putter. She hit it so hard that the putter head broke.

Maya Stark deliberately damaged her putter during the 4th round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and putted with a wedge. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to the rules of golf, if a club is damaged unintentionally, it can be replaced without penalty. This applies when a club is damaged by an outside influence, natural forces, or by someone other than the player or caddie. However, if the player intentionally damages or alters the performance of a club, as Stark did, no relief is allowed. Continuing to use a modified club results in disqualification.

As a result, Stark had to play the remaining three holes without a putter. In such situations, players sometimes use a wood or hybrid club with a more upright loft as a substitute, but Stark chose to putt with a wedge. Even for a professional, putting with a wedge is not easy.

On the 16th hole (par 4), Stark landed her second shot four meters from the hole, but her birdie putt with the wedge did not even come close, and she barely managed to save par. On the 18th hole (par 4), she finished the round with a three-putt bogey. She lost six strokes in a single day and finished tied for 47th place with a score of 12-over-par 300. Stark debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2022 and has collected two wins, including one major championship.