LPGA Tour Release Statement After Player In ShopRite LPGA Classic Contention Gets Disqualified
Sometimes the Rules of Golf can be harsh and, at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, it proved to be the case for Japan’s Nasa Hataoka who, on the very last hole of her first round, was disqualified in an incident we don’t usually see on the professional circuit.
Hataoka, who started her first round on the back nine, was on course for an excellent score but, at her final hole, the ninth, the 25-year-old found the fescue and, after eventually finding her errant shot, she was, in fact, later disqualified, because it was revealed that her ball was found outside the allotted three-minute time limit.
In a release by the LPGA Tour’s media team, it was stated that: “During the first round of the LPGA Shoprite Classic, Nasa Hataoka played her second shot on No. 9 into the long fescue surrounding the green, her last hole of the day. After reviewing video footage provided to the LPGA following the round, it was determined that the search for Nasa’s ball lasted longer than the three minutes allowed under Rule 18.2a. After three minutes of search, the ball is considered lost, and the player must proceed under stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b).
If the score were to stand, the six-time LPGA Tour player would have signed for a six-under-par round of 65, which would have been four shots back of leader, Arpichaya Yubol, who flirted with a 59 on day one, eventually signing for a 10-under round of 61.