Following Spieth DQ, debate rages over incorrect-scorecard rule

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – The Genesis Invitational is without one of its marquee players this weekend after Jordan Spieth was disqualified Friday for signing an incorrect scorecard, and the incident renewed debate about whether the punishment for the mistake is archaic and, potentially, too severe.

Spieth was inside the top 10 at Riviera before he double-bogeyed his last hole in the second round. Feeling under the weather all day, he bolted up the stairs and into the clubhouse. When verifying his scores, Spieth confirmed that he had signed for a par-3 on the fourth hole but had actually made bogey. By the time the scoring discrepancy was identified, however, Spieth had left the scoring area, automatically triggering the disqualification.

On social media, Spieth said he understood and accepted the punishment: “Rules are rules, and I take full responsibility.”

But a familiar debate raged – and was intensified because of Spieth’s immense popularity – as to whether the rule was still necessary in these modern times.

“It’s part of the tradition of the game,” Xander Schauffele said. “Jordan, he knows what happened. He was really sick and he had a rough last hole and I can see how it all went down. Maybe there needs to be some sort of softening on the rules, but for the most part we all kind of know what goes on in there. It’s really unfortunate it happened.”

Added Rory McIlroy: “It’s unfortunate for him and unfortunate for the tournament that he’s not around.”

Scottie Scheffler said he goes through a detailed process each time he heads into the scoring area: He checks his scores, then the official plugs the hole-by-hole scores into the computer.

“If everything matches, they say you’re good, and then you leave,” Scheffler said. “If something doesn’t match, they will usually say something as they input it in the computer.” More double-checking ensues, with Scheffler calling in his caddie, Ted Scott, as well.

“I think the rule was originally in there to protect the integrity of the game,” Scheffler said. “I guess you have to have some sort of punishment to avoid [anything nefarious] happening.”

The Rules of Golf have undergone a modernization over the past few years, lessening the punishment, for instance, for a player who didn’t knowingly commit a rules infraction that was later discovered by TV. With the advent of technology, including ShotLink data, McIlroy wondered whether a player keeping his own score and his fellow playing competitors’ is even necessary.

“I can see both sides of it,” he said. “If we’re really trying to keep this game unbifurcated, with the pros playing by the same rules as the amateurs, then we all need to keep our playing partners’ scorecards and we’re responsible for that. But I also see the other side of the coin where there’s thousands of people watching us, every shot is tracked on Shot Tracker and on the PGA Tour app, so is it really needed at this point?

“I can see both sides of the argument. I probably am more of a traditionalist than anything else, so I fall into the camp of it’s worked for so long, I don’t think you really need to change it.”