American Ben Crane was left totally bemused after first being slapped with 8 strokes worth of penalties during Thursday’s first round of the Web.com Tour final event in Idaho for packing two non-conforming clubs in his bag ahead of being disqualified from teeing-up in the event on day two.
Crane, 41 was thrown out of the Boise Open for carrying a driver and a 6-iron that had “shot-sticker” decals on the clubs that he uses to collect data during practice.
The American had not used either club in the round, but after talking to rules officials Friday morning, it was determined that the second violation should have been reported sooner, leading to the disqualification.
Ben Crane learns a tough lesson for teeing-up with ‘illegal’ decals on his driver and 6-iron at the Boise Open in Idaho.
The PGA Tour released a statement post Crane’s first round confirming he hadreceived two separate four-shot penalties Thursday for carrying, but not using, non-conforming the driver or 6-iron clubs due to ‘dot sticker’ decals that he uses to aid in data collection during practice.
Crane, who began his round on Hillcrest CC’s 10th hole, noticed a decal on his driver on No. 11 tee box. He immediately brought it to the attention of a Web.com Tour rules official, and was assessed the first four-shot penalty (if he had noticed before putting out on his first hole, the penalty would have only been two shots, but since he was between holes, he was penalized two shots for each hole of the infraction.)
But then on the 14th hole, Crane informed the rules staff of a similar decal on his 6-iron. Since it was a separate rules breach, he received another four-stroke penalty (the maximum amount punishable under the rule).
However to complicate the issue the Tour released a statement Friday indictating Crane had been disqualified from competition Friday morning, after he approached Jim Duncan, Web.com Tour Vice President of Rules, Competition and Administration, informing him that he had been aware of the 6-iron decal at the time of noting the driver decal on No. 11 tee.
Because Crane didn’t declare the 6-iron out of play at the time, to a playing partner or rules official, it marked a rules breach that carries a penalty of disqualification.
“In his defense, I think that when you get assessed an eight-shot penalty, your head is going to be spinning,” Duncan said.
“At this point, between the 12th and the 13th holes, (rules official) Andrew Miller confirmed with him that the driver, that was made aware to us, had to be taken out of play; then he played 13 and part of 14 (carrying) the 6-iron.
“Then he came back this morning and said he knew he had the 6-iron … he’s got to make a declaration that that club is out of play, either to a member of the committee, which he could’ve told Andrew Miller, or to one of his fellow competitors. When he didn’t make that declaration, at the point he knew he had to take that club out of play, that’s ultimately a disqualification penalty.”
Crane tweeted after his first round declaring: “Had a new “that’s golf” moment today. Was penalized 8 shots for having tiny stickers on two clubs (help launch monitors collect data)”.
