Westwood's Wrong Ball Blunder Costs Him Dearly at LIV Golf Riyadh
Experience golfer Lee Westwood encountered an unusual rules incident during LIV Golf Riyadh that cost him valuable strokes while in contention. Here's what happened:
After pulling his tee shot into a creek on the par-4 16th hole, Westwood and his caddie Mick Doran found a golf ball in the water. Doran retrieved it, and Westwood played his third shot onto the green from about 35 feet away.
However, upon marking his ball on the green, Westwood realized he had played a different make and model than his own - violating the Model Local Rule in place for the event. This resulted in:
- An additional penalty stroke
- A missed bogey putt from 35 feet
- A double bogey on the hole
- Dropping him to 9-under par, six shots behind leader Adrian Meronk
Golfer in mid-swing at course
The Rules Explained:
- Players can change their golf ball when taking relief or after finding a hazard
- Playing the same model/brand from the water would have been legal
- Using a different ball model violated the one-ball rule
Golfer swinging club in blue
Westwood went on to bogey the par-3 17th, finishing with a one-under-par 71 to sit eight shots off the lead heading into the final round in Riyadh.
Stadium laser light show display