Veteran American golfer Brian Harman was left shaking his head after committing a rare and costly error during the opening round of the American Express pro-am in California on Thursday.
Harman was penalised two strokes after inadvertently playing the wrong ball on the 10th hole of the Stadium Course, turning a promising birdie chance into a double-bogey.
It was a far cry from 2015 when Harman did the unthinkable at the FedEx St Jude Championship by managing two holes-in-one on the same day.
On Thursday, Harman’s second shot on the par-four appeared solid, finishing around 10 feet from the hole. However, closer inspection revealed he had struck a ball that did not belong to him.
Golf Channel analysts were quick to react, with Curt Byrum exclaiming, “My goodness,” while Billy Ray Brown noted it was “a huge mistake”, adding that it was something he had not seen in a long time.
Under Rule 6.3c (1), playing a wrong ball in stroke play results in a general penalty of two strokes, with the player required to correct the mistake by resuming play with the original ball. Any strokes made with the wrong ball do not count.
After returning to his own ball, Harman’s fourth shot clipped rocks left of the green before finding the putting surface, and he eventually two-putted for a double-bogey.
Broadcast officials confirmed the ball belonged to one of the amateurs in the group, rather than Harman’s professional playing partner, Max Homa. Analysts suggested the confusion may have stemmed from similar markings or the ball lying logo-down, despite Harman’s Titleist being clearly marked with a black Sharpie.
Wrong-ball incidents at elite level are rare, but Harman’s lapse served as a reminder that even the game’s most experienced players are not immune to basic mistakes.
Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
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