Even golf law is no excuse for ignorance. Just ask Cole Hammer and Nelson Ledesma, who bowed out of a Korn Ferry Tour event because of a trivial gesture by Ledesma's caddie and an equally careless response from Hammer. No golfer on the course noticed. Cole couldn't sleep that night, told the officials the next morning, and then the two of them packed up. Without protest.
The young American was disqualified from the Memorial Health Championship, played in Springfield, Illinois, for inadvertently breaking one of the strictest rules: Hammer had given advice during a match. The incident quickly went viral online due to its unusual nature.
Golf, rules
Hammer, 25, was leaving the teeing area of ​​the 17th hole (a par-3 played with a 4-iron) when Nico Torres, Argentine Nelson Ledesma's caddie, asked him what club he had used. He didn't do it verbally, but rather by showing the four fingers of one hand. As if to say, "Did you use a 4-iron?" Cole, without thinking twice, confirmed, also using the four fingers.
The golfer's gesture, both instinctive and innocent, constituted a violation of the rules.
The night's torment and the decision to report himself
"It was an instinctive gesture," Cole Hammer told the American sports press, "and at the time, I didn't give it much thought. But then, during the night, I started thinking about it and couldn't shake the feeling that I had broken the rules. So, the next morning, I decided to do the right thing and talk to the officials."
Cole the golfer voluntarily appeared before the umpires before the start of the second round. At that point, Rule 10.2a came into effect, which explicitly prohibits players from giving or receiving advice during play, including simply pointing to the club being used.
Rule 10.2a states that a golfer "may not give advice to anyone in the competition who is playing on the course, seek advice from anyone other than his own caddie, or touch another player's equipment to learn information that would constitute advice if given by or sought from the other player (such as touching the other player's clubs or bag to see which club is being used)."
Theoretically, the penalty for the violation would have been two strokes, but the players and marshals failed to notice it on the course. Therefore, since both Hammer and Ledesma had already signed the scorecard for the first round, the penalty was no longer applicable retroactively. The inevitable consequence was both being disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.
At the time of the disqualification, Hammer was one point behind while Ledesma was two points behind. Both bowed out. "I know the rules well," Hammer concluded, "and I always try to respect them. But I couldn't live with the idea that I had made a mistake. That's why I decided to confess."
Ledesma also accepted the disqualification with good sportsmanship: "The decision is correct according to the rules. I can't do anything about it except accept it."
The Cole Hammer case brings to light an often-overlooked aspect of professional golf: the importance of personal integrity and absolute respect for the rules, even in the smallest gestures. An example of sportsmanship, but also a warning to all players, professionals and amateurs alike.
Neither protested, neither ever considered appealing. Do you see how golf works?
In theory, the penalty for the violation would have been two strokes, but the players and marshals failed to notice it on the course. Therefore, since both Hammer and Ledesma had already signed the first-round scorecard, the penalty was no longer applicable retroactively. The inevitable consequence was disqualification for both for signing an incorrect scorecard.
