12 Golfers DQ'd From Oregon State Competition

Four groups managed to play from the wrong tee during a schools competition in Oregon, USA

Four groups managed to play from the wrong tee during a schools competition in Oregon, USA

12 Golfers DQ'd From Oregon State Competition

12 schoolboys were disqualified from the Oregon State Championships this week in a bizarre rules infraction.

The golfers, made up of four threeballs, teed off the back nine first at Quail Valley Golf Course in Bank, Oregon and all four groups managed to play from the wrong tee on their fourth hole of the day.

Related: New rules of golf 2019 - All you need to know

The par-3 13th measures 172 yards on the scorecard but the blue tees, which were the competition tees, measured the par-3 much longer whilst the red tees showed the hole to be the 172 yards it said on the scorecard.

All 12 players teed off from the red tees and that's where they went wrong.

Related: 5 golf rules you NEED to know

You can forgive them for making the mistake, but as we know as golfers - the rules aren't very forgiving.

Tournament officials were made aware of this and managed to let all of the groups behind know that they needed to stay on the blue tees, whilst the 12 golfers who had teed off the reds were disqualified as they were deemed to have played a different course.

The tournament sees different teams all competing over multiple days and the teams that the boys were representing have all been disqualified from the competition too.

Related: Golf's teeing ground rules

Oregon School Activities Association executive director Peter Weber told Oregon Live that there is no recourse. The 12 players will play Tuesday [the next round], but without a first-round score, they are out of the individual competition, as are their teams.

Weber said that while it's unfortunate, all of the players are made aware before their round that they are to play the blue tees.

"It is the first bullet point on the rules sheet," he said said.

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV