Could you imagine: the lowest round in PGA Tour history wiped off the board because of a scorecard error? It didn’t happen on Sunday at the Travelers to Jim Furyk, but if his scorecard is any indication, it nearly did.
Playing alongside Argentinian Miguel Angel Carballo, Furyk fired a 12-under par 58 to set the PGA Tour record for lowest score. As is the case at nearly every level of competitive golf, each player has a marker who is responsible for keeping their playing partner’s score and protecting the field. In the video above, Carballo appears to have written down “3” on the par-4 14th hole, one of the few holes that Furyk actually parred.
Should Carballo have left the 3 on the card and Furyk signed for it, he would have been disqualified under Rule 6-6b, Signing and Returning Score Card.
6-6. Scoring in Stroke Play
a. Recording Scores
After each hole the marker should check the score with the competitor and record it. On completion of the round the marker must sign the score card and hand it to the competitor. If more than one marker records the scores, each must sign for the part for which he is responsible.
b. Signing and Returning Score Card
After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.
Penalty for Breach of Rule 6-6b:
Disqualification.
Thankfully, the mistake was amended before Carballo and Furyk signed the card and turned it in. Had Carballo marked Furyk for a number worse than he actually shot, say a bogey 5 on 14, Furyk would not have been disqualified, but he would have had to take the higher score, meaning the 58 would have been just a ho-hum 59.
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