The pro has a “real brain disorder”, and he disqualified himself from the tournament
Posted by Nick Piastowski March 17, 2023
Scott Hand shown in October during the Estrella Damm NA Andalucia Masters.
Getty Images
He called it a “puppet move”.
And rookie mistake.
And “correct brain melting”.
Scott Hand was honest at that moment. And he was honest in describing it all.
To begin with, the longtime professional played the DGC Open on the Asia Tour, scored one over 73 in the first round, and was disqualified in the second. And usually DQ’s are listed for no reason; just D and Q on the leaderboard. But Hand confessed.
For those wondering why I was disqualified in India today….. Well, I hit the ball out of the bunker on the 18th, the ball was lost, then I came back, threw the ball within the length of the club from the original place. Walking down the fairway after the hit, I wondered if I had fallen into
— Scott Hand (@hendygolf) March 17, 2023
Three tweets later on Friday, he said he made a mistake at the Delhi Golf Club. Then, after a few more tweets, he returned a few hits.
Confession written by Hand:
“For those who are wondering why I was disqualified today in India….. Well, I hit the ball out of the bunker on the 18th, the ball was lost, then I came back, dropped the ball within the length of the club from the original place. Walking down the fairway after the hit, I wondered if I had fallen into
“wrong position….. well yes I did, I had to go back to the bunker. I called it to myself. YES, I was going to miss the cut anyway… But I would rather play by the rules even if I skipped or didn’t miss the cut. Even the old Tour Pros get it wrong sometimes. #golflife
“Falling within 1 stick length doesn’t mean I can fall on grass outside of the bunker…. I had to return to the bunker. Puppet move on my behalf. A rookie mistake for sure. Energy level at -5 at this stage. Forward and upward. #JustSayn #GolfLife #ItsOnMe”
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Toughie. To familiarize himself with the rules of the game, Hand had to play where he originally hit. as stated in rule 18.2b. What about DC? Rule 14.7b — titled “How to Finish a Hole After Playing from a Wrong Place in Stroke Play” — reads:
“What the player does next depends on whether it was a major infraction, meaning whether the player could have gained a significant advantage by playing from the wrong place: not a major infraction. The player must play the hole with a ball played from the wrong place without correcting the error. Serious violation. The player must correct the mistake by playing the hole with a ball played from the correct spot in accordance with the Rules.
“If the player does not correct the mistake before making a stroke to start the next hole or, in the case of the last hole of the round, before turning in his score card, the player is disqualified.”
And Hand was ready, although, as he wrote, he would have missed the cut anyway. Then he logged in.
Some tweets lasting seven hours, written by Hand and several commenters:
Joy Chakravarty: “Proud of you, Hendy! To call this upon yourself and also to play through all your physical ailments. You are a true professional.”
Hand: “I had a real nervous breakdown when I fell where I did it….. The only thing I could do was walk down the fairway thinking about it….. The DGC caught me again.”
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Chris Case: “Can’t believe people are praising this? I loved the Muppet Move… You were going to skip the cut and wanted to get the hell out of here!”
Hand: “Well Chris…. I finished the hole… YET… Unlike many, I like to leave the field with a clear conscience, I thought I broke the rule…. So that’s the way it is, whether you MISSED THE CUT or not. I called the referee and disqualified myself. I feel free
Chris Case: “You roll the question. Knowing who you are for 25 years and following you on Twitter, I think you are smarter than replaying that shot outside the bunker. You knew he was going to shut up and you weren’t going to hit him down the fairway with a stick in your hand, you were done.
Hand: “Chris. I did actually go and measure 1 stick length from where the ball was in the bunker, then drop and be within that stick length, which was just outside the bunker. It was done on my behalf out of stupidity. I was exhausted because I was sick there. I made a mistake.”
Chris Case: “I don’t know… I really can’t imagine a pro doing this, but I sincerely hope you’re feeling better physically and glad you’ve come to terms with it. I just can’t believe that someone will praise such an event, that’s all. Have a great season, I’ll be watching.
Marty Howey: “What angle do you have here? He disqualifies himself. What else should he have done? Your above suggestion of what might have happened was just a guess. Even if it was a pocketed ball, it would add one extra hit, so I don’t know if you think he would “crack” it.
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Chris Case: “There is no corner. Like I said, I’m just surprised people are praising this. Common sense for a veteran pro is that you can’t fly out of the bunker, forget about bad interpretation of the rule. He made a stupid gesture. Let’s call the (spike emoji) by their proper names. Praise yourself for the disqualification when he knew he was being cut? On the”
Hand: “Chris, I really don’t understand what you’re mad about here…. Did I disqualify myself, did not miss and let someone else pull me up? Do people really like to be informed? Do people really like it when someone is honest when they don’t have to be honest? I’m not sure
Chris Case: Promise I won’t get mad, Scott. In fact, I am amused by all the people who praise your heroic act of disqualifying yourself after you thought (or consciously) made such a stupid fall. take this drop”
Hand: “It’s good to know that you have NEVER made the mistake of feeling like shit… Also, if a person doesn’t have to correct a mistake after making it…. Well, that person has no hope.”
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Nick Piastowski Golf.com Editor
Nick Piastowski is Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Magazine. In his role, he is responsible for editing, writing and developing golf stories. And when he’s not writing about ways to hit a golf ball farther and more accurately, the Milwaukee native is probably playing the game of hitting the ball left, right, and short, and drinking cold beer to clear his score. You can contact him about any of these topics – his stories, his game or his beer – at nick.piastowski@golf.com.
