Lydia Ko Hit With Seven-Stroke Penalty After Rules Mistake In LPGA Event
The World No.3 mistakenly thought that preferred lies were in play on Sunday which led to a big punishment


Lydia Ko endured a disastrous start to her final round at the Dana Open when the World No. 3 was hit with a seven-stroke penalty for incorrect use of preferred lies.
Ko and the rest of the field had been playing preferred lies for the entirety of Saturday’s round after a four-hour delay due to rain had led to a waterlogged course. However, for the final round, LPGA officials informed players that preferred lies would only be in place on the first and tenth holes after the course had recovered.
The Kiwi golfer, who was not playing with her regular caddie, David Jones, was clearly unaware of this change and went on to pick up her ball and play preferred lies on the 3rd, 7th and 9th hole.
It was only on the 11th hole - when Ko called for a ruling after marking her ball - that officials became aware of her incorrect use of preferred lies during the front nine. She was subsequently given a two-stroke penalty for each of her three infringements under Rule 14.7a which states:
“A player must make each stroke from where their ball comes to rest.”
As Ko had not put the ball back down after marking it on the 11th, she was only given a one-shot penalty under Rule 9.4b which says: “If the player lifts or deliberately touches their ball at rest or causes it to move, the player gets one penalty stroke.”
The six penalty strokes made for an interesting front-nine scorecard
The unfortunate penalty meant Ko carded an eight-over par 42 on the front nine, with the two-time Major champion ending up in T65 and +1 for the tournament. It continues her poor season with the former World No. 1 failing to record a top-30 finish in an LPGA event since the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Earlier in the year, a similar mistake was made by the defending Augusta National Women's Amateur champion, Anna Davis, who was handed a four-stroke penalty on the first hole having mistakenly marked and cleaned her ball in the rough after thinking it was preferred lies everywhere.
It also marks the second time in as many weeks that an LPGA player has been hit with a penalty for a rules violation. Last week, at the US Women's Open, Natthakritta Vongtaveelap was disqualified after five holes when officials discovered her caddie had been using a rangefinder with the device not permitted for use at the event.
Ben joined Golf Monthly having completed his NCTJ in multimedia sports journalism at News Associates, London. He is now a freelance journalist who also works for The Independent, Metro, UEFA and Stats Perform.
-
‘I Think It’s Dead, I Think The Other Side Is Gone’ - Lee Trevino Gives Take On PGA Tour-LIV Golf Divide And Calls For Players And Caddies To Speed Up
Lee Trevino was full of praise for the PGA Tour and its immediate future, as he believes that a deal with the Saudi PIF may not come at all
By Paul Higham Published
-
The One Mental Mistake Pro Golfers Never Make - Are You Guilty Of It?
Top 50 Coach Katie Dawkins shares her tips on how to mentally reset your golf game
By Katie Dawkins Published
-
Charley Hull And Georgia Hall Knocked Out Of Sunningdale Foursomes
The LPGA Tour stars fell short against Tom Shadbolt and Ben Evans in the last 16 of the prestigious contest
By Mike Hall Published
-
Charley Hull And Georgia Hall Progress As Gareth Bale Knocked Out Of Sunningdale Foursomes
The Solheim Cup stars made it through on Tuesday as five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale lost on the final hole
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Charley Hull and Gareth Bale Among Star Names At Sunningdale Foursomes
Some big names are set to appear in the historic foursomes event for 2025, which has seen the likes of Luke Donald and Sam Torrance win previously
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Japanese Star Ties Course Record To Secure Blue Bay LPGA Title
Rio Takeda carded a closing eight-under 64 at the difficult Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on Hainan Island, China to clinch her second LPGA Tour title
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Australian WPGA Championship Cancelled Ahead Of Gold Coast Cyclone
The Australian WPGA Championship has been cancelled due to the threat posed by Cyclone Alfred
By Mike Hall Published
-
Blue Bay LPGA Prize Money Payout 2025
The LPGA Tour heads to China, where Bailey Tardy defends her title as players compete for the largest purse of the season so far
By Mike Hall Published
-
Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Format, Which Teams Are Playing And How To Watch
The 13th Darius Rucker Intercollegiate takes place in South Carolina - here are some of the key details about the prestigious college golf tournament
By Mike Hall Published
-
Who Are The Best Golfers Under The Age Of 25?
It's no secret that the talent pool of golf is getting younger and younger. So, in this piece, we take you through the best players under the age of 25
By Matt Cradock Published