Tour Pro Runs Out Of Golf Balls During Champions Tour Event

Everyone who plays golf has a nightmare story. Whether it is the time you made a seriously high number on one hole, or perhaps the occasion where you forgot to bring a club out for your round, everyone has that one moment that stands out for the wrong reason.

It happens to all of us and, in this case, even to some of the world's best, with PGA Champions Tour player, Rick Garboski, having a day to forget at the Haog Classic when, after just four holes, he discovered that he was running a bit short on golf balls!

In a tweet by 13-time PGA Tour winner, Mark Calcavecchia, the former Champion Golfer of the Year revealed Garboski's unfortunate incident, tweeting: "Saw something today that was an all time 1st in 41 years of pro golf. Rick Groboski ran out of balls. Only had 3. Thought he had 6. Anyways after 2 balls in the drink on 4 had to borrow a ball. 2 shot penalty. Then had to drop back a group to wait for locker room guy to bring some out."

Yes, you read that correctly, Garboski ran out of golf balls and had to wait for someone to bring him some more! 

If a golfer does run out of golf balls, then he/she is allowed to ask their playing partner to borrow a ball or two under Rule 4.2a(1). However, the other player is under no obligation to lend them one. 

You may remember a similar incident at the 2019 Turkish Airlines Open, where Eddie Pepperell was disqualified during the third round after he also ran out of golf balls.

Paired with Martin Kaymer and George Coetzee, the Englishman had started his round on the back nine when he reached the par-5 fourth hole. After coming off of back-to-back bogeys, he then proceeded to hit his ball into the water before hitting another four or five more in the drink. He was officially disqualified for "failure to complete a hole."

"Eddie hit his shots to the green then came over to tell us he had run out of balls," Kaymer told reporters in Turkey. "Then he walked off. I thought he lost four or five. We are about 80% sure it was five, 20% four. He was quick, so it was hard to keep track. 

"He did not ask if he could borrow one from me or George. It did not look like he wanted to play. He did not putt with his putter on the third hole; he putted with a wedge. So there was a lot happening.

"I have never seen anything like that before. I only watched it on television, in 'Tin Cup.' This is the first time I have seen it live."