‘Math is hard I guess’: Jordan Spieth’s disqualification reignites ‘dumbest rule in all of sports’ debate

With just one errant stroke, Jordan Spieth was out of the tournament. Not with the stroke of his club though, but of his pen.

With just one errant stroke, Jordan Spieth was out of the tournament. Not with the stroke of his club though, but of his pen. After making a promising start at The Genesis Invitational, the American saw his pursuit of a 14th PGA Tour title ended prematurely when he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard following the second round in California last week. The transgression could be traced back to the par-three fourth hole at Riviera Country Club, when Spieth tapped home for his first bogey of the day. Three more would follow, as well as a painful closing double-bogey, as the three-time major winner followed up an excellent opening five-under 66 with a frustrating two-over 73 to slip down the leaderboard. Only, that number wasn’t on the scorecard he handed in – it was signed with a par at the fourth and a 72 overall. The moment Spieth stepped out of the scoring area, his fate was sealed. Under Rule 3.3b (3) of the USGA Rules of Golf, the world No. 13 was disqualified for returning a score lower than his actual score. Spieth accepted his banishment – his first in 263 starts on the PGA Tour – without complaint, taking “full responsibility” for his error after believing he had gone through “all procedures” to make sure his scorecard was correct. “Rules are rules,” he added in his post on X, formerly known as Twitter.