Disqualifying Numbers

On Friday, Cole Hammer and Nelson Ledesma were disqualified from the Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS, on the Korn Ferry Tour in Springfield, Ill., for sharing club information. Hammer approached a rules official on Friday morning to report the incident that took place in the first round, which led to an inquiry by rules officials and eventually, disqualification. 

Pros routinely look into playing partner’s golf bags to see what club is hit on par-3s. It’s not uncommon for a player to hold up the bottom of a club as they walk away from a tee shot, making the number on the sole visible. If a player brings multiple clubs to a tee and lays unused clubs on the ground, playing partners may glance at the unused clubs and deduce what club was chosen. It is illegal however, to directly ask what club is being hit, or to share that information before hitting a shot, as that type of sharing is deemed seeking or offering advice. 

Caddies sharing information amongst each other is even more common than players. Caddies who travel or stay together will flash signs or let other caddies look into their bag to show what clubs are being hit.

Sharing club information made headlines at the Masters in 2023 when Brooks Koepka appeared to flash a five to playing partner Gary Woodland. Cameras also appeared to show Ricky Elliot mouthing the word “five” to Woodland and his caddie. 

On Thursday, on the 230-yard 17th hole at Panther Creek Country Club, Hammer hit a four-iron. According to Hammer, as he walked off the tee Ledesma’s caddie flashed four fingers at Hammer and Hammer gestured back with four of his own, confirming the iron choice. 

Hammer said that he had never flashed a number sign to a caddie before, but confirmed that players and caddies commonly discover club choice among others in their group by looking in bags, or other ways. Following the incident at the 2023 Masters, Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said the overt sharing of club information was “common practice on tour.” “Whether you like it or not, it happens in every professional tournament around the world,” McGinley said at the time. “This is not considered a serious breach among the players.”

Hammer said when he went home on Thursday night, the hand gesture he made to Ledesma’s caddie bothered him. On Friday morning, Hammer approached a rules official when he arrived on-site and explained the situation. Hammer spoke with Claudio Rivas,  a bilingual official, to make sure that Ledesma, who is from Argentina, understood the situation and nothing was lost in translation.  Rivas said he would get back to Hammer with a ruling but the group should tee off as scheduled. 

According to Hammer, KFT rules officials approached the group on the fifth hole on Friday and asked questions about the incident. The rules officials then consulted with the USGA rules committee and on the sixth hole, Ledesma and Hammer were disqualified. 

Reached for comment the Korn Ferry Tour replied with the following statement:

Cole Hammer and Nelson Ledesma were disqualified during the second round of the Memorial Health Championship under Rule 3.3 after self-reporting a breach of rules during the first round. The players violated Rule 10.2a on Advice on Hole 17 during Round 1.

At the time, Ledesma was two-over par and Hammer was one-under for the tournament. The cut will likely fall around four-under. Hammer repeatedly stated how bad he felt for Ledesma, who was not involved in the hand gestures.

There’s a fine line between information gathering and seeking or offering advice. Hammer knew he had crossed it and made the right call on Friday.

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