2023 PGA: Cameron Young penalized for not moving ball marker back to original position

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Cameron Young was moving in the right direction early Friday at the PGA Championship. He was 2 under for the day and 2 over for the tournament, which was two shots inside the projected cut, when a routine mark led to a major mistake.

Young, who began his second round on No. 10, hit his lag putt at the par-4 16th hole to 2 feet before marking his ball. Tommy Fleetwood, who was grouped with Young, asked Young to remark his ball out of his line. The problem occurred when Young failed to move his mark back to its original position before putting out for what he thought was a par.

Full-field scores from the PGA Championship

About two hours later, Young was informed by officials he was being assessed a two-shot penalty for playing his golf ball from the wrong place, a violation of Rule 15.3. The penalty turned his score at No. 16 to double bogey and he added another double bogey at No. 6 on his way to a 75 and a 9-over total. The cut is currently 5 over.

Young declined an interview request.

"I feel partly responsible because I was the one who asked him to move his marker and you’re in your own world sometimes, you’d always say ‘move it back,’" said Fleetwood, who doesn't recall ever being in a group with a similar violation. "It's just one of those crappy things."