MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Cameron Smith was assessed a two-stroke penalty for “improper placement of the ball” while taking relief on the fourth hole of Saturday’s third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the PGA Tour announced Sunday.
With the penalty, Smith began the final round at 9 under, four shots behind then-leader J.J. Spaun.
“Prior to the start of the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Cameron Smith was assessed a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 14.7 (playing the ball from the wrong place) on Hole No. 4 during the third round where he was operating under Rule 17.1 (when ball was in penalty area),” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “Smith’s score has been adjusted and he will begin the final round at 201 (-9).”
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Golf Channel showed the shot on the final round tournament broadcast, where Smith played his ball on the red penalty line after a drop. Gary Young, a PGA Tour rules official who is the chief referee of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, said an on-site rules official noticed the drop while watching the re-broadcast Saturday night.
Statement on Cameron Smith ruling at FedEx St. Jude Championship pic.twitter.com/15P5i2FxM3
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) August 14, 2022
Upon closer inspection, it was determined the ball was “really close to the line, if not touching the line, so it was worth asking the player,” Young explained from the tournament media center on Sunday, incidentally right as Smith teed off his final round about 100 yards away.
Smith was told of the PGA Tour’s decision around 11:20 a.m. ET, about 70 minutes before his scheduled tee time.
He was “completely calm throughout,” Young said. “Once (Cameron Smith) found out it was a two stroke penalty, he said, ‘the rules are the rules.'”
Smith teed off in the final round at 1:30 p.m. ET with Tyler Duncan.
