ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Olympic silver medalist Rory Sabbatini just didn’t feel right about something after he left the Sea Island Golf Club following his 4-under 68 on the Plantation Course in Thursday’s first round of the RSM Classic.
So he called PGA Tour official John Mutch.
The call ended with Sabbatini being disqualified.
Under Rule 4.1 of the Rules of Golf, Sabbatini was DQ’d for having a non-conforming external attachment on one of his fairway woods. Mutch, senior tournament director equipment standards, said Sabbatini had non-conforming stickers on the face of the club.
Some players use reflective dots (stickers) and a launch monitor to track clubhead speed and distance. Sabbatini likely just forgot he had them on the fairway wood.
Sabbatini, who fell one shot short of winning the gold medal in the Summer Games in Tokyo, is ranked 105th in the world. In his three previous starts of the new season, he missed two cuts and tied for third in the Shriners Children’s Open.