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.

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.

A subsequent congratulatory post for Hideki Matsuyama urging the champion to “double check that scorecard” showed an individual who had made peace with his ejection.

Others weren’t so sanguine and sections of social media fizzed in a cocktail of bewilderment and fury as news of Spieth’s disqualification spread.

Spieth’s fellow pro Michael S. Kim labeledthe rule “stupid,” even with “many safeguards,” while PGA Tour caddie Kip Henley lamented “another benchmark in the dumbest rule in all of sports.”

“Seriously, why even have scorecards on the PGA Tour?” Henley asked in another post. “Why don’t professional bowlers keep their own scores?”

Many of the criticisms echoed the American’s sentiments. At tournaments with automated leaderboards, a myriad of TV cameras and a near-endless output of shot-by-shot data, why – some questioned – the need for such a seemingly rudimentary scoring method?

Why are we still doing this guys?” askedtwo-time DP World Tour winner Eddie Pepperell.

“Nobody benefits from this. R&A [and] USGA, can we please look at changing this rule to a softer penalty please?”

However, not all are so keen to see the rule ripped up. World No. 174 Dylan Wu likened signing an incorrect scorecard to “forgetting to write your name down on a test.”

“Amazes me how often this happens in pro golf. Math is hard I guess,” posted Wu. “Takes 5 seconds for the Tour officials to read your scores back and for you to check them.”

PGA Tour: No plans to address rule

Under the USGA Rules of Golf, applied to every level of golf competition, players are responsible for keeping track of their score during a round.

The player does not have to be the scorecard marker, it could be a fellow competitor and (or) a walking scorer, but they assume the responsibility of checking the scores and raising any issues to tournament officials.

Curiously, had Spieth handed in a score higher than he actually shot – i.e. a double bogey at the fourth hole and a 74 overall – it would have stood and he would not have been disqualified. USGA rules do not disqualify players for returning a score higher than their actual score, only those returned that are lower.