PGA Championship apologizes after somehow giving players a wrong hole location

We’ve seen many high-profile screw-ups by the different governing bodies, leagues and institutions that lead golf this year. But this is a new one. Apparently the PGA either forgot to put the hole in the right spot, or just put it in a totally different spot than it had originally told players. The PGA would eventually catch the mistake, but only after the first group of the day played the 10th hole (their opening hole) operating with a pin sheet that had the old information on it. Old information that told them the hole was on the opposite side of the green. Really.

The bad info also may lead to one player, Colt Knost, missing the cut by a shot.

Knost was in that first group and had every right to be ticked off Friday morning when he took tournament organizers to task on Twitter after he set out for his second round of the PGA Championship with the wrong pin sheet.

At the time, we didn’t have the full background of the screw-up and know why Knost was upset. But this is an inexcusable screw-up. The PGA of America recognized its mistake and later apologized for the error.

The following official statement was issued:

”The second round hole location sheet provided to Group 14 – the first group of the day to play from Tee #10 – listed the hole location as being on the left side of the green (20 paces from the front of the green and four paces from the left edge of the green).

”In error, the hole was actually cut and positioned on the right side of the green (19 paces from the front of the green and five paces from the right edge of the green). The PGA of America Rules Committee did not notice the hole had been cut in the incorrect location until after each member of Group 14 had hit his second shot to the green.

“The hole location played by Group 14 was provided a revised hole location sheet to all subsequent groups, meaning all groups today are playing this same hole location. PGA Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh met with the players in Group 14 (Colt Knost, Joe Summerhays and Yuta Ikeda) after they signed their cards to offer an explanation, express his disappointment and apologize to them.”

Knost made a bogey-5 on the hole and finished his round on the projected cut line at 2-over. He was not pleased.

Knost’s earlier tweet, of course, referred to the way the USGA screwed up a penalty call on Dustin Johnson in the final round of the U.S. Open.

Making matters worse: the bogey from that hole could be the difference between Knost missing the cut. He’s at 2-over and the cut line is jumping all around that number. It just jumped to 1-over, meaning Knost would go home if things hold.