Golf rules official LIED in high school DQ drama, players and coaches charge

Yesterday we brought you news that 12 high school golfers were disqualified from the Oregon state tournament due to playing from the wrong yardage on one of the par-3 holes. Today, it's been revealed that a rules official lied about it all. 

According to reports, coaches and school administrators said a rules official told some of the players to hit from the markers that ultimately proved to be the wrong ones, but later denied having done so.

Competitors were supposed to play from the blue tees at Quail Valley GC, and on the 13th hole the blue markers were 40 yards further back than the 172 yards shown on the scorecard.

RELATED: 12 GOLFERS DQ'D FOR PLAYING FROM WRONG TEE BOX

Players from Rogue River, Columbia Christian and Grant Union high schools noticed the discrepancy, and a Rogue River assistant coach asked a rules official what they should do. He said he was told the players should hit from the red tees on that hole.

"My kid and the Grant Union kid heard this, too,” said Columbia Christian athletic director Bart Valentine.

Reports claim the rules official on the 13th hole was a volunteer. 

All the players who had hit from the red tee were eventually disqualified, but then a meeting was held afterward involving players, coaches and the volunteer official, where it was then revealed "multiple people involved said the volunteer official at that time denied that he told players to hit from the red ..."

One coach said: "I was in the meeting where the official was called over and asked, ‘Did you tell players to go off the red?’ And he said, ‘No, I would never do that.'"

“He flat out lied," said one player. "There are the three kids who are in the group that heard him say it, plus a coach was standing right there who confirmed it.”

Oregon School Activities Association executive director Pete Weber said there wasn’t much the OSAA could do.

“The issue they came down to, by the time we figured what had happened, the kids had already moved on to the next hole, and the rules are clear in how that should be handled,” Weber said.

While no one was happy about how the incident played out, Rogue River coach Isom said it proved to be a bonding experience for all the teams involved, and that they went out together for ice cream.