LPGA rules drama: pro penalised for training aid, another messes up (!) Charley Hull card

LPGA Tour pro Minjee Lee received a two-shot penalty on the 1st hole after it came to light she had a golf training aid (extra club) in her bag. The incident fell during the same round that Alexa Pano forgot to exchange her scorecard with either of her two playing partners Charley Hull or Nelly Korda. 

Let's start with Lee's costly mistake.

The incident happened on Lee's 1st hole during the third round of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, the final regular season event of the LPGA Tour season.

"Minjee was penalised two shots on the first hole as she had an extra club in her bag, a training aid," Golf Channel announcer Tom Abbott said during the live broadcast of the third round in Florida. 

The Australian’s par on 1 became a double-bogey six as a result of having an extra club in the bag.

Lee looked to have recovered her round on the back nine with a handful of birdies but she handed back the good work with another double on 17 and a bogey at 18.

She ended up signing for a 69 to move to 6-under par thru 54 holes, but that sees her lie six shots off the pace heading into the final round. 

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It also came to light in the third round that Alexa Pano had failed to swap her scorecard with either of her two playing partners Nelly Korda and Charley Hull in the final group. 

Pano realised her mistake as she made the turn and she immediately notified an LPGA Tour rules official. 

She then told her father and caddie Rick, who it's fair to say did not look impressed with his daughter's mistake as he shook his head. 

Thankfully there were no penalties for any of the three players in the final group as the scores had not been signed before submission. 

But it did mean Pano, Korda and Hull had to spend extra time sorting out their scorecards in the scoring tent after the round. 

"So Alexa is keeping Charley’s score on her scorecard, and it looks like a mix up of the cards," confirmed on-course commentator and former LPGA Tour pro Karen Stupples. 

"It's now a question of getting the right numbers on the card.

"At the end of the round, they'll have to sit in the scoring tent and figure it all out."

Golf Channel announcer and former LPGA Tour pro Morgan Pressel said: "What happens on the 1st tee is that you usually pick your own scorecard up off the table and then exchange it with your opponents.

"Being three-ways, it looks like Charley is keeping Nelly's score, Nelly's keeping Charley’s score and neither of them thought that nobody has Alexa's scorecard. It's just a bit of nerves maybe on the first tee in the final group, an honest mistake, it happens."

Hull is currently leading The ANNIKA as she goes in pursuit of back-to-back tournament titles having won on the Ladies European Tour in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

The English superstar carded a 2-under 68 to move to 12-under par thru 54 holes.

She now leads by one over World No.1 Korda, who posted a 67, and China's Weiwei Zhang, who fired a stunning 62. 

Hull is looking to capture her LPGA Tour hat-trick and a first title in more than two years on the circuit.

Meanwhile Korda is going in search of a seventh victory on the LPGA Tour in 2024. 

Zhang is not just looking to win the tournament but also retain her status on the LPGA Tour for 2025. 

Pano fell back into the chasing pack with a lacklustre 72, no doubt perturbed by her scorecard faux pas. 

Rounds took five and half hours. 

The final group of Korda, Hull and Pano finished in darkness as a result. 

• VIEW LIVE THE ANNIKA SCORES HERE

GolfMagic filmed some content with Charley Hull earlier this season.

Check out our video with Charley here: