Hideki Matsuyama was three over when he was disqualified
Memorial Tournament, round one leaderboard |
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-5 M Hughes (Can), D Riley (US, C Young (US), L List (US), C Smith (Aus), KH Lee (Kor) |
Selected:-4 W Zalatoris (US); -3 S Lowry (Ire); -2 R McIlroy (NI), J Spieth (US), L Donald (Eng) |
Last year's Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified midway through his first round at the Memorial Tournament because of illegal markings on his fairway wood.
He was penalised for breaching rule 4.1a, the use of a non-conforming club.
The PGA Tour's chief referee Steve Rintoul said a substance that looked like white correction fluid had been applied to the 30-year-old's club.
The world number 12 was three over when he was disqualified on the 10th tee.
It is the first time in his career that the Japanese player, the first from his country to win a major, has been disqualified.
"Those markings were placed there by his club guy to help with alignment," Rintoul said.
"Assistance with alignment by placing a small Sharpie mark on the face is certainly allowed, but what was done there was a coating that was not only in the grooves but was very thick along the face, which renders the club non-conforming."
A non-conforming club can be carried in a bag provided it is not used. However, Matsuyama used the club on the first tee.
Matsuyama, who was playing alongside Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and American Patrick Reed, won the first of his eight PGA Tour titles in 2014 at The Memorial.
Australia's world number three Cameron Smith is among six joint leaders on five under in Jack Nicklaus' tournament at Muirfield Village in Ohio.
Canada's Mackenzie Hughes, American trio Davis Riley, Cameron Young and Luke List, and South Korea's Kyoung-Hoon Lee also opened with 67s.
Bryson DeChambeau, trying to regain form after injury in time for the US Open, shot four over but McIlroy enjoyed a better day as he started with a two-under 70.
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