Cam Smith received a two-stroke penalty Sunday during the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first event in the PGA Tour's three-leg playoff schedule. Smith didn't argue the ruling — and many fans understood the logic behind the ruling — but the timing of the penalty infuriated sports bettors and DFS players.'
Smith, who closed the third round as the betting favorite at some sportsbooks, was penalized for a Saturday infraction, but the penalty wasn't announced until Sunday. Smith’s violation came on the fourth hole on Saturday when his drop out of a penalty area was still touching the line of the penalty area, but rules officials who noticed the potential violation on Saturday evening didn't discuss it with Smith until Sunday.'
On Sunday, the penalty was assessed and announced to the public. While Smith and the leaders had yet to tee off, other players had started their rounds, affecting single-round DFS lineups.
1. Cam broke a rule that he should have known.
2. Cam should have been penalized for breaking the rule.
3. The timing sucks and this needed to be caught way earlier, especially if it's going to result in a penalty.— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) August 14, 2022
PGA Tour Chief Referee Gary Young told the media a rules official noticed the potential violation Saturday, but they didn't approach Smith until Sunday because “we felt very comfortable at that time he was familiar with the rule, and that it was such a quick view of it that we had, at that time we decided it wasn't worth following up on.”'
Officials watched a rebroadcast and saw the potential infraction again, this time determining it was worth asking Smith about. They expected Smith to say he believed he performed the drop properly, but he acknowledged the ball was touching the line, as it seems he lacked a clear understanding of the rule.'
“So at that point there's no turning back,” Young said.
Smith went from two shots back of the lead to four shots back, a significant difference with only 18 holes left in the tournament. The 2022 Open Champion shot a 70 on Sunday, ultimately finishing tied for 13th place and six shots behind eventual champion Will Zalatoris.'
Unusual timing
The penalty for Smith not taking “full relief” from a penalty area wasn't the main issue for fans and bettors. It was more so the timing of the announcement, which occurred about 24 hours after the violation.'
“It was just awkward,” golf writer Bob Harig told Sports Handle.'