GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) — Nasa Hataoka was disqualified from the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Saturday after tournament officials reviewed videotape of her final hole in the first round and found she took too long searching for a lost ball.
Hataoka, who shot a 6-under 65 on the Bay Course at the Seaview Resort and was tied for fourth place, was informed of the disqualification on Saturday. She was scheduled for an afternoon tee time.
In a statement, the LPGA said Hataoka played her second shot on No. 9 into the long fescue surrounding the green. After reviewing video footage provided to the tour following the round, it was determined that the search for Nasa’s ball exceeded the three minutes allowed.
According to the rules, the ball is considered lost after time expires and the player must take the next shot from the same spot as the previous one.
The six-time LPGA winner from Japan found the ball in the fescue after the search time expired and played from that spot.
When Hataoka did not play from where she had previously played from, she played from the wrong place and violated Rule 14.7.
“Because where she played from could give the player a significant advantage compared to the stroke to be made from the right place, this is considered a serious breach of Rule 14.7 with a penalty of disqualification if not corrected in time,” the LPGA said in its statement on X.
Hataoka did not correct the mistake before leaving the scoring area.
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