Azinger Disqualifies Himself At The Travelers

Another example of how golf is different from other sports:

Following a first round 68 in this week’s Travelers, Paul Azinger realized that he had played a Callaway ball that had recently been labeled as non-conforming. So he did the right thing: he called the infraction himself, resulting in a disqualification.

That’s bad enough. What makes it worse is that this could very well be the last tournament he plays on the regular PGA Tour. Azinger is playing this year on a major medical exemption, and had five tournaments to earn the $568,521 he needed to keep his card. This was the fifth—and he had $557,721 to go.

Azinger turns 50 in January and will be eligible for the senior Champions Tour. In the meantime, he still is eligible for the PGA Championship as a past champion. He can play in other tournaments this year on sponsors’ exemptions.