After Michael La Sasso polished off what he thought was a bogey-free, 6-under 66 to open the Sanderson Farms Championship on Thursday, the reigning NCAA individual champion was greeted in the scoring area by rules officials.
La Sasso was ultimately penalized two shots for improving the conditions affecting his stroke on the Country Club of Jacksonâ€s par-4 sixth hole, according to the Associated Press, which confirmed the reason for penalty with a PGA Tour official.
Rule 8.1a states “you must not take any of these actions if they improve the conditions affecting your stroke: move, bend or break any growing or attached natural object, or immovable obstruction, integral object or boundary object…; move a loose impediment or movable obstruction into position (such as to build a stance); alter the surface of the ground; remove or press down sand or loos soil; remove dew, frost or water.â€
Itâ€s unclear the specifics of La Sassoâ€s violation, and he declined to speak to media after his round, per AP.
Instead of entering Fridayâ€s second round a shot off the lead, La Sasso is 4 under after signing for a first-round 68, which reflected his par on No. 6 changing to a double bogey because of the penalty.
The Ole Miss senior, competing on a sponsor exemption, is making his sixth career PGA Tour start. He missed the cut in his Tour debut, at the U.S. Open, and has made just one weekend in his first five starts, at the 3M Open, where he tied for 44th.
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