Latest news with #NelsonLedesma
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cole Hammer: 'Right thing' to turn self in for advice-giving, resulting in pair of DQ's at KFT event
Cole Hammer had never been disqualified from a tournament in his life. Until Friday, that is, when the 25-year-old Korn Ferry Tour pro called what ended up being a rules violation on himself during this week's Memorial Health Championship in Springfield, Illinois. Hammer's admission to rules officials eventually resulted in the disqualification of both Hammer and Hammer's playing competitor, Nelson Ledesma, after it was determined that Hammer had violated Rule 10.2a, which prohibits players from giving or asking for advice from anyone other than their caddie. Advertisement The incident occurred during Thursday's first round on the par-3 17th hole at Panther Creek Country Club. Hammer had just hit 4-iron onto the green on the 232-yard hole and was watching his ball still in motion when he started walking toward his bag. That's when, according to Hammer, he crossed paths with Ledesma's caddie, Nico Torres, who then flashed four fingers, a universal signal for, '4-iron?' 'Out of instinct, I flashed '4' as well,' Hammer told via phone on Friday afternoon. 'It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, and I didn't think a whole lot about it until after the round.' That evening, Hammer reached out to a few peers for their opinion. Most felt like he was in the clear. After all, the rule against giving advice is often broken in professional golf, and usually without punishment. When caddies for Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland were scrutinized by those who felt they violated the rule during the 2023 Masters – rules officials determined they did not – Golf Channel analyst Paul McGinley called advice-giving 'not a serious breach among players,' adding, 'This is common practice on Tour. Whether you like it or not, it's common practice. It happens in every professional tournament around the world. It's not obvious always, so blatant.' One well-known PGA Tour veteran even texted Hammer on Thursday night, saying, basically, This happens every single day on Tour. Advertisement But even then, Hammer was unsure that he could simply brush it off. 'I feel like I know the rules really well, and I've always tried to uphold them to the best of my ability,' Hammer said. 'It just didn't sit right with me last night, and when I woke up this morning, I felt compelled to go talk to the rules official and tell him what had happened.' Hammer sought out KFT rules official Claudio Rivas, who told Hammer he would get back with him after gathering more facts and meeting with chief referee Jordan Harris and a USGA representative to determine the proper course of action. Hammer shared with Rivas that he also didn't know if Torres had even seen his hand signal. Hammer added that he didn't alert Ledesma or Torres at the time because he didn't want to cause unnecessary worry if there ended up being no infraction. 'I didn't think that they would be disqualified,' Hammer said. 'I just thought since I was the one who gave the sign that I would be disqualified. And I thought that was worst-case scenario.' Advertisement Rule 10.2a fully states: During a round, you must not: 1. Give advice to anyone in the competition who is playing on the course; 2. Ask anyone for advice, other than your caddie; 3. Touch another player's equipment to learn information that would be advice if given by or asked of the other player. The penalty is usually the general penalty of two strokes, but because Hammer and Ledesma had already signed their scorecards – Hammer for a 2-under 69, Ledesma for 73 – they were subject to disqualification under Rule 3.3. It took several hours for a final decision to be made, with the disqualification not coming until Hammer and Ledesma were six holes into their second rounds. Hammer had made a bogey to drop to 1 under while Ledesma was still 2 over for the tournament; the cut line is currently projected at 4 under. The Korn Ferry Tour confirmed the reason for disqualification but did not provide further details. Advertisement Ledesma's response to which was then translated to English: 'The decision made is the correct one, according to the rules. I can't do much with it except accept it.' Ledesma, who speaks little English, added that Torres was 'shocked by the situation,' but accepted the mistake. 'I feel a lot better now that I at least got it off my chest because it was weighing me down,' Hammer said. 'It's just unfortunate that it's a caused a little storm around the tournament.' As for Hammer, he entered the week No. 73 in points. His T-23 last week in Wichita, Kansas, snapped a string of six straight missed cuts. Ledesma, 34, is No. 102 in points. 'This is something that's so abnormal to experience in a tournament, so I'm almost just going to have to cast it away like nothing happened,' Hammer said. 'It's a learning experience, and I think I'm in a better head space having called it on myself. … I'm by no means depressed about the outcome or nervous about the next stretch. If anything, I can play with a clean slate and a clear conscious and hopefully continue the play that I had in Wichita. 'There are plenty of events left, and I felt like doing the right thing and protecting the game would be better for me in the long run.'
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CJ Cup Byron Nelson 2025 is holding a Monday qualifier for final four spots
The CJ Cup Byron Nelson has a field of 156 for this week's PGA Tour event in McKinney, Texas. On Monday, there is an 18-hole qualifier at nearby Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas. This is an opportunity for four golfers to earn spots into the field. Advertisement Notables among the 63 names on the tee sheet are Kevin Tway, Nelson Ledesma, S.H. Kim, Bo Van Pelt, Eric Axley and Matt NeSmith. The CJ Cup Byron Nelson trophy at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. Seven PGA Tour events are losing Monday qualifiers There are seven events on the 2025 PGA Tour schedule that will not have a Monday qualifier starting in 2026: Sony Open in Hawaii, WM Phoenix Open, Mexico Open at Vidanta, Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, Puerto Rico Open, Corales Puntacana Championship and Myrtle Beach Championship. The last three of those are opposite-field events. Myrtle Beach (May 8-11) is the only tournament still to be played. New PGA Tour rules going into affect for 2026 dictate that events with 120 players will no longer have Monday qualifiers. Those with 132 will go from four to two qualifiers. Events with 144 or 156 will remain at four qualifiers. 5 Monday qualifiers went on to win on PGA Tour Since 1980, only five Monday qualifiers went on to win later that week: Corey Conners (2019 Valero Texas Open), Arjun Atwal (2010 Wyndham Championship), Fred Wadsworth (1986 Southern Open), Kenny Knox (1986 The Honda Classic), Jeff Mitchell (1980 Phoenix Open). This article originally appeared on Golfweek: CJ Cup Byron Nelson holding Monday qualifier for final four spots
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
CJ Cup Byron Nelson 2025 is holding a Monday qualifier for final four spots
CJ Cup Byron Nelson 2025 is holding a Monday qualifier for final four spots The CJ Cup Byron Nelson has a field of 156 for this week's PGA Tour event in McKinney, Texas. On Monday, there is an 18-hole qualifier at nearby Waterchase Golf Club in Fort Worth, Texas. This is an opportunity for four golfers to earn spots into the field. Notables among the 63 names on the tee sheet are Kevin Tway, Nelson Ledesma, S.H. Kim, Bo Van Pelt, Eric Axley and Matt NeSmith. Seven PGA Tour events are losing Monday qualifiers There are seven events on the 2025 PGA Tour schedule that will not have a Monday qualifier starting in 2026: Sony Open in Hawaii, WM Phoenix Open, Mexico Open at Vidanta, Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, Puerto Rico Open, Corales Puntacana Championship and Myrtle Beach Championship. The last three of those are opposite-field events. Myrtle Beach (May 8-11) is the only tournament still to be played. New PGA Tour rules going into affect for 2026 dictate that events with 120 players will no longer have Monday qualifiers. Those with 132 will go from four to two qualifiers. Events with 144 or 156 will remain at four qualifiers. 5 Monday qualifiers went on to win on PGA Tour Since 1980, only five Monday qualifiers went on to win later that week: Corey Conners (2019 Valero Texas Open), Arjun Atwal (2010 Wyndham Championship), Fred Wadsworth (1986 Southern Open), Kenny Knox (1986 The Honda Classic), Jeff Mitchell (1980 Phoenix Open).
