Golfer Hur In-hoi accuses Asian Tour of fumbling OB mulligan ruling that took him out of playoff contention

Golfer Hur In-hoi holds up a ball at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on May 2 in Gyeonggi. [GS CALTEX MAEKYUNG OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP]

 

Controversy over a so-called mulligan ruling at the 45th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship has spiraled into a bitter dispute between the player and officials, with player Hur In-hoi accusing tournament authorities of stripping away a playoff berth based on “false claims” and “no objective evidence.”

 

The controversy began on Saturday during the third round on the seventh hole. After Hur’s tee shot headed toward an out-of-bounds (OB) area, a forecaddie signaled that the ball was OB. Hur then hit a provisional ball onto the fairway.

 


 

However, the forecaddie picked up the original ball and moved it, inadvertently removing physical evidence of the ball being OB. Tournament officials at the scene failed to reach a conclusion and instead instructed Hur to cancel the original-ball stroke and continue play with the provisional ball — effectively allowing him a mulligan, or a do-over without penalty.

 

Hur completed the hole at par using the provisional ball, and finished the third round. But immediately after the final fourth round concluded on Sunday, the tournament committee imposed a two-stroke penalty against him, stating that “new testimony had confirmed the original ball was OB.”

 

The ruling dropped Hur from 11-under par, which would have qualified for a playoff, to 9-under par, eliminating the golfer’s chance at the title.

 

Two days after the incident, the Asian Tour released a report on Monday by tournament director Chokchai Boonprasert.

 

“Both caddies and referees had confirmed the original ball was in the OB area and that the forecaddie picked up the ball while they watched,” the report stated. 

 

The report argued that confusion arose because the player refused to accept the ruling, citing a lack of physical evidence, even though the ball was clearly OB.

 

Golfer Hur In-hoi plays at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship on May 2 in Gyeonggi. [GS CALTEX MAEKYUNG OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP]

 

The Korea Golf Association (KGA) also sided with the Asian Tour. The KGA concluded that “the ball had indeed landed OB” based on testimony from the forecaddie, a playing partner’s caddie, two on-site referees and the broadcasting staff.

 

The KGA, however, admitted mistakes in the ruling process and apologized for incorrectly instructing Hur to play a provisional ball and for delaying notification of the penalty.

 

Hur strongly disputed the findings in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo and in an official statement.

 

“The Asian Tour is falsely claiming they have evidence even though they don’t,” Hur argued. “Neither referees nor caddies were at the scene when the forecaddie picked up the ball. They only witnessed it from a distance.”

 

Hur also questioned the credibility of witness testimony.

 

“The person who retrieved the ball repeatedly changed descriptions of where it had landed,” Hur added. 

 

A golf ball on a golf course [JOONGANG ILBO]

 

The golfer further emphasized that he had requested permission to play two balls to ensure a fair ruling, but that officials rejected the request and instructed him to continue with the provisional ball instead.

 

Hur argued that because the player followed the committee’s explicit instructions and the third-round par score was officially approved, reversing the decision after the final round based only on uncertain additional testimony constitutes a serious procedural flaw.

 

Overseas golf media outlets also reported on the incident.

 

 

In an article titled “Oddball ruling on Asian Tour knocks golfer out of playoff a day later,”
Golfweek noted that “other players were furious, saying [Hur] essentially got a mulligan” and that “one unnamed player said he should be disqualified.”

 

However, Hur insists he should be allowed a chance to play for the title. 

 

“The par score approved at the end of the third round must stand,“ Hur said. “[I] need to be given another opportunity to compete in the playoff as the co-leader at 11-under par.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY SUNG HO-JUN [[email protected]]