He was co-leading the Nexo Championship. Then Shaun Norris was struck with a controversial penalty in the DP World Tour event…
It has been an extraordinary weekend for Shaun Norris.
On Saturday, the South African veteran holed out from 267 yards for albatross to catapult him to the top of the leaderboard in the Nexo Championship in Scotland.
But on Sunday, Norris was at the centre of a controversial rules incident that dealt a significant blow to his chances of winning the DP World Tour event.
While in a share of the lead on the par-4 fifth hole at Trump International in Aberdeenshire, Norris was deemed to have improved his stance by kicking away a replaced divot before striking his approach:
Shaun Norris is handed a two-shot penalty ⚠️
Rule 8.1 – Players Actions That Improve Conditions Affecting the Stroke while preparing to play his approach shot from the fairway on Hole 5 in the final round of the Nexo Championship.#NexoChampionship pic.twitter.com/2cVzLMmZ9q
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 23, 2026
As the divot had been replaced, it was not defined as a loose impediment, so Norris was deemed to have improved the conditions that affected his stroke.
Norris’ actions breached Rule 8.1a in the Rules of Golf, which stipulates that a player is forbidden from “removing or pressing down divots that have already been replaced or other cut turf that is already in place.”
Norris, chasing his third DP World Tour victory, was informed of the unusual penalty when making the turn for the back nine. He thought he had made par on the hole, but the 54-hole leader’s four become a double bogey six and he dropped from 9-under to 7-under, two shots off the lead at the time.