Fans at the Sanderson Farms Championship had to be excited to see reigning NCAA champion Michael La Sasso near the top of the leaderboard during the opening round at the Country Club of Jackson. The 21-year-old Ole Miss senior had been given a sponsor’s exemption to play in the PGA Tour event roughly 160 miles from campus, and he responded by shooting a six-under 66 that seemingly left him one shot off the lead shared by Eric Cole and Sam Ryder.
But before La Sasso could sign his card, rules officials let him know he needed to add two shots to his score due to a rules infraction in which it was deemed he had improved the conditions affecting his lie.
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According to Associated Press, on the par-4 sixth hole, La Sasso was found to have violated Rule 8.1a. The rules states that “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.”
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Instead of a par, La Sasso score was changed to a double-bogey 6. He signed for a four-under 68 and sits in a tie for 13th place.
It is unclear what specifically happened to La Sasso that warranted the penalty. According to the AP, La Sasso declined to speak to the media after the round.
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After winning the NCAA title, La Sasso has played in five PGA Tour events, including the U.S. Open in June at Oakmont. In those starts he has made just one cut, finishing T-44 at the 3M Open.
In September, La Sasso competing for the winning U.S. team in the Walker Cup but not before running into the ire of a rules officials at Cypress Point. During his Sunday morning foursomes match, La Sasso took offense to a short putt that was not conceded to him, mockingly lying his club down on the ground as if to show that it was “within the leather.” According to reports, the R&A officials referring the match went up to La Sasso and spoke to him about the gesture, contending it was not within the spirt of the matches.
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