Ben Crane gets 8 penalty shots

Ben Crane really had it socked to him with eight penalty strokes for having two non–conforming clubs in his bag.

Playing in the first round of the Web.com Tour's Albertson's Boise Open, he was hit with two separate four-stroke penalties for carrying a driver and a 6-iron that had ‘dot-sticker' decals on the clubs, which he uses to aid in data collection during practice.

Crane had not used either club otherwise he would have been disqualified outright, there and then.

A five time PGA Tour winner, Crane brought the infraction to the attention of rules officials after playing his first hole, when he noticed the decal on his driver. Whammo: a four shot penalty.

And then again on his fourth hole, he noticed another decal on his six–iron. Kaboom – another 4 strokes.

If he had noticed the violation before putting out at his opening hole, he would have received a two-stroke penalty for each infraction.

What a cruel, cruel game golf can be. 

This is what Ben Tweeted after racking up his 8 shot penalties:

Update: Crane was disqualified after he approached Jim Duncan, Web.com Tour Vice President of Rules, Competition and Administration, informing him that he had been aware of the 6-iron decal at the time of noting the driver decal on No. 11 tee.

Because Crane didn’t declare the 6-iron out of play at the time, to a playing partner or rules official, it marked a rules breach that carries a penalty of disqualification.

“In his defense, I think that when you get assessed an eight-shot penalty, your head is going to be spinning,” Duncan said. 

“At this point, between the 12th and the 13th holes, (rules official) Andrew Miller confirmed with him that the driver, that was made aware to us, had to be taken out of play; then he played 13 and part of 14 (carrying) the 6-iron. 

“Then he came back this morning and said he knew he had the 6-iron … he’s got to make a declaration that that club is out of play, either to a member of the committee, which he could’ve told Andrew Miller, or to one of his fellow competitors. When he didn’t make that declaration, at the point he knew he had to take that club out of play, that’s ultimately a disqualification penalty.”

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