Lee Westwood penalized for bizarre rules violation at LIV Golf Riyadh

The second round of LIV Golf Riyadh teed off on Friday, February 7, and Lee Westwood was penalized for a rule infraction under bizarre circumstances. The 51-year-old golfer was given a one-stroke penalty for his violation.

Westwood, an English professional golfer who turned pro in 1993, has 44 professional wins. He has played on the PGA Tour and European Tour and is currently competing in LIV Golf Riyadh under the lights.

LIV Golf Riyadh kicked off on Thursday, February 6, and will continue until Saturday, February 8. During the opening round of the Saudi-backed tournament, Lee Westwood shot a seven-under 65. However, during the second round, he hit the wrong ball - a violation that left everyone befuddled.

Westwood, who was on the par-4 16th hole, was four shots away from being the lead before he pulled his tee shot into a stream. His caddie Mick Doran got the ball out and the English professional golfer played what was supposed to be his third shot. However, just as Westwood was about to mark the ball, he realized Doran had retrieved a ball that was a different model from his.

As a result, the 51-year-old golfer violated the Model Local Rule, which only allows golfers to play balls of the same make and model throughout the round. Lee Westwood got a penalty shot added to his score and finished the hole with a double bogey.

LIV Golf Riyadh Round 3 Tournament Groupings

Here’s a look at the Saudi-backed tournament’s groupings for its third round:

Group 1 (Starting from Hole 1)

• Jon Rahm (Legion XIII)
• Caleb Surratt (Legion XIII)
• Tyrell Hatton (Legion XIII)

Group 2 (Starting from Hole 1)

• Lucas Herbert (Ripper GC)
• Sebastian Muño (Torque GC)
• Adrian Meronk (Cleeks GC)

Group 3 (Starting from Hole 2)

• Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC)
• Matthew Wolff (RangeGoats GC)
• Tom McKibbin (Legion XIII)

Group 4 (Stating from Hole 3)

• Anirban Lahiri (Crushers GC)
• Sergio Garcia (Fireballs GC)
• Marc Leishman (Ripper GC)

Group 5 (Starting from Hole 4)

• Carlos Ortiz (Torque GC)
• Lee Westwood (Majesticks GC)
• Sam Horsfield (Majesticks GC)

Group 6 (Starting from Hole 17)

• Ben Campbell (RangeGoats GC)
• Bubba Watson (RangeGoats GC)
• Dean Burmester (Stinger GC)

Group 7 (Starting from Hole 16)

• David Puig (Fireballs GC)
• Joaquin Niemann (Torque GC)
• Paul Casey (Crushers GC)

Group 8 (Starting from Hole 5)

• Abraham Ancer (Fireballs GC)
• Ian Poulter (Majesticks GC)
• Charles Howell III (Crushers GC)

Group 9 (Starting from Hole 6)

• Thomas Pieters (4Aces GC)
• Martin Kaymer (Cleeks GC)
• Cameron Smith (Ripper GC)

Group 10 (Starting from Hole 7)

• Ollie Schniederjans (HyFlyers GC)
• Mito Pereira (Torque GC)
• Brendan Steele (HyFlyers GC)

Group 11 (Starting from Hole 8)

• Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger GC)
• Dustin Johnson (4Aces GC)
• Peter Uihlein (RangeGoats GC)

Group 12 (Starting from Hole 9)

• Graeme McDowell (Smash GC)
• Harold Varner III (4Aces GC)
• Wade Ormsby (Iron Heads GC)

Group 13 (Starting from Hole 10)

• Jason Kokrak (Smash GC)
• Henrik Stenson (Majesticks GC)
• Brooks Koepka (Smash GC)

Group 14 (Starting from Hole 11)

• Danny Lee (Iron Heads GC)
• Matt Jones (Ripper GC)
• Chieh-Po Lee

Group 15 (Starting from Hole 12)

• Richard Bland (Cleeks GC)
• Kevin Na (Iron Heads GC)
• Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers GC)

Group 16 (Starting from Hole 13)

• Patrick Reed (4Aces GC)
• Luis Masaveu (Fireballs GC)
• Talor Gooch (Smash GC)

Group 17 (Starting from Hole 14)

• Frederik Kjettrup (Cleeks GC)
• Branden Grace (Stinger GC)
• Yubin Jang (Iron Heads GC)

Group 18 (Starting from Hole 15)

• Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers GC)
• Anthony Kim
• Charl Schwartzel (Stinger GC)

LIV Golf Riyadh Round 2 leaderboard

Here’s a look at the top positions in the LIV Golf Riyadh leaderboard after round 2:

Position	Player	Total	R1	R2	R3
1	A. Meronk	-16	62	66	-
2	S. Munoz	-14	64	66	-
3	L. Herert	-12	68	64	-
T4	T. Hatton	-11	66	67	-
T4	C. Surratt	-11	66	67	-
T6	T. McKibbin	-10	65	69	-
T6	J. Rahm	-10	67	67	-
T6	M. Wolff	-10	68	66	-