Paul Lawrie and Carl Mason disqualified after ball mix up

Paul Lawrie and Carl Mason have been disqualified from this week’s Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship – after playing each other’s ball by mistake.

Former Open champion Lawrie, making his third start on the Staysure Tour since turning 50 on New Year’s Day, and Mason, the leading career money winner on the seniors’ tour, made the mistake on the fifth hole of their opening round at Trevose Golf & Country Club but didn’t didn’t notice until the seventh tee.

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According to Rule 6.3, the penalty for playing the wrong ball in strokeplay is disqualification if the round has finished or a new hole has been started without the mistake having been corrected.

Lawrie later tweeted:

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It is the second peculiar disqualification on the pro tours in as many days.

Yesterday, Challenge Tour player Clement Berardo was disqualified from the Andalucia-Costa del Sol Match Play 9 after running out of balls.