PGA Tour winner disqualified for bizarre rules breach

Five-time PGA Tour winner Ben Crane has been disqualified from the Corales Puntacana Championship after making a costly rules blunder.

The 49-year-old, who won the first of his titles in 2003, was DQ’d during the third round for playing the wrong ball on the eighth hole.

A statement from PGA Tour communications read: “Ben Crane was disqualified during the third round of the Corales Puntacana Championship for a breach of Rule 6.3c(1) that occurred on hole No. 8.

“Crane played a wrong ball on hole No. 8 and failed to correct the error before making a stroke to begin hole No. 9.”

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The American shot rounds of 69 and 71 to make the weekend on four-under-par before bogeys on holes three and six – before a birdie on hole seven – pushed him back to one-over-par.

That’s when the moment of madness occurred at the par 72 Corales Golf Course at Puntacana Resort.

On the eighth hole, in which Crane carded double bogey, he mistakenly struck playing partner David Lipsky’s ball.

Crane went on to card par on holes nine and ten before a third bogey of his round on the 11th hole proved his last action of the tournament.

Formerly renowned for his slow play, it’s not the first time Crane has made headlines.

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His career on the Tour began in 2002 after earning his card. His most recent win was in 2014 at the FedEx St Jude Classic, where he beat Troy Merritt by one stroke.

Meanwhile, Joel Dahmen leads the opposite field event in the Dominican Republic this week. The fan favourite takes a four-stroke advantage into the third round.

Dahmen is bidding to win his second PGA Tour title – his first since this very tournament in 2021.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.