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Watney may make history with blown birdie

By Patrick MottPublished: December, 2011

It’s kind of a backhanded way to make golf history, but Nick Watney may have done it during the first round of the Chevron World Challenge Nov. 1.

Playing the 14th hole at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Watney was standing over a putt for birdie when he decided to back off. A gust of wind blew through and moved his ball.

Watney was ruled to have addressed the ball before it was moved by the wind, and was assessed a one-stroke penalty. He was five strokes behind the first round leader, K.J.Choi, and there he remained at the end of the round—tied for fourth place with a score of 71.

“I might be the last player in history to be penalized under that rule,” Watney said. “That could be a trivia question one day.”

The rule that mandates a one-stroke penalty if the wind moves a player’s ball after it is addressed will be modified after Jan. 1 to eliminate the penalty.