Adam Hadwin's Self-Reported Penalty: Ask About Local Rules

At the Korn Ferry Tour Championship on October 8, 2026, Adam Hadwin took a club-length of relief under the week’s preferred-lies rule when only a scorecard’s length was allowed. He noticed on the next hole and reported it himself, turning a par into a double bogey. The beginner lesson: local rules change from course to course, asking is always fine, and calling it on yourself is golf at its best.

Tour week: a quiet, honest moment in Virginia

Adam Hadwin played 11 straight seasons on the PGA Tour before losing full status. This October he went to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at The Federal Club in Glen Allen, Virginia, needing a win to earn his card back.

On the par-3 2nd hole in the first round, his tee shot finished just short of the green in the fairway cut. That week, preferred lies were in effect, a local rule that lets players lift, clean and place their ball. The allowed distance was one scorecard’s length (Model Local Rule E-3). Hadwin placed it within a full club-length, which had been the allowance at the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship a few weeks earlier.

On the next hole he saw a playing partner take the shorter relief, realized the difference and told the rules official himself. His par on the 2nd became a double bogey, and he shot 70. He came back with a 67 on Friday and finished tied for 31st at six under par.

No one else had flagged it. He spotted it and spoke up.

Your first-nine lesson: ask what’s in play today

Golf has one rule book, but each course (and each day) can add local rules: preferred lies after rain, out-of-bounds markers, drop zones and areas that are under repair. Even tour players, with officials everywhere, can mix them up from one week to the next. You have permission to ask, every time:

Ask at the pro shop or first tee: “Any local rules today?” It’s a normal question, and staff are happy to answer.
In a casual round, agree before you start. For example, “We’re rolling it in the fairway, within a scorecard length.” Then everyone plays the same game.
Check the back of the scorecard. Local rules are often printed there.
If you realize you got something wrong, just say so. Add the shot, laugh and keep playing. That’s how golf earns trust.

Our golf rules for beginners guide covers the few rules that matter on a first nine. Our golf etiquette for beginners guide explains why honesty and a friendly pace matter more than perfection.

Adam Hadwin’s self-reported penalty: ask about local rules

Tour week: a quiet, honest moment in Virginia

Your first-nine lesson: ask what’s in play today

Follow the official results

Related guides

Sources