Overview
- The two-stroke penalty, which occurred Saturday, June 6, was assessed under Rule 8.1a for improving a stance in a greenside bunker at Riviera Country Club.
- Woad’s ball had plugged on a steep upslope on the 9th hole and she and caddie David Taylor attempted to steady her footing while asking officials about possible relief from a bunker liner; relief was denied after a roughly seven-minute on-course conference.
- Tournament officials monitored live broadcast feeds and began an active review as the play aired, announcing the penalty two holes later and adjusting Woad’s hole score from a bogey five to a triple-bogey seven and her round to 74.
- On-air analysts flagged repeated footage showing Woad and her caddie moving sand and digging in their feet to build a stance, and media coverage has prompted debate over consistency, transparency, and the role of televised video in major-championship officiating.
- Woad is a rising English player who recently won on the LPGA Tour and had made the Open cut at four over; the ruling affects her tournament standing and is likely to fuel calls for clearer guidance on bunker relief and when broadcast video should be used in rulings.