Will Zalatoris, Cam Davis assessed two-stroke penalties for playing wrong ball at The Sentry

Any golfer can relate to the fear of playing a wrong ball. It’s a dreaded scenario at any level, but especially for professionals with hundreds of thousands of dollars and FedExCup points at stake.

On the first Sunday of the 2025 PGA TOUR season, Will Zalatoris and Cam Davis fell victim to the dreaded wrong-ball snafu at The Sentry.

Zalatoris and Davis, playing partners in Sunday’s final round at The Sentry, inadvertently played each other’s ball from just in front of The Plantation Course at Kapalua’s par-5 15th green, each having nearly reached the green in two shots. After realizing their mistake upon reaching the green, they returned to play from the proper location of their third shot – but now playing their fifth shot rather than their third, per the Rules of Golf.

Both players limited the damage, each getting up and down for a bogey 6.

Per Rule 6.3c, two penalty strokes are assessed for playing the wrong ball in a stroke-play competition. PGA TOUR Senior Director, Lead TV Rules & Video Analyst Mark Dusbabek confirmed the ruling on Sunday’s Golf Channel broadcast of The Sentry.

The mishap was met with consternation. Davis grasped his putter tightly while walking off the green, one hand on the grip and one on the blade. Zalatoris removed his hat, looked down and ran his hand through his hair.

Zalatoris began Sunday in sixth place but fell outside the top 20 with a closing 73 at Kapalua, finishing at 19-under for the week. Davis began the day in ninth place and closed in 69 to finish just outside the top 10 at 22-under total.