Korea Golf Association bows head over 'record correction controversy' involving Heo In-hoe: "It was a mistake, we apologize"

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite a tremendous pace that brought him to the brink of a playoff, two strokes suddenly vanished. Heo In-hoe could not hide his sense of injustice, and the Korea Golf Association (KGA) ultimately bowed its head over the critical error.

On the 4th, the association explained the record, stating, "In the third round of the GS Caltex Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) Open, Heo In-hoe's ball on the seventh hole was finally judged to be out of bounds (OB). The basis for the OB ruling is the testimony of the fore caddie, the partner caddie, broadcast personnel, and two on-site referees."

On the final day of the GS Caltex Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) Open, which concluded on the 3rd, Heo In-hoe recorded a final total of 11-under par by sweeping up seven birdies without a single bogey. It appeared he would enter a playoff tied with Song Min-hyuk and Jo Min-kyu.

However, the organizing committee suddenly announced that a penalty stroke was applied on the seventh hole (par 5) of the third round, turning the par into a double bogey. Heo In-hoe, who had been racing breathlessly toward a championship contention, ultimately had to settle for a tie for third place with a final score of 9-under par.

At the time of the third round on the seventh hole, Heo In-hoe's tee shot error occurred. With the out-of-bounds (OB) status unconfirmed, the tournament official picked up Heo In-hoe's ball, and the management instructed players to play the provisional ball as a provisional ball until the situation was clarified. Heo In-hoe completed the hole as a par, and subsequently proceeded with the tournament believing the hole had been recorded as a par until the end of the regular round. In fact, the score remained uncorrected until before the conclusion of the fourth round.

If it cannot be confirmed whether a tee shot has landed in a penalty area, a provisional ball is played first. If the ball is lost or lands in a penalty area, the game proceeds according to the relevant rules. According to the association, both the fore caddie and on-site personnel confirmed that the tee shot was in the OB zone.

In this case, receiving a penalty stroke is only natural. The problem is that Heo In-hoe perceived the hole as a par, and the tournament management failed to properly inform him of the situation until the very last moment. This is a clear operational error.

The association also admitted, "There was a mistake in deciding and notifying Heo In-hoe of the penalty stroke. We sincerely apologize to the relevant parties, players, players' families, and fans for the errors of allowing the provisional ball to be in play, recording the score as a par instead of a double bogey, failing to inform the player of the OB conclusion during the final fourth round, and the delayed notification and guidance on this matter."

Furthermore, the association promised to prevent recurrence, stating, "Through this incident, we will strengthen the tournament operation process and form an accident response committee to improve the operation manual to prevent future occurrences."

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*This content was translated by AI.