3 players disqualified in Ladies Masters

3 Feb 2012, 2:01 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Three players have been disqualified from the Australian Ladies Masters for taking preferred lies from the rough after misunderstanding the local rules.

Promising teenage amateur Annie Choi says she's devastated after being disqualified from the Australian Ladies Masters along with her two playing partners for a rules blunder.

Gold Coast-based 16-year-old Choi was DQ'd along with Sydney's Corie Hou and Melbourne's Inhong Lim on Friday when it was discovered they'd taken preferred lies in the rough during Thursday's first round.

Choi told AAP they'd misunderstood what the starter said before they teed off about the local rule allowing preferred lies on the fairways because of wet conditions at the Royal Pines course.

"I'm devastated but I accept it," said Choi, who was equal-leading amateur along with 14-year-old Lydia Ko after her opening two-under-par 70 and hoping to earn entry to next week's Women's Australian Open.

Lim and Hou had been long odds to make the weekend cut after opening scores of 80 and 81 respectively.

Choi said the trio had been told the preferred lies were in place "everywhere" and took that to include rough.

The trio had played only one hole of their second round when the rule breach was reported to Ladies European Tour Operations director Cyprien Comoy.

All three admitted to taking preferred lies off the fairways in the first round and were disqualified because it meant they'd signed incorrect scorecards.

If it had been spotted before they'd signed, they could have played on with penalty strokes.

"It was a surprise to them, certainly," said Comoy.

"The girls accepted the decision. It is not a pleasant thing but a harsh lesson learned.

"Absolutely, we accept it was a genuine mistake.

"When they've missed the fairway and in the rough, they've thought they could pick up their balls, clean them and take a preferred lie.

"They thought it was through the green, which means the entire course without the hazards.

"It's a player's responsibility to read the rule sheet and know the rules."

The tournament's Rule 4 reads: "a ball lying on a closely-mown area through the green may be lifted and cleaned without penalty".

Highly-respected Queensland coach Charlie Earp, who's seen many talented youngsters, believes Korean-born Choi has the potential to reach similar heights to Karrie Webb.

The Queensland based player won the Australian Junior Championship last year and the 2009 Greg Norman Junior Masters aged 14, the same age as Webb when she won it.

She had been hoping to qualify for next week's Australian Women's Open at Royal Melbourne by finishing leading amateur in the Masters but will have to try to pre-qualify at Kingswood Golf Club next week.

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