The 2016 WGC Cadillac Championship winner, Adam Scott, returned to the Blue Monster this week for a newly revived $20 million signature event, and the course has wasted no time testing him. During his post-round conference after the third round on Saturday, he addressed a rules blunder that derailed his opening round on Thursday.

“It’s such a silly thing to do. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever done it in my career. But golf can be cruel at times, and I’ve experienced plenty of other tough things on the course, and you just have to get on with it and do the best you can,” Scott said. “Luckily, it was like on the 8th hole, and I had the rest of the day to try and salvage something out of it.

Per Scott, some odd circumstances unfolded on Thursday, which led to him not checking his ball during the opening round. Scott missed the fairway on the 582-yard par-5 8, and played his second shot from the left rough, only to realize that he hit the wrong ball.

This was a breach of Rule 6.3(c) that carries a two-stroke penalty. He found his original ball, completed the hole, and made a double bogey. Had he not caught the mistake before teeing off on the next hole, he would have faced disqualification. Despite the blunder, Scott finished Thursday at 4-over 67, then bounced back with the bogey-free 66 on Saturday.

It was a particularly costly stumble for a player who has had limited highlights in 2026 so far. His best finish in 2026 was fourth at the Genesis Invitational in February, with a tie for 11th at Bay Hill. Overall, the 33-time professional winner has lived through some painful moments.

At the 2012 Open, he led by four shots with four holes to play, but then bogeyed every single one of them and ended up losing to Ernie Els by a single stroke. And still, he has never held the Claret Jug so far. At the 2025 Open at Oakmount, Scott just sat one shot off, heading over into the final round, only to card a 9-over 79 on a waterlogged Sunday. His ranking tumbled from T2 to T12. It was again a second major that slipped away.

Scott is not the first Tour pro to feel the sting of this particular rule, and in a $20 million event, the cost goes well beyond the strokes on a scorecard.

The Wrong Ball Costs More Than Two Shots

In the final round of the Tournament of Champions in January 2025, Will Zalatoris and Cam Davis, playing partners, faced a similar situation at Kapalua’s Plantation Course, inadvertently playing each other’s ball on the par-5 15th hole, each having nearly reached the green in two shots.

And similar to the Scott situation, they only realized the mistake upon reaching the green, where both were penalized two strokes under the same rule, 6.3c, and each made the bogey. Had they teed off the 16th before catching it, both would have faced a disqualification.

The Sentry and the Cadillac Championship both carried a $20 million purse, and the penalty collectively cost them many dollars. Scott’s two-shot at Doral may not yet have a dollar figure attached, but with $3.6 million first prize on the line, the arithmetic is just as unforgiving.