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During the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Nasa Hataoka was disqualified after her golf ball was found after the three-minute time limit had expired.

Hataoka was in the midst of a great round when she hit her ball into the fescue grass on the 9th hole (her 18th).

The LPGA Tour released a statement following the disqualification.

Statement on the disqualification of Nasa Hataoka from the ShopRite LPGA Classic:

During the first round of the LPGA Shoprite Classic, Nasa Hataoka played her second shot on hole 9 into the long fescue grass surrounding the green, her final hole of the day. After reviewing the video footage…

— LPGA Media (@LPGAMedia) June 8, 2024

Hataoka’s ball was eventually found after the search time expired. The rules require that the player whose ball is lost must continue under stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b). When Hataoka did not play from where she had previously played, she played from the wrong place (Rule 14.7).…

— LPGA Media (@LPGAMedia) June 8, 2024

“Statement on the disqualification of Nasa Hataoka from the ShopRite LPGA Classic: During the first round of the LPGA Shoprite Classic, Nasa Hataoka hit her second shot on hole 9 into the long fescue grass surrounding the green, her final hole of the day. After reviewing video footage provided to the LPGA after the round, it was determined that the search for Nasa’s ball took longer than the three minutes allowed under Rule 18.2a. After three minutes of searching, the ball is considered lost and the player must continue on stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b).

Hataoka’s ball was eventually found after the search time expired. The Rules require the player whose ball is lost to continue playing by stroke and distance (Rule 18.2b). When Hataoka did not play from the spot she had previously played from, she played from the wrong spot (Rule 14.7). Because the spot she played from could give the player a significant advantage over the shot that would have to be made from the correct spot, this is considered a serious breach of Rule 14.7 and is punishable by disqualification if not corrected in time. The player had until she left the scoring area to correct this error under Rule 14.7.”

Hatoaka would have shot a 65 in the first round if her score had stood.

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