PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Harold Varner III was assessed a two-shot penalty during the opening round of The Players after making an equipment change that was influenced in part by the actions of a walking official.
According to PGA Tour vice president of rules and competition Mark Russell, Varner “had a problem” with his driver on the range before starting play Thursday morning and did not want to put it in play. He wanted to have a new driver brought out to him during the round, which would have been allowed under the Rules of Golf since he planned to start the round with only 13 clubs.