PGA Tour winner Michael Brennan had a nightmare tournament at the Farmers Insurance Open.

After posting a respectable score of 70 in his opening round, he looked to be in good position to make the cut and record a solid finish. But instead, Michael Brennan was disqualified at Torrey Pines.

Brennan was judged to have used non-permitted green-reading materials. Statement from the PGA Tour read:

“Michael Brennan was DQ’d after the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open for a breach of Model Local Rule G-11; use of non-permitted green-reading materials.”

The details of this were not confirmed until Brennan explained the situation in its entirety on Instagram.

What is the one golf rule you would change if you had the opportunity?

Michael Brennan turned himself in after honest mistake

Brennan took to social media to explain his disqualification, which turned out to be an honest mistake. He effectively turned himself in after misunderstanding the rules.

His statement read: “Just wanted to clear the air on what happened at the Farmers Insurance Open this week. I started working with a new course data analyst at the beginning of the week in an effort to improve my course strategy.

“The evening before each round, he sends the hole locations on green maps. While looking at the green maps, I sketched a few arrows to help with my plan on approach shots.

“After completion of my round, I asked him for clarification of a feature on the green maps. During the clarification, he mentioned that I was not able to transcribe any details on the greens from his diagram into my yardage book.

“Upon learning this, I reached out to a pga tour rules official, reporting my mistake, and was subsequently disqualified from the golf tournament.

“While this may have been a painful lesson to learn, I am looking forward to the party in the desert next week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, let’s go! 👊”

An honest mistake, and an incredibly sporting act from Brennan. Fair play. Hopefully he’ll be rewarded for his honesty with a strong showing in Phoenix next week.

The PGA Tour rule on yardage books explained

In 2022, the PGA Tour banned the use of green-reading books. This rule change aimed to return the skill of green reading to the player’s judgment and feel rather than relying on advanced data.

Players may now only use committee-approved yardage books and hole-location sheets. Notes are permitted only if they are derived from the personal experience of the player or caddie, for example, watching the ball move, or feeling the slope with their feet.

What is no longer allowed is the transcription of information from non-approved sources, such as old green-reading books, laser-scanned contour maps, or data provided by outside analysts. That was Brennan’s error.

He sketched arrows into his yardage book from his analyst’s data. Because these notes were transcribed from an external source—rather than gathered through his own on-course observation, they violated the rules.

Under the rule’s penalty structure, a first breach results in a two-stroke penalty, while a second breach or continued use leads to automatic disqualification. Brennan’s violation was deemed significant enough to trigger the DQ, ending his tournament prematurely.

It’s an unfortunate mistake, but one he’ll likely never make again!