
Jordan Spieth and his playing partner fell foul of the rules during the Hero World Challenge back in 2021.
Spieth has just received an invite to play in the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas this year.
A past winner of the Hero World Challenge in 2014, Spieth will be hoping that he is able to rediscover his best form at Tiger Woods‘ event in December.
Spieth has been struggling with his golf game for far too long now, and a return to form would be a big boost for him and the game of golf in general.
Perhaps an invite to Tiger’s tournament will serve as the confidence boost he so desperately needs.
However, not all of his memories of playing in the Hero Challenge are good ones…
How Jordan Spieth broke a rule with absurd mistake at the Hero Challenge
Spieth was paired alongside Henrik Stenson four years ago at Albany Golf Club during the final round of the Hero World Challenge.
And something happened on the ninth hole which simply defies belief.
 
Spieth and Stenson were both handed two-shot penalties after bizarrely hitting their drives from the incorrect tee box.
The tee markers for the ninth hole had been moved overnight.
And as a result, Spieth and Stenson actually hit their drives from the 17th tee box.
The American finished dead last after a final round 76 while the Swede ended up one place ahead of him, after shooting a 72.
The two-shot penalties made no difference to their finishing positions but both players will undoubtedly always chuckle to themselves whenever they look back at the incident at the 2021 Hero Challenge.
Spieth’s Hero Challenge incident one of the three most bizarre rules infractions in history
Spieth and Stenson hitting their drives from the wrong tee at the Hero Challenge in 2021 has to go down as one of the most bizarre incidents involving rule breaking in the history of the sport.
However, two other moments are right up there as well.
During the 2021 RSM Classic, Rory Sabbatini was disqualified after it came to light that he had a reflective sticker on the face of one of his fairway woods.
The stickers are used for launch monitor testing and Sabbatini forgot to remove it before taking to the course.
He was disqualified for breaking Rule 4.1, which states ‘a player must not use a club that has been deliberately modified’.
Now let’s go back in time to 1987 and the Craig Stadler incident at the Andy Williams Open.
During his third round, Stadler found the right rough with his drive and his ball nestled underneath a tree.
After a deluge of rain had soaked the South Course at Torrey Pines, Stadler placed a towel down on the ground, kneeled down, and played his shot.
He was then disqualified the following day after a spectator reported the rules infraction.
Rule 8.1 a prohibits players from improving the area of the intended stance before hitting their shot.
Those two rules infractions are undoubtedly right up there with Spieth and Stenson’s lapse in concentration back in 2021 at the Hero World Challenge.