Golf is hard enough on the PGA Tour without breaking the rules so when Davis Riley had to assess himself a two-shot penalty at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, he must have been cursing the latest addition to the rulebook.
Riley was in contention to make the weekend at the Byron Nelson before a mini disaster struck when using his range-finder on the par three 17th.
Range-finders are now allowed in certain events on the PGA Tour but there are strict rules around their use, including having the slope assist turned off.
Unfortunately for Davis Riley, he somehow managed to check his distance with the slope help on and in doing so, broke the rules.
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However, Riley self-reported himself and was ultimately docked a two-stroke penalty at a critical time that put him below the cut line.
But in the end, Riley drained an eagle putt on his final hole to get back on the cut-line and make it into the weekend.
And over on social media, golf fans are absolutely loving what’s happened
Golf fans praise Davis Riley after self-confessed error at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
While we are so used to seeing fans hammer players or the PGA Tour in general – see fans slamming the TOUR for Scottie Scheffler not playing at The Truist next week as an example – this time, there’s a more positive outlook on matters.
With Davis Riley showing the ultimate in sportsmanship, fans have lauded the American.
Indeed, after Riley made the cut, fans are convinced there is an element of karma involved as well.
One fan pointed out how ‘Karma is real in golf’ after seeing Riley make the cut, while another also followed a similar thought train, commenting ‘Rewarded for honesty!’.
Riley won praise off another fan too, who couldn’t resist a dig at the rule.
“Such a lame rule. Kudos to Davis Riley for being straight up.”
While another also slammed the ruling in general.
“This is such a dumb penalty. It should be like if you do it intentionally or if you change your plan based on seeing it or some s—-‘
However, for Riley himself, there was nothing but praise and one fan claimed younger players could learn off him.
“classy act; for all the young golfers out there, an important lesson.”
Indeed, more golf loves praised Riley, as one commented: “Well deserved after penalizing himself. Gentlemen’s game.”
While finally, another couldn’t resist mentioning Patrick Reed and his history…
“This is called good karma! Admirable. Patrick Reed could never!”
What Davis Riley said about his range-finder penalty
Had Riley not made the cut, the his attitude might have been a tad different but speaking to the media afterwards, he did seem to be keen to press home how integrity is important in the game.
“Unfortunately, it was just kind of one of those moments where your heart sinks a little bit, like you’re just throwing away two shots,” Riley said. “It is what it is. That’s the rules of golf. And we certainly have a trial period here with this, and I know the [United States Golf Association] is trying to do something about the range finder and the pace of play.
“In that moment, I was just, like, ‘Wow,'” Riley continued. “It’s just one of those times that it just sucks. It was a tough deal, and it’s just a bad break. All I can boil it down to is bad luck that, by the time you put the thing in there and pull it out, it switched from just raw number to slope. It was tough.
“It’s very important to me because I love this game. That’s kind of something my coaches from a young age, my parents instilled in me. This is a game of integrity, so play with it and act that way. When something like that happens, you just have to own it up and just that’s part of the game, the integrity of the game.”
In a season where we’ve seen a bit of ill will involving the likes of Collin Morikawa towards the media and Sahith Theegala launching clubs on course, it’s good to see Riley bringing some class back to the game we all love.
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