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Scott Vincent of LIV Golf had a rollercoaster start to the International Series Morocco event on the Asian Tour after incurring a two-shot penalty for arriving at his tee time in a race against the clock.

Vincent and his brother Kieran were unfortunate to have their golf clubs and bags go missing en route to the tournament in Casablanca. Hoping his luggage would be found before his scheduled 12:30 p.m. opening round tee time, Vincent made the 90-minute trip to the airport only to discover his gear had not turned up.

Rushing back to the course, the Englishman arrived at the first tee with just 30 seconds to spare. Under the Rules of Golf, a player who is late to their starting time or misses it entirely is subject to disqualification. However, there is an exception if the delay is no more than five minutes. 

Scott Vincent in March during a LIV Golf event/ Getty Images

While Vincent avoided being kicked out of the competition in the nick of time, he was still penalized two shots for his late arrival. Facing an uphill battle, Vincent demonstrated his resolve by firing an impressive five-under-68 on the par-73 course in the opening round with borrowed and rental equipment.

“Lucky enough, we have some really cool people out here on the Asian Tour – it is a friendly tour. A lot of people had clubs, bits and pieces, but obviously it is hard to make up a full set when you do not have anything, so we have a bit of a mixed bag here,” Vincent said. “I have talked a lot to myself about adapting, no matter what, whatever the situation might be. And so just being able to go out there with none of my stuff, even golf shoes, I am taking in the moment, and we will just take it as it comes.”

Vincent's own clubs have since been located, but unfortunately brother Kieran is still using rentals after Day 1 as his bags remain missing. The 32-year-old will look to build on his strong start as he sits just two shots off the lead in Morocco. However, he has work to do to climb the LIV Golf individual standings, where he currently lies 54th out of 56 players.

It was a stressful welcome to the International Series for Vincent, but his heads-up play under pressure suggests he could be a factor this week if he maintains his solid ball-striking.

What were the three exceptions for arriving late to a tee time

Arriving no more than 5 minutes late: If a player arrives at the starting point, ready to play, no more than 5 minutes late, the general penalty of 2 strokes (in stroke play) or loss of hole (in match play) is applied to the first hole.

Starting no more than 5 minutes early: If a player starts no more than 5 minutes early, the general penalty is also applied to the first hole.

Exceptional circumstances: If the Committee decides that "exceptional circumstances" prevented the player from starting on time, there is no breach of the rule and no penalty. Examples given include providing medical assistance at an accident or having to evacuate a hotel due to a fire alarm.

What happens if both players in a match arrive late to the tee

If both players arrive no more than 5 minutes late, the match starts as soon as both players are present and ready to play. Each player receives the general penalty of loss of the first hole.

If one player arrives more than 5 minutes late but the other arrives within 5 minutes, the match starts when the on-time player is present and ready. The late player is disqualified from the match.

If both players arrive more than 5 minutes late, the match is canceled and both players are disqualified.

References: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/liv-golf-scott-vincent-late-tee-time-2024

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