Adam Schenk on penalty: ‘Intention was never to cheat’
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Adam Schenk sticks approach to set up birdie at Honda
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Although his intention was never to cheat, Adam Schenk acknowledged Saturday that he and caddie Mark Carens did violate the new caddie alignment rule that resulted in a two-stroke penalty.
Schenk was told by a PGA TOUR rules official prior to teeing off in the third round of The Honda Classic that he would be assessed two strokes for the rules infraction that occurred on the par-3 17th in Friday’s second round.
The rule, 10.2b (4), prevents a player’s caddie from deliberately standing in a location on or close to the player’s line of play behind the ball once the player takes his stance. The TOUR issued a statement explaining the Schenk ruling: “The penalty occurred as a result of Adam’s caddie standing behind him once he took his stance but not taking any action subsequently that would absolve him of penalty, for example backing out of his stance.”
Schenk originally made a bogey on the hole, with the score changed to a triple bogey prior to the third round. After shooting a 2-under 68 on Saturday, Schenk will enter Sunday’s final round at 4 under, three shots off the lead held by Wyndham Clark.
Schenk said he received the news about 40 minutes prior to teeing off. He viewed video on an iPhone.
“I broke the rule, so the intention was never to cheat, obviously,” Schenk said after finishing his third round. “I haven’t had much time to think about it. … What’s done is done, I guess.”
The specific shot was from the greenside bunker. He and Carens had been discussing the best options for salvaging a bogey, fearing his shot might roll off the green into the water on the other side.
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“I don’t even know if he was exactly behind me or close,” Schenk said of Carens. “I don’t even know. There wasn’t a great place for him to stand there because if he was right, he was in the bunker.”
Added Carens: “I didn’t even think I was behind him. When he was about to hit, then I got out of the way. There was no intent of lining him up or anything like that.”
Schenk blasted out to 13 feet – “One of the greatest shots ever,” Carens said – and two-putted for bogey.
Schenk said he was upset when he was informed of the rules violation Saturday. He then told Carens, “Let’s just forget about it and just try and play a good round of golf.’”
Schenk birdied two of his first four holes and kept a clean card through the difficult Bear Trap to stay in contention. “Sometimes I get upset, I play better, and I shot a couple under today,” Schenk said, “so maybe I would have played worse if I didn’t have the penalty.”
Schenk’s penalty is the latest in a string of penalties resulting from new rules instituted in 2019 by the USGA and R&A. On Thursday, Alex Cejka was disqualified for violating a rule limiting greens-reading books. That same day, Justin Thomas had to play part of his round without use of his 9-iron for fear of violating adjusted rules involving damaged clubs.
“The rule changes are what they are,” said Schenk, who is making the 41st start of his PGA TOUR career. “They’re fine. Everybody has got to play by them, and I just unfortunately didn’t. But like I said, the intention was never to cheat.”
Carens felt terrible about his involvement. “It’s like a caddie’s worst nightmare,” he said. “At least I’ll never do it again.”