A few years ago, the USGA set out on a mission to simplify and soften some of the unusual and harsh rules involved in the game of golf.

As the sport’s ruling body, the organization was able to re-define many rules, including those involving penalty areas, accidental ball movement and “leaving the flagstick in” while putting, to name a few.

Most of the changes were well-received, but after seeing what happened at last week’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in South Carolina, there’s one rule change they definitely missed.

During the U.S. Junior’s opening round, 17-year-old Banks Steele had just hit a close approach shot to the par-4 sixth hole when he saw officials talking to his caddie.

Apparently, the caddie had casually tossed his ball cap into the air on two separate occasions earlier in the round in order to gauge wind conditions. After much discussion, this action was determined to have violated Rule 4.3a(2), which says that players or caddies are not allowed to use “an artificial object to obtain wind-related information.”

It turned out Steele’s caddie had tossed his hat in the air at least twice, which resulted in disqualification from this prestigious national championship. Though a complete surprise to both player and caddie, Steele handled the situation extremely well.

“I definitely do not want to blame my caddie whatsoever,” Steele told golf analyst Brentley Romine. “Everyone makes mistakes — and I don’t want to hold anything against anybody.”

Kudos to Steele for having such a great attitude.

The rule, however, still seems a bit crazy. It turns out, you’re allowed to throw a handful of grass into the air to gauge the wind, but not your hat. Go figure.

West Penn Brothers

Two local pairs of brothers performed well at last week’s WPGA Brothers Tournament held at Shannopin Country Club in Pittsburgh.

While the Greensburg team of Ronald and David Denunzio shot 3-under par 68 to take home the championship trophy, Sinking Valley’s Andrew and Gregory Ferguson scored an impressive 75 of their own to finish in a tie for 12th place.

Another local team, Chuck and Doug Meyers (representing Bedford Springs), finished with a 76 and a tie for 14th place.

Pennsylvania Open

Last Thursday, Scotch Valley’s Anthony DeGol shot an even-par score of 70 at Hannastown Golf Club to earn a sixth-place finish and one of 16 qualifying-spots into this year’s prestigious Pennsylvania Open.

The 2025 PA Open will be held at Llanerch Country Club, near Philadelphia, Aug. 11-13 and features the best professionals and amateurs from across the state.

125 years ago

During the fourth week of July in 1900, a group of small boys serving as caddies at the Bedford Springs Resort course went on strike.

The boys decided that unless they received 25 cents a round, instead of the current 15 cents, they would remain resting in the shade. After one day of discussion, the boys resumed their duties at the compromised rate of 20 cents per round.

Ken Love covers local golf for the Mirror. He can be reached at GLTR777@atlanticbb.net.