They talk about honest golfers and Jason King knows exactly what they are talking about.
The Australian disqualified himself from the New Zealand Open on Saturday, after learning he had breached a rule in the first round on Thursday.
King (30) lost his ball in deep rough on the 11th hole and bent back grass to find it.
He replaced the grass but left it open enough to see the ball when he struck it.
That was considered to be in breach of golf's Rule 13 governing improving his lie, Australasian PGA director of tournaments Andrew Langford-Jones told the Otago Daily Times.
"He said he had moved the grass and he had left it slightly altered so he could see the ball to hit it," Langford-Jones said.
"If you're in a hazard, that's fine, but otherwise you must put the grass back to its original state before you play the shot."
The issue was raised with tournament officials by a spectator.
The officials asked King to read the rule and tell them whether he felt he was in breach.
"We've obviously got no proof, so the decision rests with the player," Langford-Jones said.
"After reading the rule, he said he would rather disqualify himself than be thought to be taking advantage of the rule."
"The one thing about this game that we all believe is that it is a game of honesty and integrity. Kingy was the first to put his hand up and say he'd breached the rule.
"That takes a bit of character."
King was two-under-par at the time and was still at that mark after the first round.
He shot a 71 on Friday and 70 on Saturday, to be well placed at five-under for the tournament, but his Thursday indiscretion meant those scores were meaningless.
"If we'd known that day we would have talked to him and he would have been given a two-shot penalty," Langford-Jones said.
"The disqualification comes about because he signed for the wrong score."
King's mistake probably robbed him of a reasonable payday, as well as the chance to win the Open 10 years after winning the New Zealand under-23 title.
If he had maintained his form he might have finished in the top 30, earning a cheque for between $US4000 and $10,000.
King nearly became the first player to score a hole-in-one on the par-three 10th hole on Saturday, when he shot an eight-iron to within about 15cm.
If the ball had dropped, King would have won a new car a BMW.
His caddy told Otago Daily Times reporter Dave Cannan King had joked he would give his bag-carrier the car if he aced the hole.
