Thursday 17 October 2019 13:03, UK
Lee Ann Walker admitted she had learned a "big lesson" as she reflected on her remarkable 58-shot penalty at the Senior LPGA Championship.
Walker admitted she was unaware of the new rule which bans players from using their caddies to help with alignment after she completed 36 holes in 73 over par at French Lick in Indiana.
Her opening 85 was adjusted to a 127 after she incurred a 42-stroke penalty, while 16 shots were added to her second round after the frequent violations were noticed by one of the other caddies in her group midway through the second day.
"This was my first competitive round since 2011 or 2012," said Walker. "Now that I don't play the LPGA anymore, I don't watch golf. I knew there were rules changes, but I just honestly didn't know them. It's my stupidity for not going over the rules changes."
Walker's caddie was helping her line up putts on every green, and she incurred a two-shot penalty for each time she breached the rule that came into effect at the start of the year.
"I knew there were rules changes, but I just honestly didn't know them. It's my stupidity for not going over the rules changes"
She consulted a rules official on her fifth hole of her second round, and they collaborated to work out how many times she had used her caddie to check her alignment on the greens. This worked out at 21 violations in her first round, and a further eight times over the first few holes of her second round.
"I wasn't mad; I wasn't upset," Walker told the Golf Channel. "I was just like, that's going to add a ton to my scores. At that point what can you do? Obviously, it's my fault for not knowing the rules, but what am I going to do? I may have made the Guinness Book of World Records!
"When I played my first round, my caddie lined me up and I did not reset. I did not realise I was violating any rules. They made me aware of it on 14 or 15, and I called a rules official to ask what to do. They had me continue playing so they could have a conference on the violation and what I needed to do.
"It was my fault for not knowing the rules. I don't have anyone to blame but myself. Big lesson learned."
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
Helen Alfredsson emerged as a three-shot winner after the former Solheim Cup star defied the wet and windy conditions to fire a final-round 70 to finish on two under - the only player in the field to be under par over the 54 holes.
The Swede was three clear of Juli Inkster, who stumbled to a closing 76, while England's Trish Johnson carded a 75 to earn a podium finish on two over par.
