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A freak leaf during a putt may cost this Web.com Tour player a PGA Tour card

On the 15th hole at the DAP Championship on Sunday, Matthew Southgate experienced something bar- a blowing leaf altering the course of his ball, but what ws really bizarre is the ruling and subsequent penalty. As you can see in the video, Southgate faced a short birdie putt on the 15th hole. After the ball was struck, a leaf blew on the green and colliding with the ball, sent it a foot wide of the hole. 

A disappointed Southgate tapped in for par. Or what he thought was a par…Instead, he was found to break rule 19-1b:

If a player's ball in motion after a stroke on the putting green is deflected or stopped by, or comes to rest in or on, any moving or animate outside agency, except a worm, insect or the like, the stroke is canceled. The ball must be replaced and replayed.

Southgate did not replay the shot from its original spot, resulting in a two-stroke penalty. On top of that, not realizing his mistake, he signed for the wrong score resulting in another two-stroke penalty. Southgate finally signed for a 7 over 77, moving him to no. 20 in the Web.com tour standings. The top 25 on the tour which concludes this week will receive PGA Tour cards. 

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