PGA Player Costs Himself $2.5 Million With Honorable Self-Reported Rule Violation

Sometimes it pays to tell the truth. Sometimes it costs you $2.5 million dollars.

That's a lesson that PGA star Sahith Theegala learned the hard way over the weekend after a self-reported rule violation ended up costing him massively in the pocketbook. In the third round of the Tour Championship at East Lake, Theegala notified a rules official that he was calling a penalty on himself for illegally brushing the sand away from his ball with his club while in a bunker.

The penalty was very minor, and so imperceptible that it was hard to see on the telecast. Ultimately, though, Theegala was assessed a two-stroke penalty for the action.

Theegala finished the Championship in third place at -24, six shots behind first-place winner Scottie Scheffler. More importantly, he finished two shots behind Colin Morikawa, who got second place with a score of -26, and a purse of $12.5 million. Theegala earned $7.5 million for third place.

Without the two-stroke penalty, Theegala and Morikawa would have tied for second place, splitting the purse of $20 million for second and third place.

It was a costly decision from Theegala, but an incredibly respectable one in the end. He said after the third round that he figured it was better to call the penalty on himself rather than potentially be disqualified if the broadcast caught the infraction and he didn't report it.

It may have hurt him this weekend, but ultimately, you have to think that some good karma is coming Theegala's way for this one.

Related: Scottie Scheffler Trending After Hilarious Explanation of Championship Shank