Golfweek

NORTON, Mass. – This is starting to get a bit silly. High-profile players being slapped with severe penalties or disqualifications, we’re talking about.

Dustin Johnson losing out on a chance for a PGA Championship win for grounding his club in a bunker that hardly looked like a bunker.

Jim Furyk missing his pro-am tee time at The Barclays and being ineligible for the multi-million dollar tournament.

Now, Chad Campbell. His participation in the Deutsche Bank Championship and in the FedEx Cup playoffs has come to a crashing halt for what amounts to a clerical oversight. He forgot to officially register.

“Just can’t believe (I) made a mistake like that,” Campbell said after being notified of his disqualification shortly before his second-round tee time. “Obviously disappointed that I’m not getting to play today, but that’s the rules. That’s the way it goes.”

Not that PGA Tour officials had an easy time dishing out the penalty. “It’s a sad thing. I’m not at all pleased with it,” said Mark Russell, vice president of rules and competitions.

“But it’s a regulation that you’ve got to register when you arrive on site.”

Russell said it was a formality tied into insurance reasons.

Campbell played in Friday’s first round and shot 1-over 72. Being 83rd in the FedEx Cup standings, he needed to a strong performance in Round 2 to have a chance at moving on to Chicago and the BMW Championship, but that opportunity disappeared when it was discovered Campbell had never registered.

Russell said he isn’t sure why it took so long to be discovered.

“They were going through all the entry forms and they didn’t have Chad’s. I’m thinking the whole time, they’ve just misplaced it,” he said.

Instead, when approached by another rules official, Gary Young, Campbell went quiet. He told Young he had forgotten to register. Russell said the last time something like this happened was Brandel Chamblee in 2002 at Callaway Gardens.

Making matters worse, Campbell has a bit of experience in this. Two years ago he flew to Hawaii with every intention of playing in the Sony Open – only to discover he had never officially committed. So, he flew home.

“It’s starting to be a trend,” Campbell said.