A rare penalty derailed Brian Harman at the 2026 American Express.

The two-stroke punishment had nothing to do with a poor swing, but with one of golf’s most fundamental and seemingly unforgiving mistakes: hitting the wrong ball.

At the 10th hole of the Stadium Course in La Quinta, Harman made a good second shot and put himself in position for a birdie. But analysts on television quickly noted that he hit someone else’s ball, notably, one that of an amateur in his group.

The mistake cost him two strokes. His original ball was 122 yards away. One stroke, and it came 14 feet closer to the hole. And ultimately he two-putted a double bogey. 

The penalty came through Rule 6.3c(1). It states, “The player gets the general penalty (two strokes) and must correct the mistake by continuing play with the original ball by playing it as it lies or taking relief under the rules.”

Of course, Brian Harman was visibly upset with the situation. And it reflected on the par-5 11th. Yes, he made another double bogey after sending the ball into the water on his second shot. He shot 1-over 73 and ended up near the bottom of the leaderboard. 

But how did the pro golfer make such a mistake?

Analyst Guesses the Reason Behind Brian Harman’s Costly Mistake

The renowned analyst Smylie Kaufman claimed that it was the “worst feeling in the world.” And then went on to theorize the cause of the mistake. 

“For the most part, the amateurs are always a tee up, so you’ll compare your golf ball to, let’s say, Brian Harman would show Max Homa his ball today,” Kaufman said. “But you really don’t walk up to the amateur tee and compare your golf ball.” 

“So they could’ve had similar marks; we’re not really sure. Could’ve been the same number. But still, it is the job of the person hitting the shot to know that’s their golf ball. So very, very unfortunate.”

Harman marked his white Titleist ball with a black Sharpie ahead of the round. But there’s a possibility that the ball landed with the logo down. 

“That had to be what it was — the logo was down, and they get up there, and they realize they hit the wrong ball.” 

The rare mistake left Brian Harman battling damage control instead of momentum. At the American Express, a momentary lapse proved how unforgiving golf’s rules can be.

What is your take on the whole?

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Joyita Das