Hayes Disqualified After Admitting To Using Improper Golf Ball

November 19, 2008 8:55 p.m. EST

Milwaukee, WI (AHN) - J.P. Hayes admitted to using a non-approved golf ball during a tournament held at Deerwood Country Club last week, prompting a disqualification on the PGA Tour next season.

The 43-year-old Hayes used the ball in two shots in the tournament's first round-a tee shot and a chip-before realizing it wasn't the same ball he had used earlier.

The penalty earned him two strokes for the round and later Thursday night, he admitted that the ball might not have been approved by the United States Golf Association.

The error couldn't be any costlier as back-to-back rounds of 74 and 71 still had him in competition for a Top 20 finish and a final qualifying stage appearance next month.

Hayes could have chosen to keep mum on the issue, as nobody would have known it. But he opted to turn himself in by calling an official in Houston, which later prompted his disqualification.