Yoo penalized for improper drop

• By Randall Mell
• Nov 16, 2012 5:17 PM ET

NAPLES, Fla. – Sun Young Yoo’s debacle at the 14th hole was even worse than she thought Friday at the CME Group Titleholders.

A television viewer watching the Golf Channel broadcast reported a rules violation that ended up costing Yoo another shot there.

One shot off the lead at the 14th tee, Yoo drove the ball just under a bushy overgrowth. She tried to muscle it out with a 5-iron, but she ended up knocking the ball deeper into the bush, where she had an unplayable lie.

Yoo then set up to take a penalty and a drop, but replays showed she did not properly extend her right arm in making the drop. She did not extend her arm 90 degrees but made the drop from closer to the ground.

Yoo was advised of the violation after the round, as she was signing her scorecard. She was assessed a second penalty stroke on that hole and ended up making triple-bogey 8. She left the course three shots off the lead instead of two.

“My arm wasn’t high enough,” Yoo said. “All I want to say is I did not try to cheat. I wasn’t even thinking about it . . . I just picked up my ball and dropped it instinctively.

“I’ll learn from this, and next time I won’t make the same mistake.”

Yoo has had troublesome finishes in the first two rounds. She had the lead before making a double bogey and bogey to close the first round and ended up tied for the lead.