Leader Aoki Disqualified; Wargo Wins Sanders Title

Isao Aoki, the second-round leader of the Doug Sanders Classic senior tournament at Kingwood, Tex., was disqualified Sunday for inadvertently breaking an obscure rule on Saturday.

The Japanese golfer was informed of his disqualification after the second hole Sunday, when he still held a one-stroke lead over Tom Wargo. Wargo went on to shoot a par 72 and win the tournament by one stroke over Bob Murphy.

Aoki’s problem Saturday came on the par-four ninth hole when his ball was temporarily lost beneath the lip of a bunker. Players and caddies made numerous footprints in the sand before finding the ball. Before taking a one-shot penalty drop, Aoki’s caddie raked the drop area. That was a two-stroke penalty because it improved Aoki’s lie.

Aoki then signed his incorrect scorecard at the end of the round, leading to the disqualification.

Aoki said he didn’t realize he was breaking a rule. He said several others told him it was OK to rake the area. “I misunderstood. I didn’t know the rule,” he said. “But it was my mistake. I’ll follow the rules.”