Honesty costs Davis first PGA title

The 35-year-old, son-in-law of former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence and based in Florida for the past five years, is still searching for his maiden US PGA Tour victory after he called the penalty on himself during a sudden-death play-off with Jim Furyk at the Verizon Heritage in South Carolina.

Davis, with three runner-up finishes in the past four seasons, had forced the play-off at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island with a 72nd-hole birdie to pull level with overnight leader Furyk.

The pair went back to the 18th tee and Davis found himself in trouble after sending his second shot off greenside rocks on to the beach, the ball resting amidst short reeds in a hazard area.

As world No 6 Furyk stood over a five-foot par putt, Davis decided to play from where his ball lay for his third shot rather than take a penalty drop and leave himself a chip for par. He chipped on to the green, but the shot proved irrelevant as Davis called a penalty on himself for touching a loose impediment with his club during his swing.

Davis informed PGA Tour rules chief Slugger White, who after consulting with colleagues, determined a two-shot penalty was in order, leaving Furyk to hole out for victory. "Well obviously I want to win a PGA Tour event more than just about anything, but no victory would be worthwhile if it had a cloud hanging over it," said Davis.

"I am proud to uphold the values that my parents taught me and I teach my kids the same stuff. Be honest in your sport and in your life and simply do your best. That's all you can do."

Davis earned 404,000 rather than the 674,000 that would have been his if he had triumphed. But his reputation is at an all-time high because of what he did. "The rules are the rules. I am sure everybody has been penalised at some point in their career," he added. "It's one of those things. You just have to get on with it and go out this week and try to pick up a win in New Orleans."

Davis said he had not felt his club brush the weeds. "There was a little branch, one of the weed things sticking out, a big bunch," he said. "I didn't feel it but I was pretty sure I saw something in the corner of my eye. So I asked Slugger to come over and check it on TV. And when he did check it on TV, I did indeed brush it on the way back, and the twig moved slightly, and obviously it was a two-stroke penalty."

Furyk paid tribute to Davis, saying: "It's obviously a tough loss for him, and I respect and admire what he did. To be there and be in the battle and have an opportunity to win the golf tournament, and then have to call a penalty on yourself has got to be extremely disappointing. I admire him for what he did. It's a testament to our game and the people that play on the Tour, and that we have so many guys that do that."

Furyk said the manner of the victory had made him feel a little uncomfortable. "It's just awkward to see it happen at such a key moment in the golf tournament. Awkward for him to lose that way, and a little awkward for me to win. Obviously I'm very happy to win but you almost don't know how to react."

White, the PGA Tour tournament director and rules official, also credited Davis for his honesty. "That will come back to him in spades, tenfold," he said. "In fact, on the putting green, after it was all said and done, I don't know if Jim said, 'are you sure?' but he said, 'I know I did. I could not have lived with myself if I had not called it on myself'. He's class, first class."