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Miguel Angel Jimenez Sparks Controversy While Exploiting USGA Rule Change In $255K Win

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Miguel Angel Jimenez

© Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK


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Miguel Angel Jimenez finished third at the 2025 US Senior Open at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs. He was able to do so with the help of a recent USGA rule change.

During his Friday round of the tournament, Jimenez accidentally hit his ball twice on the same swing. It wouldn’t prove costly thanks to that rulebook adjustment.

A “double hit” is described as a player “unintentionally hitting the ball twice with a single stroke.” Previously, it would result in a one-stroke penalty. In 2019, however, the rule was amended.

Old rule: The player was dinged twice. Once for the initial stroke and then assessed a one-stroke penalty for hitting a ball that was still in motion.

New rule: Now players are granted much more leniency under Rule 10.1a, which states, “If your club accidentally hits the ball more than once, three has been only one stroke and there is no penalty.”

That double hit rule change proved to be quite beneficial to Miguel Angel Jimenez this weekend. He nearly became a much richer man because of it!

Miguel Angel Jimenez double hit his ball at the US Senior Open

The double hit occurred on Friday as he attempted to navigate his way out of the rough and onto the green.

Did he do it on purpose? It seems like a difficult task, though the second tap on the follow-through actually seemed to help position his ball better on the course.

Not everyone in the comments section of that USGA post was convinced it was accidental. “That looked intentional, genius move,” one follower said. “It’s so obvious,” wrote another. “We can all see his purpose.”

Under the newly adopted USGA rule, the double hit counts as just one stroke. There was no penalty.

Miguel Angel Jimenez was the beneficiary of the rule change, though it didn’t have much impact on the tournament itself. The golfer finished third at the US Senior Open, and four shots above the next closest player. He banked $255K with the performance.

Had he finished one stroke better, it would’ve resulted in a second-place tie with Stuart Cink ($432K payout), which might’ve drawn a bit more attention to the non-penalty.