A promising Michael Brennan was disqualified from the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday. Despite the tough exit, his honorable action of reporting his own mistake has earned him some bouquets from the veterans. Justin Thomas offered the rising star some much-needed support.

Brennan explained on Instagram that he had sketched out some arrows in his yardage book based on green map information sent by his new course data analyst. Upon realising that he wasn’t supposed to do so, Brennan informed the designated official, who promptly disqualified the 23-year-old. Justin Thomas left an uplifting message for Brennan after his brave move.

“Good s*** dude. Great representation for the game of golf!” he wrote in the comments.

Thomas’ thoughts were echoed by many in the comments section. Brennan may be out of the Farmers Insurance Open after going 2-under-70, but his commitment to the rules speaks of his sportsmanship. He was one of the players in the tournament worth watching out for, having sensationally won the Bank of Utah Championship just months ago on his debut. Though not much was known about Brennan’s disqualification, now we know that the young star voluntarily took the blow instead of carrying on. The disqualification knocked him out of contention for the $9.6 million prize.

Interestingly, this move mirrors a similar incident that happened to Thomas himself. In the 2025 RBC Heritage, he had already set a course record 61 on Harbor Day. He had gone up to 69 by the third round on Moving day, but earned a one-shot penalty after his own insistence. Thomas’ shot landed in the left waste area of the par-5 second hole. Then, he decided to clean up the loose impediments from the ball, which caused it to move to what Thomas deemed a bunker area.

“I know I saw the ball move,” he told the press afterwards. “Sometimes it oscillates and doesn’t, but I mean, you got to err on the side of caution, I feel like in our sport, when it comes to stuff like that.”

It’s no surprise that Brennan’s words resonated with Justin Thomas. The former would have sat tied at the 55 place at the end of the day had he not reported the mistake. He’d already put forward four birdies and two bogeys, giving fans a glimpse of what more was to come. However, after he came clean about his mistake, it was counted as a second penalty as he had notes about multiple holes on the map.

Michael Brennan will now have to wait for the Waste Management Phoenix Open to redeem himself. But his disqualification is reminiscent of another shocking one that happened to another veteran two years ago.

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Michael Brennan’s disqualification was almost as tough as Jordan Spieth’s 2024 Genesis Invitational controversy

The 2024 Genesis Invitational was caught up in a similar storm. Jordan Spieth was in pursuit of making up for a troubling two-over 73 slip when he signed an incorrect scorecard, marking his par on a hole he had bogeyed. But before he could report that mistake, Spieth left the scoring area to use the restroom.

“Rules are rules, and I take full responsibility,” Spieth later shared on X.

Though it was clear that the former World No. 1 never had any intentions of cheating, the officials still faulted him under what most labelled as one of the most problematic rules ever. In June 2024, the PGA Tour amended that rule, allowing players a 15-minute window to correct such errors on their scorecards, even if they had exited the scoring grounds.

Disqualifications are rare at such high levels of pro golf. Sometimes they are due to the fault of players, but there are times when the rules themselves are the problem. A tough rule forced Michael Brennan to end his brilliant start in the tournament, setting him back during this equally brilliant season.