A putt from a distance of just 1 inch would rarely draw attention in professional golf. Yet, it became the talk of the town during the opening round of LIV Golf Hong Kong. Sebastian Muñoz was building good momentum. He was climbing the leaderboard with a series of impressive holes. However, it all came tumbling down when he made a putting error to call a rare penalty upon himself.

Muñoz represents Torque GC in the Saudi-backed league. He was 6-under through 14 holes at Hong Kong Golf Club after recording three birdies and an eagle. The Colombian golfer was all set to make another birdie attempt on his next hole. However, the ball lipped out and stopped right on the edge of the cup. And with that, he just had to finish a tap-in for a par score on the hole.

While attempting the short putt, Sebastian Muñoz accidentally bounced the putter blade off the turf. Thus, he failed to make clean contact with the ball. Under Golf Rules, any attempt made to strike a ball is considered a stroke. So, even though the ball barely moved, his action still counted towards a stroke.

While some would want to hide the mistake, Muñoz didn’t. He showed why golf is said to be a gentleman’s game. He went to the scorer to report his mistake.

This resulted in a one-shot penalty. What was likely a birdie first turned to be an easy par hit but ended as a bogey. Not only the Colombian golfer, but his caddie, fellow professionals, and commentators were also dumbfounded after the incident.

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“That was an attempt to hit it and he bounced over it,” said commentator David Feherty. “That’s something you don’t see every day.”

Fellow commentator Jerry Foltz also added that it was a shot because Sebastian Muñoz attempted to advance the ball and failed. However, instead of trying to cover the putting mistake, the LIV golfer owned it.

He still managed to end the round with a 5-under 65. At the end of Round 1, he is tied for 10th.

Leading the scoreboard at the end of Round 1 is fellow Torque GC teammate Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz hit a round of 10-under 60, which included 9 birdies along with an eagle on hole 13 and a bogey on hole 8.

Following him is Southern Guards GC’s Dean Burmester with a score of 8-under 62. Veterans Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia are also in contention after a round of 7-under 63. Recent winner Anthony Kim is at T24, while Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are on T16 and T47, respectively.

Despite the blunder in Round 1, Sebastian Muñoz will be eyeing his 2nd LIV Golf title.

Sebastian Muñoz’s journey on LIV Golf

The Colombian golfer joined LIV Golf in 2023 with Torque GC, captained by Joaquín Niemann. He made an immediate impact with a solo 8th finish in his debut event at Mayakoba, Mexico. While his second event ended with a solo 40th finish, he rose back to occasion at the Orlando event in 2023 with a runner-up finish. It was also the event where Torque GC registered its first team victory.

In 2024, Muñoz achieved 11 top-half finishes from 13 events. However, his game has improved since then, and it showed in his 2025 results.

Muñoz managed a solo 4th season finish last year. This came with his maiden title win at the 2025 Indianapolis event. He carded rounds of 12-under par, 4-under par, and 6-under par to claim his first LIV Golf win.

Apart from the win, Sebastian Muñoz also finished T2 in Riyadh, T5 in Singapore, T6 in Hong Kong, T7 in Mexico City, and T10 in both Andalucía and Chicago. With these consistent, strong finishes throughout the season, he finished 4th, only behind Jon Rahm, Joaquín Niemann, and Bryson DeChambeau.

It seems like the 2025 LIV Golf Indianapolis winner has carried that momentum to 2026, too. This year, he started with a solo 8th at Riyadh and followed it with a T8 at Adelaide.

Sebastian Muñoz’s steady rise on LIV Golf highlights the consistency and confidence he has built. The unusual penalty in Hong Kong may have cost him a stroke, yet his strong form suggests he remains firmly in contention as the tournament continues.