Michael S. Kim opened X, read about Michael Brennan’s disqualification from the Farmers Insurance Open, and typed what most Tour pros were already thinking.

“I’ve worked with data analysts, and I can guess what he wrote on his yardage book,” Kim posted on February 1, 2026. “I’m pretty sure they’re not that consequential. He 100% could have said nothing, and nobody would have batted an eye even if someone had seen his book.” Then the kicker: “Everyone in pro golf gets into a rules snafu at some point in their careers. (I’ve also been DQ’d).”

The 23-year-old Brennan had just fired a two-under 70 on Torrey Pines’ North Course. By 9:30 that Thursday evening, he was out of the tournament entirely. The PGA Tour cited a violation of Model Local Rule G-11, which prohibits green-reading materials beyond committee-approved yardage books and handwritten notes gathered through personal observation.

Brennan’s infraction stemmed from a new workflow. He had started working with a course data analyst at the beginning of the week, receiving green maps with hole locations each evening before his rounds. While reviewing the maps, he sketched a few directional arrows into his yardage book. The arrows were the problem — external data transcribed into competition materials.

After his round, Brennan sought clarification from the analyst on a feature in the diagrams. The analyst mentioned the transcription wasn’t permitted. Brennan immediately contacted a PGA Tour rules official and self-reported the breach.

“While this has been a painful lesson to learn, I am looking forward to the party in the desert next week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, let’s go!” Brennan wrote on Instagram.

The self-report is where Kim’s framing gains traction. Brennan could have said nothing. The arrows would likely have gone unnoticed. Instead, he walked himself to the rules desk and handed over his tournament. One report noted that Brennan’s decision to self-report reflected his integrity and respect for the spirit of the game — a contrast to high-profile controversies where players did not come forward.

Kim sees it differently. not from the lens of heroism but as casual normalcy. No PGA Tour disqualifications appear in Kims’ official history — his admission likely refers to a Korn Ferry or DP World Tour event earlier in his career. The casual framing reinforces his point: these things happen to everyone.

That normalcy, though, exists within an increasingly complicated compliance landscape.

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Michael Brennan’s DQ exposes PGA Tour’s data analyst gray zone

The rise of data analysts on Tour has created boundaries that didn’t exist a decade ago. Players now receive granular course intelligence — green contours, slope percentages, optimal miss locations — delivered digitally before each round. The workflow is standard. The compliance lines are not always intuitive.

Model Local Rule G-11, implemented January 1, 2022, restricts players to committee-approved yardage books and permits only handwritten notes derived from personal observation. External data — no matter how minor the transcription — crosses the line. Rory McIlroy explained the rationale when the rule was adopted: reading greens is a skill that takes time and practice to master, and external aids have made everyone lazier in their preparation.

Brennan isn’t the first to stumble here. Collin Morikawa received a two-stroke penalty at the 2023 Hero World Challenge after his caddie wrote slope percentages into the yardage book. G-11’s penalty structure compounds the severity: two strokes for a first breach, disqualification for a second in the same round. Brennan had sketched arrows for multiple holes. The math was immediate.