Golf has little patience for players who lose their temper. Frank Kennedy learned that the hard way at DP World Tour Q-School. One angry swing of his putter ended his week. By Tuesday, the incident had drawn reactions from Rory McIlroy and Nick Bradley, the former coach who helped build the 21-year-old’s swing.
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Asked about Kennedy at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, McIlroy said: “It seems harsh, but at the same time, I think it’s good that golf and the authorities are cracking down on things like this. It’s an unbelievably unfortunate incident.”
The decision came on Monday, November 9, after the fourth round of the six-round Q-School final in Tarragona, Spain. Kennedy had shot a 69 and was tied for 28th at 15 under par. The top 15 players and ties would earn DP World Tour cards for 2027. However, the Tour disqualified him for “serious misconduct after causing deliberate damage to the course.”
Kennedy gave a different account of what happened. He said he missed a birdie putt on the 11th hole and swung his putter in frustration. He claimed the putter “accidentally caught the surface.”
His statement added: “I did not intentionally or deliberately damage the putting surface, and any comments saying otherwise are wholly incorrect.”
MondayQInfo’s Ryan French also reported that the damage to the green left a divot about one foot long. However, this detail came from unnamed sources and was not mentioned by Kennedy or the DP World Tour.
Kennedy admitted that he should have called a referee to check the repair. He also asked the Tour to review the decision. On Tuesday, the Tour confirmed that the disqualification would stand.
Its statement read: “The ruling to disqualify him under Rule 1.2a of the Rules of Golf – made by the Qualifying School Rules Committee for serious misconduct for damaging the 11th green during the fourth round – stands.”
Rule 1.2a deals with how players should behave on the course. The R&A lists intentionally causing serious damage to a putting green as an example of serious misconduct. The main issue in Kennedy’s case is whether he damaged the green on purpose.
His disqualification also changed the cut line. It moved from 12 under to 11 under, allowing seven more players to continue in the event.
On Tuesday, Kennedy’s former instructor Nick Bradley posted on X: “Unfortunate for young Frank Kennedy at @DPWorldTour q school with his dq. I built his swing from 10.5 to just before him ‘not’ playing in the Walker Cup. All I’ll say, because I’ve been asked, is that ‘all behavior is learned’..those who know will know what I mean.”
Bradley did not explain the line, and it should not be read as a specific accusation. In a follow-up post sharing before-and-after swing images, he said Kennedy had “plenty of great examples to follow; for emphasis I stress ‘he’.”
Rory McIlroy did not claim to be a saint. “I think we all, when we’re younger, or even I still have my moments where I’m maybe not proud of some of the things that I do on the golf course in anger or if I’ve hit a bad shot,” he said.
What changed his approach was his caddie, Harry Diamond. “It’s not worth to get angry because I would never want anything to get in the way of our friendship to start with,” McIlroy said.
Sergio Garcia was disqualified from the 2019 Saudi International for damaging several greens, and he apologised. The cases are not identical, and Garcia’s case proves nothing about Kennedy.
For Kennedy, the cost is real. He won the 2023 Lytham Trophy, reached the Amateur Championship semi-finals, and in 2024 became the third-youngest winner in HotelPlanner Tour history at the Euram Bank Open. He finished 62nd in this season’s rankings and holds Category 8 status for 2027, so he still has a path, though not through Q-School.