For days, everyone was just beating around the bush about Michael Brennan’s sudden exit from the Farmers Insurance Open 2026 after the first round. Now, Brennan himself has finally shared the real reason behind his disqualification on Instagram.

In a lengthy post, the one-time PGA Tour winner explained that he was working with a course data analyst to improve his game. However, Brennan made the mistake of jotting down some of those points in his yardage book, which is not permitted. The 23-year-old wrote on his Instagram, “While looking at the green maps, I sketched a few arrows to help with my plan on approach shots. After completion of my round, I asked him for clarification of a feature on the green maps. During the clarification, he mentioned that I was not able to transcribe any details on the greens from his diagram into my yardage book.”

Under Model Local Rule G-11, players are restricted to using only committee-approved yardage books. While handwritten notes are allowed, they are strictly limited to information gathered personally by the player or caddie through observation or feel.

By sketching ‘details on the greens’ from an analyst’s external diagram into his yardage book, Brennan, who was playing only his seventh PGA Tour event, unknowingly breached the rules. His next action, however, shows real character.

The 23-year-old self-reported the violation and was disqualified. He continued, “Upon learning this, I reached out to a pga tour rules official, reporting my mistake, and was subsequently disqualified from the golf tournament.”

The first violation of Model Local Rule G-11 results in a penalty, and the second one in DQ. By the time Brennan realized the mistake and self-reported, it was too late for a penalty, and so his meteoric rise was halted prematurely.

Competing on Torrey Pines’ North Course, the 23-year-old fired a solid two-under-par 70. That Brennan chose to report his error despite that shows he is a man of integrity and cares about the spirit of the game.

Nevertheless, this disqualification is a huge blow for the rookie who was just starting to fly. Michael Brennan became a ‘Cinderella story’ in October 2025 when he won the Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort. Competing on a sponsor’s exemption in just his third career PGA Tour start (and his first as a professional), he delivered a dominant four-stroke victory at 22-under par.

The win was life-changing, allowing him to bypass the Korn Ferry Tour entirely and earn a two-year PGA Tour exemption through 2027. It also earned him a $1.08 million prize and launched his world ranking from 681st at the end of 2024 to as high as 32nd in early 2026. 

 Now, despite the ‘painful lesson’ at Torrey Pines, which temporarily stalls his momentum in the FedEx Cup standings (where he currently ranks 94th), Brennan is focused on the future. 

“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 concluded his statement.  

The Waste Management Phoenix Open, set for February 5-8, 2026, features an elite field including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Brennan enters the event as a ‘tournament winner in the past two seasons.’

But the youngster is not the first to encounter G-11 enforcement at the elite level. To understand why the Tour treats these rule violations so strictly, one has to understand that the MLR G-11 Rules actually exist.

Top Stories

Furious Golf Fans Sign Petition Demanding Suspended PGA Tour Pro’s Reinstatement

Jon Rahm Has the Last Laugh as DP World Tour Decides on LIV Golf Fines – Insider

Jordan Spieth Feels Envious of PGA Tour Pro 6 Years His Junior, All Because of a Simple Golf Trait

Nelly Korda & Co. Stopped From Teeing Up as $2.1M Tournament Faces Unexpected Disruption

Why Model Local Rule G-11 even matters, the backbone of this story

Many fans wonder why the PGA Tour is so strict about these maps. The leaders believe that reading a green should be a skill earned through hard practice. They made Model Local Rule G-11 to stop players from using perfect laser data maps. This rule forces every pro to use their own eyes and feet to find slopes. It keeps the game pure and rewards players who really know how to putt.

The rule officially started on January 1, 2022, after years of talking. It says players can only use yardage books approved by the tournament committee. You can write your own notes if you feel the slope today. You can even write things you saw on a live TV broadcast. But you cannot copy data from a computer or an analyst’s map.

Rory McIlroy, a Player Advisory Council member at that time, said, “It’s not that it’s an advantage really; it’s just taking away a skill that takes time and practice to be mastered. I think reading greens is a real skill that some people are better at than others, and it just nullifies that advantage that people have. Honestly, I think it’s made everyone lazier. People don’t put in the time to prepare the way they used to.”

It ensures that the best putter wins without any outside help. Alex Cejka was the very first player to get DQ’d under the new green-reading interpretations at the 2022 Regions Tradition for using an unapproved yardage book. At the 2023 Hero World Challenge, Collin Morikawa was hit with a two-stroke penalty for a G-11 breach. His caddie had used a level on the practice green—which is legal—but then wrote the specific slope percentages into the yardage book.

And most recently, Michael Brennan’s exit from the Farmers Insurance Open is a stark reminder to every player to double-check the rules before they hit the first tee.