A day after going viral for an albatross, South African Shaun Norris was making headlines again for much more penalizing 2.
Norris stood over his golf ball and prepared to hit his approach shot into the fifth hole during the final round of the 2026 Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links in Scotland, but he felt something under his right foot. His eyes darted down, and with a quick motion his right foot kicked a divot out of the way before he lined back up and hit the shot.
Norris, the tournament's 54-hole leader, would go on to par the hole. Or so he thought.
Norris was penalized two shots under Rule 8.1, which states players cannot improve conditions affecting their stroke, essentially "play the course as you find it." That one move
was worth two shots, and his score changed to a double.
Shaun Norris is handed a two-shot penalty ⚠️
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 23, 2026
Rule 8.1 - Players Actions That Improve Conditions Affecting the Stroke while preparing to play his approach shot from the fairway on Hole 5 in the final round of the Nexo Championship.#NexoChampionship pic.twitter.com/2cVzLMmZ9q
Norris was informed of the penalty when making the turn. Instead of being even par and remaining at 9 under, he dropped to 7 under and was all of a sudden chasing.
With a few holes left to go in his round, Norris trailed leader Scott Jamieson by four shots.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: DP World Tour pro penalized two shots after kicking divot away from stance in Scotland
