Ludvig Åberg and his caddie Joe Skovron made history by being the first to utilize a 2026 PGA Tour rules update allowing on-the-spot replacement of a damaged club. This occurred during the third round at Pebble Beach on the 18th tee. The change addressed previous limitations that required spares to be kept in the locker room.
Ludvig Åberg hit his drive out of bounds on the par-5 18th hole—his ninth hole of the round—during the third round at Pebble Beach. He then noticed a crack in the face of his driver.
The incident highlighted a recent update to Model Local Rule G-9, which was modified at the start of 2025 to permit replacement for a visible crack in the club face. Previously, as seen when Matt Fitzpatrick was denied a replacement during the BMW Championship at Castle Pines the year before, spares had to remain in the locker room.
In 2026, the PGA Tour advocated for further changes, enabling players to carry a spare driver head in their bag for immediate replacement if damage is confirmed. Åberg's caddie, Joe Skovron, had the backup in the bag.
“They sent out rules changes at the start of the year and one of them was you no longer had to keep it (the replacement) in the locker,” Skovron said. “Before, someone had to get it for you. Now you can carry it in the bag, and if your driver is deemed damaged, you could put that one in. I had the backup in the belly of the bag.”
Skovron noted that the rule benefits power players with high clubhead speeds and thinner club faces. Åberg called for a rules official, who approved the crack, allowing Skovron to attach the replacement on the spot. Without it, Åberg would have used his 3-wood for the next shot and waited until the turn near the clubhouse to replace the driver.
Åberg reached the green in two shots and narrowly missed an 18-foot putt for par.
PGA Tour rules official Steve Rintoul described the situation as a “perfect example why we pushed hard for the local rule to change.” He added, “A guy discovers a crack on the 10th tee, his caddie can go to the locker room. If it’s on the 14th tee, it might be two holes before he gets it. We like the fact if a club is cracked or broken, it can be replaced right there. The old method of the replacement was so archaic.”
