Rotorua golfer Danny Lee has finished agonisingly short of claiming his second PGA Tour win, though he only has himself and maybe his caddie to blame.
Danny Lee had to settle for a tie for third Photo: Photosport
Lee finished in a tie for third on 19 under par after firing a final round four under 67 at the John Deere Classic in Illinois.
The event was won by Masters and US Open champion Jordan Speith, with the American beating compatriot Tom Gillis in a two-way playoff after finishing the final round on 20 under par.
Lee finished one shot short of qualifying for the playoff, with a mistake early in his round likely costing him the chance to challenge for the title.
He marked his tee shot on the fourth before lifting his ball to clean it, believing the tournament was operating under the clean and place rules that featured on Sunday.
However the rules weren't in place for the final round, meaning Lee was penalised a shot.
The New Zealand men's number one copped a one-stroke penalty and went on to bogey the hole.
The 24-year-old, who won the Greenbrier Classic last week in a four-round playoff, had climbed into a tie for the lead with a birdie on 17, but he missed a 15-foot par putt on 18th which would have lifted him into the playoff.
Lee next travels to the year's third major, the British Open at St Andrews in Scotland, which starts on Friday.
And Lee's climbed three places on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup rankings to 12th.
Spieth remains on top of the FedEx Cup rankings.