Lucy Li, the young American golf phenom, will get to keep her amateur status after the USGA handed out a warning for appearing in an Apple Watch advertisement last year.
Rule 6-2 bans amateurs from using their names or likeness for personal benefit in advertising products. The USGA said Li did not receive any money or compensation for her appearance, and felt a warning was more deserved than a ban, especially since it was her first violation.
The ruling clears up Li to play in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur ahead of the Masters in early April.
Li, the No. 8 ranked women amateur in the world, famously qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at just 11 years-old in 2014, and followed it up with a win at the Junior PGA Championship in 2016 at just 13.
