Luke Donald's disappointing opening round at Augusta was almost fatal due to a smudged fax.
Donald, golf's No. 1 ranked player, shot a 3-over 75 to trail fellow Englishman Lee Westwood, the first day leader, by eight strokes.
But Donald's score was incorrectly listed as 73 on the tournament scoreboards after his first-round total was misread by officials inputting the numbers from his faxed scorecard.
An official took his bogey score of 5 on the par-4 fifth hole to be a smudged birdie 3.
The discrepancy briefly hung the threat of disqualification over the 34-year-old while organizers checked on whose side the mistake was made.
Augusta National officials soon took the blame for an "administrative error," ensuring Donald — who, like leader Westwood, is yet to win a major — remains in the field Friday.
"Just got off the phone with Luke," Donald's wife, Diane, tweeted after it was confirmed he could carry on. "Not disqualified. Thank goodness."
