Lee Hodges’ 16-foot par putt fell – finally – on the 17th green during the third round of the PGA Championship on Saturday.

But the former Ardmore High School, UAB and Alabama golfer carded a bogey-five on the par-4 hole because the PGA Championship Rules Committee penalized Hodges a stroke for waiting too long for the ball to drop into the cup.

On the 506-yard 17th, Hodges got into trouble with a poor second shot that left him in the rough and 64 yards from the hole. He landed his third shot on the green – 15 feet, 8 inches from the cup.

Hodges’ putt curled around the hole, leaving the ball perched on the edge at the back of the cup. After more than 30 seconds, the ball fell in.

WATCH LEE HODGES’ RELUCTANT PUTT FALL IN THE CUP

The PGA Championship Rules Committee invoked Rule 13.3a, which allows a golfer a reasonable time to reach the hole plus 10 more seconds to see if the ball will fall.

The committee issued a statement that read: “During play of the 17th hole, Hodges played his first putt to the edge of the hole, and after having walked up to the hole, behind his ball, he then waited more than 10 seconds. The ball then fell into the hole after the 10-second limit provided for in the rule. As a result, Hodges received a one-stroke penalty, under Rule 13.3a, and the ball was holed.”

Because Hodges bogeyed the 16th and 18th, the penalty caused him to close with three consecutive bogeys for a 5-over-par 75 in the third round. That left him at 10 over for the tournament after he made the cut on the number at 5 over to qualify for weekend play on the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

Hodges won the AHSAA Class 4A boys’ golf individual championship in 2014 while playing for Ardmore. Hodges was the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2015 during the first of his two seasons at UAB. He finished his college career with two seasons at Alabama.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.