J.P. Hayes can't play full-time on the PGA Tour in 2009, and it's in large part because he turned himself in for a rules infraction.

For one hole during the second round of PGA Tour Qualifying last week in McKinney, Texas, Hayes played a golf ball that wasn't approved by the United States Golf Association. Hayes realized it and disqualified himself, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.

Hayes' first DQ of his career means he will have to play on the Nationwide Tour and hope for sponsors' exemptions to the PGA Tour.

"It's extremely disappointing," Hayes said, the newspaper reported. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and this is going to be a bad nightmare."

After his caddie gave him a ball on the 12th hole during the first round last Wednesday, Hayes hit his tee shot, then chipped onto the green and marked his ball, the newspaper reported. That's when he realized he was not playing with the same model Titleist ball he started, violating the one-ball rule, the newspaper reported.

It was then that Hayes realized the ball was not the same model Titleist with which he had started his round. That was in violation of the one-ball rule, which stipulates that a player must play the same model throughout a round.

"I realized there was a penalty and I called an official over," Hayes said, the Journal-Sentinel reported. "He said the penalty was two shots and that I had to finish the hole with that ball and then change back to the original ball."

Hayes took the penalty and shot a 74. After a 71 Thursday, he was well-positioned to advance to the final stage of PGA Tour Qualifying. Hayes, who had finished 176th on the 2008 money list, had to finish in the top 25 of that final stage to keep his Tour card.

Hayes said that later Thursday night he realized the ball he had played was not on the USGA's approved list, the newspaper reported.

"It was a Titleist prototype, and somehow it had gotten into my bag," he said, the Journal-Sentinel reported. "It had been four weeks since Titleist gave me some prototype balls, and I tested them. I have no idea how or why it was still in there."

Hayes said he knew he had to turn himself in, and he called a Tour official to report the situation.

"He said they'd call Titleist the next day," Hayes said, the newspaper reported. "I pretty much knew at that point I was going to be disqualified."

Hayes declined to blame his caddie, saying he's "anal about my equipment," the newspaper reported.

Hayes said what he did wasn't special.

"I would say everybody out here (on the PGA Tour) would have done the same thing," he said, the newspaper reported.

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The golfer, who has more than $7 million in career earnings, said he doesn't have to worry about feeding his family, and he plans to look at the positives of the situation, the Journal-Sentinel reported.

"I'm kind of at a point in my career where if I have a light year, it might be a good thing," he said, the newspaper reported. "I'm looking forward to playing less and spending more time with my family.

"It's not the end of the world. It will be fine. It is fine."

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