It was a casual Wednesday round for former No. 1 quarterback Blake Bortles.
The UCF product and Jacksonville Jaugars signal-caller was even through seven holes on the Ocean Course at Ponte Vedra Inn and Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. -- less than hour from Jacksonville -- when he got a call from the Green Bay Packers. They needed him to get up to Wisconsin, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers had contracted COVID-19 and would be ineligible to play Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, Bortles' round was taking an ugly turn when his phone rang.
Former Jaguars legend Blake Bortles was even through seven holes at Ponte Vedra's Ocean Course this morning when he got the call to fly to Green Bay. He was staring at double bogey on No. 8 when he picked up.
Gotta love the Boat.
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) November 3, 2021
The par-4 eighth plays 413 yards from the back tees and is the No. 13 handicap hole on the course. This was a great round for Bortles, too, as he plays out of Marsh Landing Country Club to a current handicap index of 9.5.
Since Rodgers is considered unvaccinated by the National Football League, he must quarantine for a minimum of 10 days and cannot return until Nov. 13 at the earliest, assuming he remains asymptomatic.
Bortles was on the Packers' roster over the summer until Rodgers reported for camp after a tenuous situation with the organization's management. He will reportedly be signed to the practice squad, eligible to be on the 53-man roster for Sunday.
Veteran QB Blake Bortles is flying to Green Bay with the expectation he will sign to the Packers’ practice squad and be eligible for the 53-man roster Sunday, per source. Bortles was on the Packers’ roster this summer until Aaron Rodgers reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2021
Herbert Strong is the original architect of the Ocean Course, with Bobby Weed completing a second renovation tour in 2020.
