You've made it to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. You pick your site. You fly there. You land. Your clubs don't. What do you do?
In the case of Scott Gardiner, simple: shoot 7-under 65 in the first of two rounds on Monday in Columbus, Ohio.
Golf Channel reported Gardiner's clubs were lost on the flight to the Buckeye State for the qualifying tournament split between Brookside G & C.C. and The Lakes G & C.C. Left with no choice, Gardiner asked club pro Zach Houston if he could borrow his sticks for the day. Houston obliged, but Gardiner first had to get some different, conforming wedges as the ones Houston had in his bag did not conform to the current grooves rule.
The Aussie opened with 65 at The Lakes, vying for one of 15 spots available at that sectional. He made just one bogey, with six birdies and an eagle in Round 1. In Round 2, however, the magic did not continue. Gardiner shot 2-over 74 at Brookside to miss an 11-for-seven playoff by three shots.
21 Comments