On Monday night, a shocking score was posted in a US Amateur qualifier conducted by the Florida State Golf Association at Mayacoo Lakes Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
PGA Tour caddie Trey Bilardello, who is currently working with multi-time winner Matt Every, turned in a 202 that was such a high score that the tournament's scoring website couldn't even show the actual number. Even still, the reported 194, which included a front-nine 125, was crazy enough.
That 194 U.S. Am qualifier that made the rounds yesterday? Turns out that's not the right score; it was actually higher, but the Florida State Golf Association's online scoring system has a glitch, according to official. FSGA still trying to decipher what happened pic.twitter.com/f3sjejIcHY
— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) July 16, 2019
The score made the rounds some on Monday and even more on Tuesday, with those in the PGA Tour umbrella and community scoffing at the score, expecting the USGA to send a strongly worded letter to Bilardello. Players who attempt to qualifier for the USGA's premier events but miss the course rating by more than 10 shots are sent a letter, asked to justify the high score for that level of play.
Bilardello, the son of former Major League Baseball player Dann Bilardello, has a USGA handicap index of 2.2. He has attempted to qualify for PGA Tour events through pre-qualifiers, and he's played some mini-tour golf with modest scores in the 70s. He's not a world-class player on the cusp of a breakthrough, but he's also not a weekend hack.
He has worked inside the ropes for years. Bilardello posted a few videos to YouTube in 2011, including this video of him sort of talking to Tiger Woods from outside the ropes during a practice round at the 2011 Players.
So, how in the world did he shoot 202 in a US Amateur qualifier?
It's really not clear. However, by the time Tuesday afternoon rolled around, the Florida State Golf Association, which conducted the qualifier, had decided to disqualify Bilardello for not playing under the spirit of the rules -- an option available under Rule 1.2, as reported by Golf Digest, who talked to the FSGA for their story.
In other words, the FSGA came to believe Bilardello didn't play poorly -- he played poorly for lack of trying. Digest's reporting indicates this isn't the first time Bilardello hasn't put forth proper effort, self-sabotaging scores and having a negative impact on his playing partners. The Minor League Golf Tour suspended Bilardello for what appears to be multiple incidences of damaging host courses during tournaments, triggering a pleading message to all players about on-course conduct.
