UPS driver DQ'ed from U.S. Open final qualifying for boneheaded scorecard mistake
UPS driver DQ'ed from U.S. Open final qualifying for boneheaded scorecard mistake
Nick Barrett didn't qualify for the U.S. Open at Oakmont on Monday but he's in contention for one of the bonehead moves of the year in golf.
Barrett, a 31-year-old UPS driver from Catonsville, Maryland, posted 73 in the first round at Woodmont Country Club, his final stage of qualifying, and then forgot to sign his scorecard in the allotted time. The result? Disqualification.
According to Monday Q Info's Ryan French and the Baltimore Sun's Edward Lee, Barrett didn't remember to return his scorecard to the scorer's tent until 20 minutes after finishing his round. By then, it was ruled too late.
Barrett accepted that he was responsible for the mistake.
'It's really upsetting to go out like that because it wasn't anything I did on the course or because I signed something wrong,' he said. 'I just got caught up in the moment. That was my responsibility, and I just didn't do it.'
'I was starting to feel a little bit more comfortable with my game,' he added. 'I'm not saying I was going to go out there and shock the world, but I was feeling a lot better after playing the first round. It's just a real shame that I couldn't go back out there.'
Barrett previously reached the final qualifying stage for the U.S. Open in 2023 and advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Barrett had advanced through local qualifying by shooting 68 on May 5.
'If people hear this, for me specifically, I can take this as a learning experience,' he said. 'I've never had a problem with rules in the past, and it only takes one time for you to feel this way to never want to feel it again.'
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