Lucas Glover enjoyed one of the best years of his professional career in 2023, but 2024 has started miserably and that continued at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Thursday
Lucas Glover is “kicking himself” for missing out on his spot at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Thursday due to an embarrassing mistake.
Glover had one minute to make his tee time; he was still in bed when he received a call from tournament officials. Glover was scheduled to tee off at 8.26am local time. After being taken aback by the call, the 44-year-old checked his texts again and realized he had made a mistake, ending his chances of playing at TPC Scottsdale.
In the process, he missed out on the chance to compete for a slice of the $8.8million purse for the event, with $1.6m going to the winner.
The 2009 US Open champion, fortunately, recognized the irony of his mistake and said to Golf Channel, “I just misread my text messages [that listed my tee time]. I’m laughing at myself and also kicking myself at the same time.
Throughout his 23-year professional career, Glover has never missed a tee time; however, Ryo Hisatsune gained by Glover’s loss. The next alternate on the list was the Japanese player, who is currently ranked 76th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was prepared to seize the moment when he teed off.
Despite the late call-up, Hisatsune showed no signs of panic, making two birdies in his first five holes as he tried to take advantage of an unanticipated opportunity. Only after several players withdrew in the days leading up to the competition—including Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland—did he become the first alternate.
Hisatsune, 21, is one of many rising stars from the Far East. He won the Open de France on the DP World Tour in September, his first major victory coming as a teenager after three victories on the Japan Challenge Tour.
Glover’s error carries on an unsatisfactory start to the year. After years in the wilderness, he made an incredible comeback to form in 2023, winning the FedEx St. Jude and the Wyndham Championship and placing fifth in the FedEx Cup.
However, 2024 is off to a poor start. After placing 29th at The Sentry, the year before, it missed the cut at the Sony Open. Last week, it tied for 58th place at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was canceled after three rounds due to inclement weather. Glover also lost a chance to improve ahead of the Genesis Invitational, the PGA Tour’s next major event with a huge $20 million purse, next week by missing his Thursday tee time.
Top of the world In Phoenix, Scottie Scheffler is the favorite according to the bookies, ahead of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, and Sam Burns. However, European Ryder Cup heroes Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry have made solid starts inthe desert, making birdies early in their round.
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