Two golfers will play in a PGA Tour event after they were accidentally allowed to compete in a prequalifying round for the tournament.
The PGA Tour made a wild error that may actually result in more viewership for the inaugural Black Desert Championship this weekend.
Typically, tour events have qualification rounds known as a Monday qualifier tournament. During this round, players who are not already qualified for the event compete in a one-round competition for a limited number of spots. However, even that has a qualifying portion.
If a golfer is a member of the PGA, PGA Tour Champions (tour for age 50+), or the Korn Ferry Tour (developmental tour), they are exempt from the Monday qualifying event. Players who are not exempt must play in a prequalifying event to earn a spot in the Monday qualifier.
It’s a complicated process, but there has seemingly never been an issue with it, until now.
‘It was a clerical error by our tournament director.’
How did it happen?
Outlet Monday Q uncovered that four players, who were not exempt, were able to skip the prequalifying event and successfully enroll in the Monday qualifier for the Black Desert Championship. Golfers R.J. Manke, Chris Korte, John Sands, and Riley Lewis were all accidentally listed in the Monday qualifier field.
“It was a clerical error by our tournament director,” the Utah PGA told the outlet. “It is our first PGA Tour Monday, and he just made an error. He has done hundreds of tournaments without an issue. He just missed this one.”
Some players were outraged when they found out the other golfers were able to skip a total of three prequalifiers for the upcoming tournament, and at least one contacted the tour.
Korte, who skipped the prequalifying rounds, also called the tour to confirm his exemption was accurate. He told Monday Q that even though he signed up for the prequalifying rounds, he was reimbursed for those, remained exempt, and was in the Monday qualifier.
This mass of confusion left the PGA Tour in a tough spot, but after discussions with its legal team, the organization eventually decided to refund the entry fee for the four players and remove them from the Monday qualifier. Three players took it on the chin, while the fourth allegedly called the PGA Tour and asked to be reimbursed for his travel expenses.
As a result, the PGA then reversed course and decided to let the golfers play on in the qualifier.
According to Korte, the phone calls he received about being booted from the qualifier and being put back in came within 30 minutes of each other.
How did they do?
The Monday qualifier went ahead as scheduled with the four asterisked golfers. Amazingly, Korte and Sand both shot 64s and finished at -8, earning spots in the Black Desert Championship. According to Golf.com, two other golfers who qualified in the traditional sense also moved on to the big tournament.
Not only will all eyes be on the two luck-stricken golfers when the tournament starts on Thursday, but there is now an embedded rivalry between the pair of traditional qualifiers and the accidental qualifiers.
Korte is scheduled to tee off at 11:19 a.m. ET on Thursday, while Sand’s tee time is 11:35 a.m. ET.
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