08 February 2024 , 18:26
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Lucas Glover is "kicking himself" after an embarrassing blunder saw him miss out on his place at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Thursday.
Glover was due to tee off at 8.26am local time but he was still in bed when tournament officials called to inform him that he had just one minute to make his tee time. The 44-year-old was stunned to receive the call before double-checking his text messages and realising his mistake and his hopes of playing at TPC Scottsdale were over.
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.
Fortunately, the 2009 US Open champion saw the funny side of his error, telling Golf Channel: "I just misread my text messages [that listed my tee time]. I’m kicking myself but laughing at myself at the same time.”
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Glover has never missed a tee time during his 23-year professional career, but his loss was Ryo Hisatsune's gain. The Japanese, ranked 76th in the Official World Golf Ranking, was the next on the list of alternates and he was ready on the tee to take his opportunity.
And Hisatsune was not flustered despite the late call-up, carding two birdies in his opening five holes, as he vies to make the most of an unexpected opportunity. He only became the first alternate after a series of withdrawals ahead of the tournament, with Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele among the players to pull out in the days before the event.
Ryo Hisatsune was the man to benefit from Lucas Glover's mishap. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Hisatsune, 21, is one of several rising stars from the Far East, winning three times on the Japan Challenge Tour as a teenager before collecting his first major title in September, winning the Open de France on the DP World Tour.
Glover's mistake continues a frustrating start to the year. He made a stunning return to form in 2023 after years in the wilderness, winning the Wyndham Championship and the FedEx St. Jude and finishing fifth in the FedEx Cup.
But 2024 has started poorly, finishing 29th at The Sentry before missing the cut at the Sony Open and ending tied for 58th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week before the event was curtailed due to bad weather after three rounds. And by missing his Thursday tee time, Glover has blown an opportunity to find some form ahead of next week's Genesis Invitational, the next signature event on the PGA Tour with a massive $20m purse.
World number-one Scottie Scheffler is the bookmakers' favourite to take the title in Phoenix, ahead of Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Sam Burns and Jordan Spieth. But European Ryder Cup heroes Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick have made strong starts in the desert, reeling off birdies early in their rounds.