WORLD NUMBER SIX golfer Jim Furyk has been disqualified from the first FedEx Cup tournament – for oversleeping and missing his tee time for the Pro-Am before the tournament.
The golfer usually sets his alarm to wake up on his mobile phone – but its battery ran flat overnight, seeing him sleep through his assigned 7:30am tee-time.
“The hotel had power … but somehow my phone died,” Furyk said. “I never use a backup because I just figure if the phone is charged, I’m good to go.
“I’m beside myself, but I have a way of climbing into stupid situations. [But] the rules are rules. No matter what tournament it was, I would be upset. But I’m more upset because it’s this one.”
Furyk’s caddie and PGA reps tried to call Furyk – but, naturally, his mobile phone wasn’t ringing.
PGA Tour rules state that players are required to participate in the Pro-Am – where the crowd is allowed to intimately mingle with players on a day’s practice before the tournament itself begins – unless players are or their families are involved in medical emergencies.
Thankfully for Furyk, his Ryder Cup slot is already secure – but a string of good performances by his rivals in Tour rankings could see him fall to 19th in the points system it uses to decide a champion.
This won’t be a huge concern either, though, because the top 30 golfers in the tour are all invited to the season-ending Tour Championship.
