A trip to the bathroom has caused some golfing controversy.
Skyler Fox was disqualified from the US Open sectional qualifier at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, Monday afternoon.
The 16-year-old from Beaver Hills, Pennsylvania, returned to the scoreboard area before his second round, (sectional qualifying is 36 holes) only to see a “NC” next to his name, meaning he failed to deliver his scorecard.
According to a report from GolfWeek, Fox suffered a headache during his first round in which he shot a 78, which was later nullified. Fox went straight to the bathroom to take medicine, according to the report.
The bathroom trip violated Rule 3.3b(2), which requires players ”promptly return” their scorecard to the scorer’s table immediately after completing a round. Fox made his way to the scorer’s table after lunch about 15 minutes later, according to the USGA.
A dispute over what had actually happened ensued as Fox returned. According to the report, Fox never mentioned a headache, and USGA Director Craig Winter claimed Fox’s need for relief could have potentially changed the disqualification.
“They told me I was disqualified because I didn’t get to the scoring table in time, which made no sense,” Fox told Golfweek. “I was pretty upset. I mean, there was a good chance I wasn’t going to make it [to the US Open]. I was going to have to shoot really low. But I wanted to go out there and put a respectable score up.”
Joe Fox, Skyler’s father, disputed the ruling, claiming Fox couldn’t wait to use the bathroom.
“The kid had to go to the bathroom,” Joe Fox said. “He said he couldn’t wait. What do you do? You gotta go, you gotta go, unfortunately… It wasn’t like he was winning the thing, so would it have really killed you to let him finish?”
The USGA committee has discretion over what “promptly” means.
Fox is a high school junior who has won three Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championships at Riverside High School. Fox would have had to shoot a 64 in his second round to qualify for the US Open based on the final results.
“He probably would’ve been mid-pack, and for a 16-year-old, that’s a lot to be said,” Joe Fox said. “So, it was interesting. But you’ve got to take life’s bumps as they come, I guess.”
