As most will attest, matchplay is one of golf’s great equalisers, meaning that any of the 64 players who qualified for the knockout stages of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Arizona’s Troon Country Club could go on to be crowned champion, earning invitations to the following year’s Masters and U.S. Opens in the process.
So, the stakes were high for Paul Mitzel from Seattle, Washington took on Georgetown, Texas’ Ryan O’Rear in the round of 64. O’Rear was the fourth seed having shot four-under over the two strokeplay qualifying rounds, while Mitzel avoided a playoff for the final places with a shot to spare.
The two couldn’t be separated by 19 holes, but bizarrely, there’d be no need for either player to hit a shot on the 20th as O’Rear was awarded the match for an incident that occurred between Troon Country Club’s first green and second tee.
Model Local Rule G-6 explains that “during a round, a player or caddie must not ride on any form of motorized transportation except as authorised or later approved by the committee,” and it transpired that Mitzel’s caddie – a longtime friend of the golfer – had been offered a lift by a shuttle cart driver to the next tee and had accepted, unaware of the consequences.
A walking rules official intervened, and O’Rear was declared the winner.
To O’Rear’s credit, he didn’t want to advance that way, so asked if he could veto the ruling and play the match to a traditional conclusion, but his request was denied and he was told that the decision was final.
Despite the obvious heartbreak, Mitzel refused to put any of the blame on his caddie when interviewed by Golf Channel in the aftermath.
“I have to think anyone in that situation takes the ride when a shuttle driver asks if they want to hop on really quick and not think anything of it,” Mitzel said.
“My caddie doesn’t deserve any fault. He’s the man and an awesome friend. I’d do the same thing in his shoes. We were having so much fun, it’s too bad.”
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