Lucas Glover Forced To Withdraw From The WM Phoenix Open After Misreading His Tee Time In A Text Message
Lucas Glover withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open shortly before his first-round tee time on Thursday. While most guessed he could be dealing with a possible injury, an illness, or simply dealing with a personal matter, it turned out it had nothing to do with any of those hypotheticals.
Glover had to withdraw from one of the marquee events on the PGA Tour because he misread his tee time in a text message. The Tour sends out tee times via text message to each player in the field every week. Glover got the text, he just didn't read it closely enough.
"I just misread my text messages [that listed my tee time]," Glover told Golf Channel. "I’m kicking myself but laughing at myself at the same time."
While the majority of players would be furious with themselves, Glover is one of the more laid-back guys in the game, so his taking the mistake in stride comes as no surprise. He's unlike any of the other 44-year-old's in the field this week in the fact that he won twice in back-to-back weeks last season. Missing a start doesn't sting him like it does others.
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As for what happened to the now-open spot in the field, World No. 76 Ryo Hisatsune got into the field with Glover's withdrawal.
The unique situation puts into perspective how Tour fields work with there being an alternate list for each event. Typically the top two or three players on the alternate list hang around the tournament venue all the way up until Thursday's opening tee times, and Hisatsune is certainly happy he did this week in Phoenix.