O'Hern caught in Daly drama at Bay Hill
IN: News | US PGA | Arnold Palmer Invitational (2008) | General | by Bruce Young | 13 Mar 2008
In a rather unusual set of circumstances, John Daly, Ryuji Imada and Nick O’Hern have been disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Championship after all three, for various reasons, had not been ready to play in Wednesday’s pro-am.
The chain of events was set in motion when Daly, an invite to the event, called the tournament office on Tuesday and was reportedly given wrong information regarding his tee time on Wednesday. The tee time he was told (9.47am) was actually for his opening round time and it was only when driving into the Bay Hill course that he was informed of the fact that he had been disqualified.
The PGA Tour has a policy that if you are unable to make the Pro Am you are also ineligible to play the tournament itself. Nick O’Hern and the inform Ryuji Imada were about to discover that even as alternates in the pro-am they had an obligation to be ready to play should there be a withdrawal or no-show. They were not and as a consequence both were withdrawn from the event.
O’Hern’s misfortune turned out to be good fortune for fellow Australian Peter Lonard who was, perhaps surprisingly, an alternate for the tournament itself. Lonard was at home in Orlando when advised of the fact that he had gained a start despite him being third alternate at the time.
“While it is disappointing to get a start on another player’s misfortune, I am just very happy to be playing the event,” said Lonard who has played the event in each of his first six year on the PGA Tour.
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