Watch: Monday-qualifying hopeful withdraws after several lip-outs
Four players Monday qualified for this week’s Wells Fargo Championship, though much of the talk by Tuesday afternoon centered on one player who didn’t.
PGA Tour posted a video of Ryan McCormick lipping out three straight putts, including a 2-footer and a raked-back tap-in. He then tried to scoop the ball up in disgust, only for his ball to roll into his playing competitor, who then tossed McCormick the ball, which McCormick then underhand tossed off screen.
His day was done.
It’s unclear what score McCormick would’ve made on the hole had he gathered himself and sank his next putt, but the 30-year-old St. Johns product was officially listed as a withdrawal after 14 holes of even-par golf.
This won’t be an off week for McCormick, however, as the Korn Ferry Tour member was expected to go from that qualifier in Lorton, Virginia, to College Grove, Tennessee, where he’s in the field for the KFT’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation. McCormick has missed four of his past five cuts on the tour, but he sits 23rd in points thanks in large part to a runner-up finish at the Astara Golf Championship in February.
As for the Wells Fargo, the four players qualifying out of Laurel Hill Golf Club were Canada’s Drew Nesbitt, who shot 6-under 64; former Haskins Award winner out of Oregon, Norman Xiong, who carded 65; Nicholas Thompson, oldest brother of Lexi Thompson, who shot 66; and former Tour winner David Lingmerth, who won a four-man playoff that included Steve Marino, Brett Stegmaier and Lee Detmer.