UPS driver is disqualified from U.S. Open qualifying for this agonizing reason

Nick Barrett, a 31-year-old UPS driver from Maryland, shot 68 last month in U.S. Open local qualifying at Northwest Golf Course in Silver Spring to earn a spot in the 36-hole final qualifier Monday at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.

Barrett made birdie on his final hole Monday to shoot an opening 73 and, well, then made the silliest of mistakes.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Barrett’s playing partners Cole Miller and Jason Li went to the scorer’s tent to sign their respective scorecards and Barrett was nowhere to be seen. The two waited for a few minutes but eventually signed their cards and went to grab lunch and rest before their second rounds.

“I stood up after I had a hot dog or something at lunch, and I felt my back pocket, and I felt the scorecard in there, and as soon as I did that, my heart went straight to the bottom of my stomach,” Barrett told the Sun.

“It’s kind of hard to express, but just disappointment in myself because at the end of the day, it is my responsibility as a player. I can’t blame anybody but me. It’s just a total gut punch.”

About 20 minutes had passed, but Barrett still went straight to an official, knowing what his fate would be. The ruling was final, he was disqualified. Essentially, by the time the players in the group behind Barrett finished and reached the scorer’s tent, he was deemed too late.

Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood and Thomas Pieters were originally in the field but did not play on Monday. Other notables who played were Sebastian Munoz, Marc Leishman, Jason Kokrak, Peter Uihlein and Stewart Cink.

Barrett, from just outside Baltimore, was disappointed for many reasons. It wasn’t as if he felt like he was going to shoot an incredibly low number in the second round to qualify for the championship at Oakmont, but it was reported that nearly 40 friends and family members were there to support him in person, one of the largest galleries on the course.

“It’s really upsetting to go out like that because it wasn’t anything I did on the course or because I signed something wrong,” he said. “I just got caught up in the moment. That was my responsibility, and I just didn’t do it.”

Barrett is a strong player in his own right. Making it to this final stage alone proves that. He also reached final qualifying for the U.S. Open two years ago and advanced to the Round of 32 last year at the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

“If people hear this, for me specifically, I can take this as a learning experience,” he said. “I’ve never had a problem with rules in the past, and it only takes one time for you to feel this way to never want to feel it again.”