What is the dumbest thing you've done in a qualifier?

[BobbyDPlaysGolf]

Today I played a local mid am qualifier. I got off to an awful start. 4 putted the first green and doubled 2. I start grinding it out and make a bogey on 16 to go 5 up on the day. Based off previous years I thought the number to get in would be no more then +4. 17 is a shortish par 3 with water in front playing dead into the wind and the pin is up front. I know i have to be aggressive here because 18 is not going to be a birdie hole (450 par 4 into the wind). So I take my risk it club out. I caught it good and but I also caught a large gust and it went in the drink. I walk up to the drop zone and it is pretty haggard. I drop and the ball sits down in an old divot. I knock it on but am way long and 3 putt for a six. I par 18. Now here is the part where I am kicking myself. +6 got in. It was windy out and it was a large field with 23 spots but I never imagined +6 would do it. So two questions, what would you have done in that situation and what is the dumbest thing you have done in a qualifier?

[ben w]

first, you had no idea what the number was going to be, so don't beat yourself up over it. There's no scoreboard you can look at to know where you stand. All you can do is play your game, add them up, and see if it was good enough at the end of the day.

Your decisions on 17 sounded sensible, you just didn't execute the shots during your round the way you wanted. Hitting one in the drink didn't kill you, but having your B game caught up to you and you had one of your poorer rounds.

It always sucks to not achieve your goals, but it sounds like you gave it a good effort. You started badly but didn't give up, and kept grinding. You will learn and do better next time no doubt! Tournament golf is the best...

[vbb]

I'm not good enough to play in a qualifier so no personal stories from me, but I do think you made the right decision at the right time by going for the front pin and trying to make up a shot or two. Had you pulled the shot off, you'd have been in, and it wasn't like it was a silly "punch it through the narrowest gap between the trees and over a hazard" 1 in a 1000 type of shot. You just aimed for the pin instead of the middle of the green on the 17th hole trying to make something happen.

Next time, buddy!

[alittleoverpar]

I was playing in a state amateur qualifier a few years ago. I pulled my first tee shot left into the weeds resulting in a double-bogey on the first hole (not a great start). I proceeded to par the next 10 holes in a row. Thinking to myself, I've got it made if I can just par in. The next hole is a par 5 and I rope a drive down the center of the fairway. I'm 200 yards out thinking if I make eagle I'm back to even. I went for the green with my second sending it OB right. Finished that hole with a double-bogey. Made pars on the remaining holes finishing with a 76. A 75 would have got me in. I felt like Tin Cup!

[playa]

I can only speak for myself, but as I know my game pretty well I would have gone for a safe shot into the green and be aggressive on the putt hoping for a hail mary. I'm not a good player and don't execute well under extreme pressure so for me, being aggressive on the tee shot would have been low percentage. I am more chance of dropping a bomb on the green than executing a risky approach shot. But that's me. The secret is to know your game and play to your strengths.

[AutomaticTwoDown]

The dumbest thing I've ever done in a qualifier is send in the entry fee. Showing up was a close second.

[Apex93]

I did the opposite of you - "taking your foot off the gas" is the worst thing I've done. Thought I was plenty clear, then changed my game plan (and what was working) to finish too safe. Once you take your focus off the shot in front of you and start adding them up before you've done it, you've lost the mental battle. I learned I can still make doubles even if I think I'm playing safe!
Bummer about your round - sometimes the Golf Gods demand sacrifice, but they always pay it back.

[BobbyDPlaysGolf]

Yea I'm sure I'm not the first nor the last to rationalize a half rational decision to get inside the number. I'm not disappointed really. It's not like I topped one in the pond, I hit the shot how I wanted to. The start of my round was a disaster and I didn't give up. I'd chalk that up to a small victory in a sense.

[ClayShooter]

The way I look at individual sports is you play to your best ability for the conditions presented to you. If you don't have the confidence to make the shot you don't do it. If your confidence tells you you can, go for it. In individual sports, such as golf, you are competing against the course if you don't know what your competitors scores. So you have to go with your best chance to lower your score.

[puttnforthe8]

Hit it in the water off the tee, hit a brilliant 3 wood that went in the hole(I never saw it...guys on the next tee box did), I was so excited I put down a 4 for the score(should have been a 3), so lost out because of the higher score.

[cardoustie]

I could write a short and entertaining novel with stories about Am and Mid-Am qualifiers

The one that hurts the most was a Canadian Am qualifier at Shaughnessy GC in BC years ago. Rough is diabolical and greens are rock hard. Dillard Pruitt, a former PGA tour winner,, is in the field. C'MON ! It's 100 guys for 9 spots or so

I am plugging away. I want to say I am 3 over. Not impressed, I think I need a 72. Somewhat happy as I birdied #1 (my tenth) and it is one of the converted par 5's. It's a par 73 with 3 par 5's converted to par 4's .. so par 70. I have about 4 holes to go and a semi-buddy who has finished rides up and asks how it is going. I get up and down from the trap and tell him I'm not so great .... and his reaction is basically "holy sh_t Cardy, nobody is breaking 80, you're likely leading this thing". KABOOOM.

I short side the next par 3, leave chip short, 3rd one on and 30 feet by, 3 jack for a triple. Bogey next two. Manage to chip in on 18 to save a par. I shot 78 or 79 and 1 less made it. I was so rattled, and later livid with this "buddy"

[animalgolfs]

Tee it up on the 1st hole of the Houston Open Qualifier.....

Enough said

[cb24]

[quote name='AutomaticTwoDown' timestamp='1430449432' post='11477533']
The dumbest thing I've ever done in a qualifier is send in the entry fee. Showing up was a close second.
[/quote]

Lol, nice one.

The dumbest I thing I have done was after birdie ing the first hole... I top my tee shot. Then recover to get to about 3 feet for par and 3 putt. The combination of the 3 putt and the topped ball = mind explosion

[Erik44]

I don't agree that going aggressive on the hardest hole of the course was a smart move. When i'm playing in tournaments/qualifiers the best thing (for me) is to forget about a number to shoot...sure, you can probably ballpark it but in reality, nobody knows what the number will be.

When i'm playing my best I'm not really sure where i'm at in relation to par. I am 100% in the moment just trying to hit shots or make putts. When you think about it, 72 may be level par for the course, but that is just a number of what par on every hole would add up to...with that said, try to play each hole as best you can. Example: the 450 yard par 4 into the wind is probably playing over par for the day, your goal would be to hit a good drive in the fairway to give you the best chance of hitting the green in 2. From there i'd be going for the center of the green to give myself the best chance for par while eliminating the big number. Take your birdies when the course allows it but the key for me is to avoid the big numbers. When you get out of your normal routine and try to force something it usually doesn't end the way you want it to.

It's cliche, take it one shot at a time and keep it simple. See ball, hit ball, at the end of the round see what the numbers total, don't even think about in relation to par it can only hinder you from going lower.

Oh and to answer your question, I had a nice 1 footer for par that I actually dubbed the ground and left it short shot an 80 that day followed by a 71.