Tommy Kuhl is a senior (fifth year) team member of the University of Illinois Athletics. On Monday he took part in one of the local qualifying rounds for the U.S. Open which will be held at the Los Angeles Country Club from June 15 to 18 next.
84 players took to the field at the Illini Country Club in Springfield to win one of the five places available to access the final qualifying phase which will be played between May 16 and June 5. Well, one of the 84 was Tommy, who played great golf.
He finished his round in 62 strokes, setting a new course record, and finished the game in the lead. With qualification for the finals in his pocket, Tommy followed his teammate, the Belgian Adrien Dumont de Chassart, into the playoffs to play for the last of the five places available.
Along with him, other guys on the team, including Jackson Buchanan, who remembers how difficult it is to putt on corrugated greens. And Tommy’s day suddenly changes.
Tommy Kuhl, statements
“I got sick” “I knew I couldn’t sleep if I didn’t talk to a referee.” Tommy Kuhl was about to disqualify himself.
As soon as he heard Buchanan’s words, he knew immediately that everything was gone for him. Rule 13 in its modified version admits the possibility of repairing a damaged area on the putting green, with the exception of abnormal ground conditions caused by normal maintenance (unless a local rule permits it, NDR).
And coring is normal maintenance, and Tommy had repeatedly repaired the areas that were on his line of putt. “I should have known. It’s my job, I had to know that rule.” As soon as he saw a referee, Kuhl was quick to report what happened.
And the disqualification came. Tommy Kuhl will have to wait until next year to try again to pursue his dream of a place at the U.S. open. But he wrote a beautiful page that reminds us of what our sport is based on (or, at least, it should be based…): integrity, honesty and determination in assigning yourself a penalty.
Tommy slept peacefully, and in any case with a consolation. His suspension spared his friend and teammate the playoffs. Adrien will play for a spot for the U.S. open.
