It could have been a Cinderella story. The kind of sporting moment that has a movie made about it. Instead it will never come to pass. Nick Barrett, a 31-year-old UPS driver was only 18 holes away from qualifying for the U.S. Open when he was disqualified because of an ill-fated trip to get a hot dog.
A golfing UPS driver almost made the U.S. Open, but a hot dog got in the way
This has to be one of the most heartbreaking sports stories of the year.
Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Barrett shot a two-over 73 in the first 18-holes, and was well on his way to qualifying when he left the course at the break and forgot to head with his playing partners to sign his scorecard. Instead he grabbed a bite to eat.
“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 said.
Let this be a lesson on why you never eat something at the turn. To their credit, Barrett’s partners reportedly waited as long as they could before turning in their cards, hoping that he would turn up — but ultimately had to go ahead and file their scores before the risk of being disqualified themselves.
Ultimately he arrived at the tent 20 minutes after his round and tried to submit his card, before being told it was too late. This was the second time the driver has come close to qualifying for the U.S. Open. In 2023 he’d also reached the final qualifying stage of the event before being eliminated.
The two round cut ended up being 139, so it would have taken a monumental 66 round to qualify — but it was still in the realm of possibility. Now Barrett will need to wait until next year to try again, and hopefully in 2026 he remembers that a scorecard is more important than a hot dog.
See More:
