[PHOTO: Tracy Wilcox]
Chris Korte and John Sand will be making their PGA Tour debuts this week at the Black Desert Championship after earning spots through a Monday qualifier. One slight problem: Korte and Sand shouldn’t have been in the event.
The issue, reported by Monday Q Info’s Ryan French and Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine, stems from a clerical error on the PGA Tour side. Korte and Sand, along with two other players, signed up and were granted access into the Monday qualifying field at Sand Hollow in Hurricane, Utah. However, Korte and Sand did not have exempt status, meaning they should have had to play in a Thursday pre-qualifier to gain entry into the Monday field.
According to French, the Utah PGA section discovered the problem last week and informed the four players that they would be removed from the Monday field. It was then that the PGA Tour overruled the decision and allowed the four players back into the Monday field, with French stating one of the four players had called the tour and asked for compensation for travel because of their error.
A PGA Tour source confirmed to Golf Digest there was an administrative mistake, but would not comment regarding communications between the tour and the aforementioned four players.
Korte and Sand took medallist honours with an eight-under 64 on Monday, so at least their play merited a spot into the big event. Not that their fellow competitors saw it that way, as former PGA Tour player Jim Knous took to Twitter to reply, “Yikes. Shot -6 today, got beat by 2 of these players. And had a flat tyre this morning. What a weird day. How about a spot in the field at PGATOUR?!”
It’s worth noting that hosting the Monday qualifier was also new to the Utah PGA section. The Black Desert Championship is making its tour debut this week, and marks the PGA Tour’s first return to Utah in 60 years.
