Golf’s Q school has provided some of the game’s most heartbreaking finishes through the years. This time, a tour pro’s dreams ended while he was just getting started.
At the second stage of Q school, Luis Gagne put himself in decent shape after an opening round 70 in Plantation, Florida. Or so he thought. Turns out, Gagne left the course without signing his scorecard and was disqualified. Thanks to Ryan French (Monday Q Info) for first noticing this unfortunate occurrence.
The rules of golf can be harsh at times…Luis Gagne who is at 2nd in Plantation forgot to sign his scorecard before leaving the scoring area, the penalty for doing so…Disqualification. He had shot a -1 70 before being DQ'd. Gagne was ranked 24th in WAGR before turning pro
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) November 5, 2019
Gagne was in a tie for 41st place after the first of four rounds at one of five second-stage sites, but just two shots out of the top 20, which earns players a spot in Q School Final Stage next month (December 12-15) at Orange County National. There, the top 40 spots and ties from the final stage will receive at least some status on the Korn Ferry Tour next season.
You might recognise Gagne’s name from sharing low-amateur honours with Matt Parziale during the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. The LSU product also nearly earned a Masters invitation this year but finished runner-up to Alvaro Ortiz at the Latin American Amateur Championship in January, thanks to a different kind of mistake.
“You can’t lay up into a bunker,” Gagne said.
Now he’s learned the hard way that you can’t leave a tournament without signing your scorecard, either.
