Nick Barrett was living a golfer’s dream. A UPS driver from Catonsville, Maryland, the 31-year-old was in the final stage of qualifiers for the U.S. Open.
Ironically, the deliveryman forgot a signature. Barrett was disqualified from Monday’s event at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, after he failed to sign his scorecard in a timely fashion.
His dream of competing in one of golf’s four majors will have to wait another year.
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“It’s really upsetting to go out like that because it wasn’t anything I did on the course or because I signed something wrong,” Barrett told the Baltimore Sun. “I just got caught up in the moment. That was my responsibility, and I just didn’t do it.”
After his morning round, Barrett said he went to grab a snack instead of visiting the scorer’s tent. His playing partners waited for him, but event organizers disqualified him after waiting about 20 minutes.
“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,” he said. “As soon as I did that, my heart went straight to the bottom of my stomach.”
Barrett reached the same stage of qualification in 2023 but fell just short. This time, it was a mental lapse that doomed him.
“It’s kind of hard to express, but just disappointment in myself because at the end of the day, it is my responsibility as a player,” he told the Sun. “I can’t blame anybody but me. It’s just a total gut punch.”
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