The U.S. Open is golf’s ultimate meritocracy, giving anyone the opportunity to compete with the best of the best. And like any examination, there are a select few that soar, while others come out on the business end of the battle. This story is decidedly the latter case.

Former All-American Lee McCoy advanced through local qualifying today at RTJ Golf Trail-Silver Lakes thanks to a two-under 70. But it wasn’t McCoy’s performance that caught our eye. Rather, it was this tweet regarding a fellow competitor’s score:

The scorecard of the guy that played in front of me at US Open qualifying today. Shot 68 on his front 9 and decided to finish #NeverGiveUp pic.twitter.com/zfOBJPzNfI

— Lee McCoy (@LeeMcCoyGolf) May 11, 2017

That’s right, sports fans, a number higher than an FM radio station.

You may be wondering how this knucklehead found his way into qualifying. After all, the tournament requires a handicap not exceeding 1.4 under the USGA system. However, there is a loophole. If you declare yourself as a professional, you don’t need to submit a handicap, as it’s assumed you’re capable of the endeavor at hand. A proviso that’s at play here: the golfer in question — one Clifton McDonald — is not signified as an amateur on the local qualifier score board.

Which leads us to two takeaways:

— Just because you’re a professional doesn’t mean you’re good at your profession. I’m technically a professional writer, and you see how that’s working out.

— There’s the (slight) chance the poor bastard had a rough day.

Whatever the issue, props to McCoy for not letting this nonsense sidetrack his Erin Hills pursuit.

The post Player cards 127 in U.S. Open qualifier, misses cut by 55 strokes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.