There are playoffs and then there’s what happened earlier this week in Ireland at The Amateur Championship.
The stroke-play portion of the event that makes the cut for match play at the top 64 and ties produced a 19-man playoff. That’s right, NINETEEN golfers. And that wasn’t even the craziest part.
It was a 19-for-18 playoff, meaning the amateurs competed for ONE spot. Which presumably left one guy feeling extra rubbish about not advancing. First, here’s a look at the leaderboard logjam that caused this madness:
19 for 18 playoff in @Ballyliffin to make match play stages in the amateur championship some drama to be had pic.twitter.com/OsQGqnRjdt
— Irish Amateur golf info (@amateur_info) June 18, 2024
Then here’s a look at the actual madness as it was about to unfold:
Play a 19-some with Stymies you cowards. https://t.co/ivAnh3QQ3J
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) June 18, 2024
What a wild scene. So how did the tournament organise this playoff? It looks like they broke up what was basically a golf outing into three fivesomes and a foursome. And everyone waited after playing one hole until everyone else was done.
You could argue that this bizarre situation got even crazier by the fact that only one extra hole was needed. Poor Bob van der Voort made a triple bogey—and all 18 other golfers beat that to end a long day at Ballyliffin Golf Club.
The first tee shot was hit at 6:45 am by Peer Wernicke
The last putt at 10:20 pm by Niall Shiels Donegan
Bob van der Voort lost out in 19 for 18 playoff @acaseofthegolf1 match play starts tomorrow pic.twitter.com/HbypFK5CD2
— Irish Amateur golf info (@amateur_info) June 18, 2024
Sorry, Bob, that’s a brutal beat. Hopefully, the guys advancing bought him a drink. All of them, that is.
Image: @amateur_info