Young golfer's loss proves he's a winner

Zack Nash, 14, won his age division at the Milwaukee County Parks Tour Invitational on Aug. 11. But he gave up the victory after discovering he had inadvertently played with 15 clubs in his bag.

On Aug. 11, the 14-year-old Nash shot a 77 at Dretzka Park to win the boys 13-14 age division at the Milwaukee County Parks Tour Invitational, a tournament for accomplished juniors run by the Wisconsin PGA Section.

Understandably proud, Nash asked his parents to drive him to Rivermoor Golf Club, where the Nashes are members and where Zach plays 36 holes a day, every day, in the summer. He wanted to show his first-place medal to Chris Wood, the golf professional at Rivermoor.

"I showed Chris my medal and he said, 'Great job,' " Nash said. "We were standing outside, having a soda and talking and he looked in my bag and said, 'Whose club is this?' "

Oh, oh. Nash had played golf with a friend the day before and somehow the friend's 5-wood wound up in Nash's bag.

The young golfer knew what it meant: When he won the tournament at Dretzka, he had 15 clubs in his bag and had violated Rule 4-4 ("the player must not start a round with more than 14 clubs").

The penalty for a breach of Rule 4-4 is two strokes for each hole played with more than 14 clubs, with a maximum of four penalty strokes. Because Nash didn't realize the extra 5-wood was in his bag, he completed his round and signed for a 77 when he actually scored 81.

"I knew the rule, I just didn't make it a point to count my clubs," he said. "I didn't use the club once in the tournament."

No matter. He broke the rule, albeit unintentionally, and then signed an incorrect scorecard.

"I kind of started crying in the clubhouse," he said. "I was really upset. Chris said, 'You know what this means?' I said, 'Yeah. I've got to disqualify myself.' "

JsOnline.com story link.