Scorecard Error Costs Oregon Golfer Shot At History

Here’s the sad story of a high school golfer whose carelessness with the scorecard cost her a chance at being the state title winner four years in a row

Eugene (Ore.) Churchill High girls golfer Caroline Inglis was on the cusp of history. After winning the Oregon Scholastic Activities Association Class 5A state tournament during each of her first three years, Inglis finished the final round of the 2012 state tournament with a 3-under 69, a score that completed a dominant performance that was nine shots better than anyone else in the tournament.

All Inglis had to do to ensure history would be made was sign her scorecard. As it turns out, that’s precisely what got her in trouble.

Read the whole story.

I really feel sorry for the girl in the story. I’m sure that—caught up in the excitement—Inglis was not thinking in a calm and collected manner. Today’s high schoolers—even Seniors—don’t think as logically or clearly as adults would like under the best of circumstances. In fact, if there’s a way for a high school student to do something stupid, my experience is that you can’t rule out them doing it.

Given that it was a high school tournament and that the people running it should know a thing or two about the adolescent mind, there should have been strict procedures in place to prevent this sort of catastrophe. An adult or three need to be available to sit the girls down and slowly go over the cards before allowing them to sign it. 

Lack of adult supervision not only diminished Inglis’ accomplishment, but also the victory of the default winner. It further diminished the entire tournament. I blame the adults for this one.