Marc Warren is heading to next month’s US Open all thanks to a closing hole birdie from a picnic blanket at the last on the final day of the BMW PGA Championship.
Warren birdied the closing three holes in a round of 69 for three under par tally.
It will ensure Warren, who entered the European Tour flagship ranked 57th in the world, will be exempt into the June 18th commencing US Open at Chambers Bay.
But unbeknown to Warren his second shot down the left side final hole of the famed ‘Burma Road’ actually ran through a picnic arrangement laid out by a family from Larne in Northern Ireland.
The picnic blanket actually slowed down Warren’s ball from heading well into the trees and if so, leaving Warren an almost impossible task of making par and with thoughts then of failing to qualify for the year’s next Major.
Marc Warren is heading to the U.S. Open all thanks to this picnic blanket. (Photo – Phillip Reid)
However it was not just any ordinary picnic as featuring on the blanket was Spanish ham, containers of organic hummus, Boursin cheese from Normandy, cold chicken cuts, celery and red pepper sticks, Pita chips and a homemade cake.
And they were all sipping on a glass of Prosecco.
One of the picnickers remarked: “We should offer him a glass”.
However another said: “He mightn’t appreciate given when he sees where his ball is.”
Before Warren had arrived on the scene the picnickers had moved their blanket leaving Warren room to play his shot but with Warren surveying the situation and clearly muttering his displeasure at where his ball had come to rest close to the tree.
Warren played a brilliant left-handed 7-iron, and his second southpaw shot of the week, to set up his third birdie in a row.
Though Warren was unaware his Callaway ball might have ended up in a container of organic humus or as a decoration on a rich cream cake.
He said: “Funny thing I saw the picnic blanket all laid out when I got to spot. They all looked like they were having a great time enjoying the golf.
“I didn’t hit anybody, did I?
“That’s amazing and I’ve heard of golf balls ending against spectator’s chairs and signs and such but that’s a first for me, knowing my ball ran right through a picnic blanket.”
Warren ended his round top-20 and a Tour official advising he should drop back to 59th in the world at the close of last night’s (SUN) PGA Tour Colonial event in Texas.
It will mean Warren having to avoid teeing up in today’s (MON) 36-hole US Open qualifier at Walton Heath and instead honour a commitment to tee-up instead in a Callaway hosted outing at Silvermere Golf Club.
He said: “It will be nice not to be going to Walton Heath as I have plenty of Walton Heath t-shirts over the years.
“I can also go to the Irish Open without the weight of having played a 36-hole US Open qualifier.”
And Warren revealed he sat down last with James Haddock, one of SKY’s leading reporters, who videoed a recent trip to Chambers Bay and intends to send Warren a copy of the video.
He said: “I’ve a lot of stories about how hard the course and I’m getting sent a SKY video of the course and particularly the run-off areas, the bunkers, the greens and so on.
“It’s sounds like the course, being so new to nearly everyone in the field, is going to be a lot of fuss getting to know it.
“But this will be the first Major I will get to play that I will be on a level playing field with everyone competing at Chambers Bay and I won’t have to be playing catch-up in the practice rounds.
“So it’s pretty much a course where you are going to have to do some serious homework.
“And that gives me added incentive and takes away that familiarity most of the guys competing in the States would have with regards to familiarity of a venue.
“So I can go there now and treat it like a normal week and that was my goal earlier this year to be contesting to two West Coast events, the WGC event in San Francisco and now the US Open up in Washington State.”
