Jeff Overton ended up being the first alternate at the US PGA Championship, marking the first time since 2008 that he did not play in the final major of the year.
Based on a series of tweets early Saturday morning, he was not happy about it.
One tweet mentioned the PGA Championship had two sponsor’s invitations to issue to players who had not qualified for the field. “Who did you give your invites to? Not the guy that helped make you 50 million in Wales,” he tweeted. He followed that with two more shots at the PGA of America, which runs the Ryder and PGA Championship.
“@PGAChampionship I’m just saying. Ill play ur political picks whenever for wherever.”
Overton eventually deleted the series of tweets. He played in the Ryder Cup in 2010 at Wales – he remains the only American to play in the Ryder Cup who has never won on the PGA Tour – and won two matches. Overton received recognition that week for holing out from the fairway and excitedly screaming, “Boom, Baby!”
But in lowering the boom on the PGA of America, Overton did not seem to look at his own performance.
Not only has he never won on tour, he has plunged to No 151 in the world. He is outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings. He has one top-10 finish this year – a tie for seventh at the Texas Open – and has finished outside the top 25 in all the rest.
Even more off the mark is the notion that he helped the PGA of America make US$50 million (Dh183.6m) from the 2010 Ryder Cup.
Ryder Cup revenue goes to the host organiser – that would be the European Tour and PGAs in Europe for 2010 in Wales.
Overton also was wrong in saying the PGA of America had two sponsor invitations. By its own criteria, the PGA awarded 42 exemptions. Most of those go to players inside the top 100 in the world because the PGA Championship wants the strongest field of any major.
The PGA wound up taking nine players outside the top 100. Only one of them, Ryo Ishikawa at No 163, has a lower ranking than Overton.
– Associated Press
