SI Jinx Files: 10-Year-Old Sandbagger DQ'd

Thanks to reader Don for this unbylined Globe and Mail story on 10-year-old, 30-handicapper Kayla Parsons' DQ from the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship "because officials determined her scores were inconsistent with her handicap." The young lady is a recent graduate of SI's Faces in the Crowd.

But it was her rapidly improving play that caught the attention of tournament director Dave Macpherson, who raised a Spokian eyebrow after Parsons posted a second round 88 to go with her opening round 98 and lead the field by some 18 strokes. It certainly was good -- maybe too good.

It should be noted that in the past, players are routinely disqualified from the event where handicaps are scrutinized in order to protect the field from so-called ‘sandbaggers’ and those who simply improve their game too quickly in the weeks leading up to the tournament. Officials consulted the USGA’s publication, “Odds of Shooting an Exceptional Tournament Score,” and noted that Kayla’s performance was literally off the charts and so there was no choice but to disqualify her.

Kayla’s father said there was no sandbagging going on here -- he simply put it down to good old fashioned practice.

“She’d been working hard on the range with her coach every day, but not playing and posting scores,” he told Golf.com. “And she said she’d never played a course this easy before. Her home course is more difficult.”