PGA Tour star misses tee time and withdraws from WM Phoenix Open

It’s a mix-up mostly seen at a monthly medal, not at the peak of men’s professional golf.

Lucas Glover was forced to withdraw from the WM Phoenix Open on the day of the first round after missing his tee time.

The 2009 US Open champion incorrectly read the message with his tee time on his phone, having been penned to play with Nico Echavarria and Tom Hoge at 8.26 am local time.

“I just misread my text messages (showing his tee time). I’m kicking myself but laughing at myself at the same time,” Glover said to Golf Channel.

Officials rang him while he was at his hotel to say he had one minute before he was supposed to tee off.

The 44-year-old was replaced by Ryo Hisatsune, one of the DP World Tour’s PGA Tour graduates in 2024, during a week at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona that has now seen several withdrawals.

Davis Riley, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Rodgers, and Kevin Streelman also pulled out this week, which offered places to Hisatsune’s fellow DP World Tour stars Ryan Fox, Victor Perez, Alexander Bjork, Sami Valimaki and Robert MacIntyre.

Glover has only played three times so far this season, with his best finish coming in a tie for 29th at The Sentry.

Lucas Glover: PGA Tour is still keeping PIF progress secret from the players

At the end of January, Lucas Glover revealed to NCG that he was unhappy with the amount of information he knew about the PGA Tour’s future and its progress in talks with the Public Investment which bankrolls LIV Golf – the PGA Tour’s rival league.

Since then, the tour has struck a deal worth $3 billion with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) despite beginning talks with this US-based sports investment consortium weeks after the framework agreement with the PIF was announced last June.

Glover, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, said tour players and LIV Golf players have been asking each other for updates, but neither side is the wiser.

“We’ve got no information, and I said this in Hawaii, if it was such a good deal for everybody, you’d think it would be done by now,” he told NCG.

“If it was the answer to our issues and our problems, well man, that seems like that would be an easy deal to get done.

“But here we are with a three- or four-month extension and no information and players asking other players if they heard anything. You’ve got LIV guys asking tour guys and vice versa if they’re hearing anything, and nobody knows.

“We’re out there playing for our lives without any inkling of what the people in charge are thinking. That doesn’t make them bad people and it doesn’t make them bad at their job, but it seems like as a leader, you would tell your members what the heck is going on, and we’re not getting any of that.

NOW READ: What is actually included in PGA Tour’s deal with SSG?

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Matt Chivers

Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.

Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.

Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.

Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.

Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.

What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.