Tano Goya earlier this year at the Fortinet Championship.
Images: getty
When Tano Goya woke up Thursday, he was a substitute at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas. But he had the funny feeling that he wouldn’t end the day with this status.
“I heard Matt Kuchar was struggling with his knee, so I thought, maybe I have a chance,” said Goya, a 34-year-old Argentine PGA Tour rookie.
If the call came, Goya wanted to be ready. Arriving at TPC Summerlin at 5:30 a.m., he started the day with a visit to the Tour’s fitness truck. Outside, Goya’s caddy patrolled the 1st tee, eyes glued to the no-shows. As the 7:02 a.m. departure time approached, an opportunity presented itself. Where was Pierre Malnati?
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When Goya’s surveyor called his man to report that Malnati was nowhere to be found, Goya was surprised. “I said, ‘I saw him at the gym. I saw him in the truck. I was like, there he is.
But he wasn’t there – at least not on the tee.
“I was, like, just in case, I’m going to get ready,” Goya said. “So I put my clothes on and they called me saying, ‘You’re up in two minutes.'”
Indeed, Malnati was a late WD.
One hundred and twenty seconds isn’t a lot of time to get busy for a round of the PGA Tour. Goya had not touched balls, nor had lunch. Heck, he didn’t even have time to get his golf shoes. “I hit the first tee shot with my sneakers,” he said. “It was funny, no practice at all or anything.”
Shaken? Not Goya! He settled into his opening tee shot, on the par-4 10th hole, and split the fairway. Next task: collect his spikes. “I asked one of the rules people if they could get my shoes,” Goya said. “I said, ‘Just take what you see in the locker,’ and he grabbed my shoes. I changed them in the middle of the 10th fairway.
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From there, Goya was off and running – or, well, scoring. After opening with three pars, he birdied 13, 16 and 17 to turn 33, then played the front face even to sign for a three under 68, his best round of the young season.
Next, Goya was asked if the mad dash to the 1st tee had mentally freed him.
“I was convinced that I was going to participate in it,” he said. “So I did a nice preparation on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I felt good about my game. Only one mistake I hit it on in the desert, I think No. 2 or 3. Other than that, I I played quite regularly, quite solid.
Goya is five behind leader Tom Hoge. He will start the second round at 12:02 p.m. local time on Friday, presumably in his golf shoes.
