Part-time Modestan Merrick feels unluck of draw

E-Mail

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

John Merrick seems like a likable guy -- a bit reserved maybe, but certainly not temperamental. So it was odd to see both of his playing partners abandon him.

First, Bubba Watson withdrew from the AT&T National because of allergies on the ninth hole of the first round. Then Jeff Overton walked off Thursday on No. 10 with a bad wrist, leaving Merrick, a part-time Modesto resident, to finish his round by himself. PGA Tour officials offered to have a player from the preceding threesome join him, but Merrick declined.

"There could have been a couple players come back to play a twosome or something, but I figured that I didn't want to mess up their games or anything," Merrick said. "It wasn't too bad. It just took a little while longer."

CLICK FOR MORE PHOTOS

It was a strange sight to see as Merrick walked down the 12th fairway, joined only by his caddie, a walking scorer and the standard bearer.

After making his putt for par on No. 12, Merrick had to wait while Chris Riley, Rich Beem and Mathew Goggin teed off on the next hole. He passed the time chatting with a couple of fans who had been following him through his round.

"I wasn't playing that great anyway, so it was just kind of like trying to have a good time," he said. "You either laugh or cry in that situation, so I just tried to make the best of it."

Although Merrick played better alone than in a group, shooting an even-par 70, his 6-over 76 on Friday missed the cut.

-- WASHINGTON POST