Yesterday's Golf News Today #13

10 years ago 2007

Jim Furyk narrowly misses his tee time for the final round of the US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, after spending the night locked in a cupboard in Steve Marino's hotel room. Furyk, a self-confessed sleep walker, somehow managed to walk out of his own room, down the corridor and into Marino's unlocked room.

"I can laugh about it now but at the time it was terrible..."

Eye-witness Lyndsey Smith said: "I was just getting some ice from the machine in the corridor. I didn't notice anything unusual at first, just assumed it was another golfer walking around in his pants after dark. But then he started trying the door handles of every room down the corridor.

"He was mumbling some stuff under his breath about how pure the sand in the Oakmont bunkers was when suddenly one of the doors opened and he was gone. I had no idea it was Jim Furyk until I saw the news the next day."

Marino, who missed the cut, had left his door unlocked when he vacated the hotel earlier. Furyk quickly got to work and barricaded himself into what he thought was a vertical bed but which turned out to be a cupboard where they keep the ironing board. It was only when house keeping came in to turn over the room at 11 the next morning that Furyk was discovered, in his pants, confused and dehydrated.

"It was a close shave." admitted Furyk in his post round press conference. "Was it the reason I missed that putt on the 72nd hole to force a play-off? Almost certainly."

Angel Cabrera became the first South American to lift the trophy with a one shot victory over Furyk and Tiger Woods. 

20 years ago 1997

Woody Austin unwittingly gives birth to the Mike Myers film Austin Powers after the actor over hears Woody talking to his caddie on the driving range at the fancy Hill Crest Golf & Country Club in Los Angeles. Woody had been working on improving his weight transference from the top of his back swing in an attempt to add some much needed yardage off the tee.

After crunching a particularly impressive drive, Woody's caddie announced with a wry smile "Austin Powers that one!". Myers, who had been frantically trying to come up with a name for his buck-toothed English spy character, dropped his seven iron and walked over to Austin, embraced him warmly and said "Yeah, baby" before walking off to break the good news to his film producer friends.

When the film came out a year later, Woody was reportedly inconsolable that his name had been left off the end credits. 

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Yesterday's Golf News Today #12