American Airlines Lost the Wrong Guy's Bags

Golfer Michael Buttacavoli withdrew from chance at US Open after his clubs misplaced
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 6, 2017 8:00 AM CDT
Airline Loses Golfer's Clubs Before US Open Qualifier
Not what you want to go missing when you're a pro golfer about to compete in a qualifying round.   (Getty Images/shorrocks)

To compete in the qualifying rounds for the US Open, you sort of need your golf clubs—which is why one pro golfer is fuming at American Airlines for his now-squashed chances to make the cut. USA Today reports Michael Buttacavoli withdrew Monday from his last chance to play in the Open's sectional qualifiers after the airline couldn't track down a bag containing his clubs with priority tags. The 29-year-old, who's on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica roster, had flown on a red-eye from Ecuador to Miami and was dismayed to find that even though he made it to his early-morning tee time at Florida's Jupiter Hills Club, his clubs had gone missing, per Golf.com. "Thank u @AmericanAir," a frustrated Buttacavoli sarcastically tweeted just before 6am local time Monday, letting the airline know he had to pull out of the competition.

AA offered to help track the bag down in a responding tweet, but Buttacavoli noted that ship had sailed. "It's too late," he retorted. "I already withdrew. You just needed to do your job in the first place." The airline tried to apologize, saying, "This wasn't the experience we had planned for you," but Buttacavoli was having none of it. "Stop apologizing. Don't need sympathy or u to be PC. Just do better," he tweeted. He added it was too late to rent a set by the time he realized his clubs weren't going to show up, though Golf Digest, which reports that Buttacavoli has made it to the sectional qualifying rounds three times before (but never to the Open itself), notes Buttacavoli could have asked his brother, who was caddying for him, to bring his own set. "It's a challenge enough to qualify with your own golf clubs," he says. American Airlines did eventually find his bag. (More American Airlines stories.)

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