Neil Spitalny made a mental error last year while completing his application for the British Senior Amateur golf tournament.
The Chattanooga doctor thought the 2014 event would be contested at Royal County Down in Ireland, one of the best courses in the world, but he was off by a year. The tournament will be played this year on those hallowed grounds.
And Spitalny will participate. He's leaving for there Sunday.
"When you get a chance to play one of the best courses in the world four or five times in a week, you take advantage of it," said Spitalny, who earned an exemption into the tournament by making the match-play round of the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur. "I wasn't sure I was going to get in, because I thought Royal County Down would be overbooked and my exemption is way down the list."
Spitalny will be joined by friends Paul Simson and Doug Hanzel, who have participated in the senior division of the Lupton Memorial Tournament at The Honors Course. Spitalny's wife, Cheri, will join him as well.
"This will be my third British Senior and I'm sure my last, unless I finish in the top 20 and earn another exemption," Spitalny said. "It's a very hard golf course, and like any other links course, if the wind is blowing you can shoot a million.
"I'm extremely excited to go."
State Am near
The Tennessee State Amateur is old. It's historic this year.
Since 1914, except for a two-year interruption for World War I, it has been contested on great courses across the state. The tradition - and celebration of a century - will continue starting Tuesday at Holston Hills in Knoxville.
Tim Jackson, an Honors Course member from Germantown, is the defending champion. Participants with Chattanooga-area connections include Evan Ball, Nick Blakely, Winston Brown, Mikey Feher, Wes Gosselin, Lake Johnson, Dylan Lillard, Mike Poe, Richard Spangler, Scott Stevens and Stuart Thomas.
Brainerd open
The annual Brainerd Invitational is slated for Aug. 8-9, and applications are available at Brainerd Golf Course and at www.IfYouLikeGolf.com. The tournament is open to amateur golfers from across the area and will include a championship division, a senior division, a super-senior division and a Stableford division. The entry fee of $135 is due by Monday and includes green fees and carts for both days and typically a barbecue lunch.