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.