Mystery golfer linked to Michael Jordan finished 37 strokes behind Rory McIlroy in Dubai

The unknown invitee, fresh off his first birdie of the tournament, walked off the final green and then refused to talk.

Ken Weyand, who shot 87 and 82 to finish at 27 over, 37 shots behind leader Rory McIlroy, was clearly in no mood for discussion.

But the problem is clearly not Americans’ poor golf—relatively speaking, of course—that’s the problem. He was criticized on social media on Thursday night after shooting 16-over in the first round of the £2m Dubai Invitational, the opening event of the DP World Tour this year.

But then, those beards were inevitable. Weyand is a 54-year-old club professional with no world rankings and has never competed in any tour event on either side of the Atlantic before. In short, Weyand is here – guaranteed to get at least £6,500 even if he comes in last – simply because he is a friend and employee of basketball legend Michael Jordan.

The bizarre scene was easy to laugh at, so multiple Tour winner Eddie Pepperell stepped up to the plate with his stellar performance. “With limited space and only 60 pros, Ken Weyand Sr. got the invitation and did it,” Pepperell posted on X. “I don’t care if he’s in Barbie Ken, this should not have happened.”

The comments inevitably grew, and Weyand was clearly unimpressed. Then there was silence. But his partner from the previous two days was gamely ready to speak.

Somehow, Richard Mansell managed to crack the top 20 with a score of 70-69, despite all this chaos going on around him. Not only did he have to contend with Weyand’s hodgepodge of 16 pars, 11 bogeys, seven double bogeys and one triple bogey in 36 holes, but he also had an amateur partner in the four-ball field in this event.

Although for Mansell it must have been hard to tell which was which at times.

“Yeah, it’s been a tricky few days and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a distraction,” Mansell said. “Look, I saw what Eddie posted and I read some of the comments and I can understand where they’re coming from. But my opinion is that this fight wouldn’t be happening without sponsors. So for them Two special invitations, or whatever invitations they get this week, I think they can invite whoever they want. That’s golf. “I do have feelings for Marty Jordan, though. “

Jordan – the Liverpudlian who shone in the Open last year – was the first substitute. The 27-year-old will take comfort in the knowledge that Weyand is not the first to make the odd offer – and in a sport where sponsors indulge more than anyone else, he certainly won’t be the last.

Berghand’s son, Stefan Langer, famously shot 98 at the 2011 Dutch Open. In fact, the tour has a rich history of unworthy invitees, and often they are famous athletes.

At the 1974 Tallahassee Open, Mike Reasor managed to post one of the highest four-round totals in golf history at a professional event after being forced to play with one hand in the final two rounds.

The pro suffered torn rib cartilage, damaged knee ligaments and a dislocated left shoulder after falling off his horse while riding between the second and third rounds. In today’s day and age, Risol might have quit, but back then, players had to complete all four rounds to skip qualifying for next week’s tour, so Risol tucked his arms into his belt and went Split it open with one hand. In both rounds, he hit just a five-iron, two wedges and a putter. He shot 124 and 114 to finish last at 93-over par, but missed the next match because he didn’t recover in time.

But this may be the first time a legend has been recognized. A tour source told The Daily Telegraph earlier this week that Verlander was initially given the golden ticket because Jordan – who is a member of The Last Dance – agreed to play and wanted the former The PGA Professional who operates his exclusive Grove XXIII course in South Florida can also receive this golden ticket. Chance.

Alas, Jordan couldn’t do it. But Weyand’s invitation was honored because sponsor head Abdullah Naboodah, who finished tied for ninth at the 2011 Utah PGA Spring Championship, is also a friend of the mysterious man.

Weyand undoubtedly has more prestigious entries on his resume, but unless he talks, we may never know. And he still has two more rounds to face the microphone.

There is no promotion here, so Weyand can start again on Saturday. This time his partner was the penultimate Swede Jens Dantop. Weyand had 17 shots on goal to cover his opponents.

To be fair, McIlroy — who, by the way, is also a member of Grove XXIII as a Jupiter resident — may have been overlooked at 10 under. He still would have been clearer if not for a quadruple bogey on the eighth hole in his par-70 match. He is two places ahead of Dane Jeff Winther and German Yannick Paul, with his Ryder Cup partner Tommy Fleetwood one point behind in the group.

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