Karla Vázquez Setzer not only had to deal with high winds and the nerves of a collegiate golf tournament, but she also had to overcome wet clubs and a missing 9-iron.
Vázquez Setzer, a sophomore on the Maryland women’s golf team, was competing in the first round of the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, N.C., over the weekend. According to Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, who has the full story here, Vázquez Setzer started on the back nine before coming to the par-3 2nd hole at the Dye Course at the Country Club of Landfall. After hitting the green in regulation, Vázquez Setzer set her push cart just off the green, but 35 mph gusts had other ideas. Before she knew it, her cart and bag were in the water.
Luckily, with the help of some volunteers, the bag was saved before it was too late. According to Nichols, Vázquez Setzer lost her 9-iron and cell phone in the process, but that hardly deterred her. She birdied the next hole en route to playing the final seven in two under, which included a stretch of three birdies in five holes.
Vázquez Setzer signed for an even-par 72 in the first round and added rounds of 74 and 77 in the second and third rounds. She finished T43 out of 96.
As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.