It was bound to happen to somebody, but unfortunately for Italian golfer Massimo Florioli, it happened to him in the final round of the European tour qualifying school in Spain today.
Florioli - runner-up in the 1998 French Open and 1999 Estoril Open - was 13 under par after 98 of the 108 holes and only one birdie away from the 35th spot which would earn him a place on next season's £75 million circuit, but he ran up a triple bogey eight on the long 18th at Emporda.
Playing the inward nine holes first, the 31-year-old was tempted to go for the green in two but hit not just one but two balls into the lake. Florioli made it third time lucky, but his shoulders sagged and his head was down as he took the long walk round the water before two-putting and dropping to 10 under par.
Suddenly he needed to cover the outward half in 30 to stand any chance of regaining his place on the tour.
Play had been delayed for 75 minutes by fog, further piling on the pressure for the 81 players, but Wexford's Damien McGrane was not swayed and added a birdie after three holes to move to joint 11 that 19 under.
While McGrane now needs to hold his nerve to book a spot on the lucrative tour, Philip Walton is praying for a miracle. Requiring a round in the mid to low 60s to have any chance of making the top 35, the Dubliner is level par through six holes - nine under overall - and currently languishes in a share of 61 stplace.
