Late addition Tano Goya hits opening shot in sneakers at Shriners

LAS VEGAS – Argentina’s Tano Goya had to sprint to the tee box and hit his opening shot in his sneakers after getting a late call up from the alternate list at the Shriners Children’s Open.

The 34-year-old Korn Ferry Tour graduate was feeling lucky in Las Vegas after hearing whispers a few players might not make it to the tee so he arrived at TPC Summerlin at 5:30a.m. in hopes a start might be forthcoming.

“It was weird because I had the feeling that I was going to get in somehow,” Goya said after hearing veteran Matt Kuchar might be a late withdrawal from the afternoon wave.

“I get here at like 5:30 in the morning. I didn't hear anything, so I was like, OK, I'm going to take my time. I went to the (fitness) truck to have warmup… and I was taking my time there.”

It was at this point Goya’s caddie, who was stalking the opening tee boxes in case of any news, rushed in saying he couldn’t find Peter Malnati anywhere and he was due on the 10th tee at 7:02a.m.

Goya had seen Malnati in the truck earlier and assumed it was just a mistake but decided he should throw his golf clothes on just in case.

“I put my clothes on, and they called me saying, you're up in two minutes. So I didn't have time to have breakfast, didn't have time to put my shoes on. I hit the first tee shot with my trainers. It was funny, no practice at all or anything,” Goya laughed.

The journeyman pro who missed the cut at the Fortinet Championship before finishing 78th at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship was forced to send a tournament referee to his locker to find his golf shoes.

Turns out those retrieved were not the right ones, rather his spare set, but Goya wasn’t complaining.

“It's not the right shoes. I have black ones as well, but they were inside my bag. I said just grab whatever you see in the locker, and he grabbed these shoes. I changed them in the middle of the 10th fairway,” Goya said.

Sneakers or not he carded a tidy 3-under 68, his best round of the season so far.

“I was confident that I was going to get in so I did a great preparation Tuesday and Wednesday, and I felt good about my game,” he added. “So I hit it pretty good today.”