Masters tourney sends invitation to wrong Stallings, player says
(NEXSTAR) — Call it a golf goof.
Professional Golf Association Tour professional Scott Stallings says he kept checking his mailbox for an invitation to play in this year’s Masters Tournament — but the invitation never came. But then the three-time PGA Tour winner says a “random DM” on Instagram from a different Scott Stallings explained everything.
“Hi Scott,” a screenshot of the direct message reads. “My name is Scott Stallings as well and I’m from GA. My wife’s name is Jennifer too! I received a FedEx today from the Masters inviting me to play in the Masters Tournament… I’m 100% sure this is not for me. I play but wow!”
Scott Stallings offered to send professional golfer Scott Stallings the invitation and “very nice package” in time for the tournament, which is scheduled for April. The non-pro golfer Stallings posited that the Masters likely got mixed up because of the similarities in their names, wives’ names and locations.
According to ESPN, Stallings is currently ranked 54th in the world and last won a PGA Tour in 2014. His last Masters Tournament play was in 2014. PGA Tour stats show Stallings has played in 321 events to date, made 170 cuts and totaled over $16 million in winnings.
While a case of mistaken celebrity identity will likely make for a funny story in this case, sharing the name of someone famous can often be a real headache for the namesake. In 2019, writer Lauren Larson profiled several men who explained the trouble they faced following the notable Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking scandal. As one man tells Larson in “When Jeffrey Epstein Is Your Name-esis,” he receives mistaken waves of harassment online whenever news or updates about the late convicted sex offender bubble back up into the news.
“I think it’s a little sad,” a different Jeffrey Epstein told Larson. “It’s not entirely surprising that people can’t take three seconds to do an image search — or something to understand a few basic facts of what they’re reading.”