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It’s the stuff golfers’ goals are product of: a proper invitation from Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership to compete within the Masters Match, thought-about probably the most prestigious occasion on the golf calendar.
When Scott Stallings, an actual property agent from Georgia, and his spouse, Jenny, opened the door to their home on St. Simons Island on New 12 months’s Eve, they discovered that simply such an invite had arrived through UPS.
The envelope, in an excellent shade of inexperienced immediately recognizable to golfers as Masters Inexperienced, was emblazoned with the gold brand of the Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership. And it was addressed to Mr. Stallings.
Inside was one other envelope bearing his title — Mr. Scott Stallings — in calligraphy and an invite from the membership’s board of governors, signed by Fred S. Ridley, the chairman of Augusta Nationwide, cordially welcoming him to take part within the Masters Match in April.
“You simply bought invited to the Masters,” Jenny Stallings instructed her husband as he unpacked the automobile. Each are “very informal golfers,” they mentioned; they get pleasure from a spherical or two however will not be fairly as much as the extent wanted to compete alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.
However for a cut up second, Ms. Stallings mentioned, her husband thought his second had arrived.
“I used to be like ‘OK, effectively, I’ve this invitation,’” Mr. Stallings, 60, mentioned. “It had my title on it. What are the possibilities?”
Then he realized the invitation was alleged to have been despatched to that different Scott Stallings, an expert golfer and three-time PGA Tour winner who’s ranked 54th on this planet.
“Immediately, I do know this isn’t me,” mentioned Mr. Stallings, the true property agent, who likes to observe Mr. Stallings, the golfer, compete. “How within the heck did it present up right here?”
The couple positioned the invitation on their eating room desk and determined to contact Mr. Stallings, the golfer.
Mr. Stallings, the true property agent, discovered the golfer on Instagram and despatched him a direct message saying he had obtained his invitation to the Masters at his home in Georgia and was “certain that is NOT for me.”
“I play however wow!” Mr. Stallings wrote, including: “I believe we now have some confusion due to our names, our spouse’s names and geographical location.”
Mr. Stallings, the golfer, who lives in Tennessee and whose spouse can be named Jennifer, responded with a laughing-with-tears-of-joy emoji, indicating he thought it may be a prank.
So Mr. Stallings, the true property agent, adopted up with pictures of the invitation. “I’m actually not kidding I promise,” he wrote in one other direct message.
Mr. Stallings, the golfer, later shared the direct message from Mr. Stallings, the true property agent, on Instagram.
“Actually had been checking the mailbox 5 occasions a day after which I bought this random DM yesterday,” the golfer wrote. “My Masters invite bought despatched to a distinct Scott Stallings.”
Augusta Nationwide didn’t instantly reply on Tuesday to emails and calls looking for remark about how the invitation was despatched to the flawed Scott Stallings. The membership has requested gamers to R.S.V.P. to the invites for the reason that Masters started in 1934.
On Monday, the 2 Scott Stallingses and their wives spoke on the cellphone and made preparations to get the invitation to the appropriate Scott Stallings.
The golfer mentioned in an interview on Tuesday that he had invited Mr. Stallings, the true property agent, to dinner and a follow spherical on the Masters to thank him for agreeing to ship the invitation.
“It was simply good to see somebody doing the appropriate factor,” the golfer mentioned, including: “I used to be simply relieved that it bodily existed.”
Ms. Stallings recorded a video of her husband, the true property agent, parting methods with it at a UPS retailer.
“OK, Scott,” she mentioned. “Why are we on the UPS retailer?”
“As a result of I’m having to ship my invitation to play on the Masters again to the opposite Scott Stallings,” he mentioned, holding the invitation and frowning.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she mentioned.
“I attempted,” he mentioned. “That’s OK.”
After which it was gone, on its solution to that different Scott Stallings, the one who actually will get to compete within the Masters.
“It was like getting Willy Wonka’s golden ticket,” Scott Stallings, the true property agent, mentioned on Tuesday. “It was a tough one to let go of as a result of I understand how prestigious it’s.”
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