Arnold Palmer Invitational: Robert Gamez Shoots 92 on Friday

Robert Gamez was once seen as a rising star on the PGA Tour. However, on Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Gamez struggled perhaps as badly as he ever has.

Gamez is one of only four players to ever win in their first PGA Tour start. He did so by winning the Northern Telecom Tucson Open in 1990, beating Mark Calcavecchia and Jay Haas by four strokes. He won two months later at the Nestle Open (now the API), famously holing out on the 18th hole from 176 yards to beat Greg Norman by a shot. A plaque sits in the 18th fairway at Bay Hill, marking the spot from which Gamez hit that shot.

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He had two wins in his rookie season and he was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. The sky seemed to be the limit for Gamez.

But he struggled after that. His game wasn’t the same and then, in 1998, he was injured in a car crash. He has not been the same since.

Gamez had one of the worst rounds of his life on Friday at Bay Hill. Now 52 years of age, Gamez is largely a ceremonial player on the PGA Tour at this time. But the ceremony on Friday was brutal.

He started with a bogey on the par-4 first hole and followed that with a double bogey on the par-3 second. He was already 3-over par through just two holes.

It only got worse from there for Gamez.

He bogeyed the third, fourth and fifth holes to fall to 6-over par. Then he recorded a double bogey on the par-5 seventh hole. Gamez was 8-over through just six holes.

Gamez was able to par the seventh hole, his only par on the front nine. He would bogey the eighth and double bogey the ninth to shoot an 11-over par 47 on his first nine.

He was able to par the 10th hole but on the 11th hole, he had no such luck. He carded a triple-bogey seven to drop to 14-over on his round.

Gamez followed his triple with a double on the 12th hole. He was 16-over at that point. He would par the 13th but he bogeyed the 14th, dropping to 17-over. Then, it was just a matter of whether he would break 90 or not.

That question was quickly answered on the 15th hole, when Gamez carded a double bogey. He was 19-over on his round with three holes to play.

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Gamez would par the 16th and 17th holes to stay at 19-over par. He would need to hole out from the fairway, which he did to win in 1990, to break 90. Alas, he could not pull it off, notching another bogey to finish with a 92.

At a site where he had a dream victory in 1990, Gamez had a nightmare of a day on Friday.

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