A Tee Time and a Chance

Michael “Fury” Feuerstein is a husband, a dad, a coffee connoisseur, a friend of Phil Mickelson, and a pro golfer living an alternate’s life on the Korn Ferry Tour. 

While Fury has some competitive fire, don’t let his nickname fool you. He’s easy-going, funny and quick to smile. When Fury advanced through the second stage of PGA Tour Q-school last fall, he realized he’d earned Korn Ferry Tour status and the emotion of the moment overcame him. His new daughter was an inspiration and a new chapter in his life had begun.

When the final stage concluded in December, Fury finished in a tie for 130th, a disappointing conclusion to his trying Q-school battle. The top 5 at the final stage earned PGA Tour cards and the next 40 earned guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. Players outside the top 45 had little chance of getting into the first few events on the 2024 schedule, meaning they’d have to chase Monday qualifiers while also hoping exempt players withdrew from fields. For some of the more expensive and harder to reach destinations on the KFT schedule, this seemed possible. 

The 117 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro was adopted into the KFT schedule this year, and offered an exemption into the Open Championship for the winner. Leading up to the event, there were heavy rains in Buenos Aires and reports of mosquito infestations tormenting the city. With travel from the US being expensive and long, and a mosquito plague, many Argentina Open alternates were hopeful they might get into the event, Fury among them. 

Buenos Aires is a dozen or more hours from most US travel hubs. It’s a long way to go to play a Monday qualifier and then wait around praying some exempt players decide not to show up. But an alternate’s options are limited and expensive, and as the eighth alternate, Fury packed his portable espresso maker – an item almost as indispensable as his golf clubs – and made the journey. 

Hardly a week after his daughter Frankie had her first birthday party, Feuerstein arrived in Buenos Aires to a forecast that called for heavy rains for the Monday qualifier. By Monday morning, Fury had moved up to the second alternate. This was a good sign. Perhaps it was only a matter of time until he moved into the field. 

Monday morning brought pounding rain, swarms of mosquitoes, and a two hour delay.  Another delay to the tee times was soon added. Officials eventually decided the Monday qualifier would be played on Tuesday. 

Monday night came and Fury hadn’t moved up on the alternate list. When you are an alternate, you listen for rumors about guys not on-site, golfers playing practice rounds injured, or groups of players going out for an adventurous local meal.

Fury found out the first alternate, Caleb Hicks, was en route to Argentina. Fury read the Monday Q Info tweet about Spencer Ralston, a player who was scheduled to arrive into the country at 6 a.m. for his 1:55 tee time on Thursday. It was something to track, but for now, Fury’s concentration turned to the qualifier. 

Fury shot 69 in the Tuesday qualifier matching the score he had posted in the previous two Monday qualifiers. “It’s like kissing your sister,” he said. Fury missed by two. 

As soon as the round was over, he checked on his alternate status and yet again, found he hadn’t moved. However, with all the unknowns and having made the long flight to Argentina already, Fury decided to stay until every player teed off on Thursday. A few more nights at the hotel and some practice (alternates are allowed to practice on-site) wouldn’t hurt. 

Wednesday brought no changes on the alternate list, and hope of sneaking into the field was dwindling. Thursday morning Fury was at the course before sunrise in case two players didn’t show up. He heard early that morning that Ralston had arrived, which closed a possible open door. Fury sat through the afternoon tee times before booking a flight back to California that left Argentina Thursday night. 

When he boarded his flight home, he was 12th alternate for the following event in Chile. He slept for most of the red-eye flight and landed at 9 a.m. Friday morning. To his surprise, when he opened his phone, he had moved all the way up to 2nd alternate for Chile.

That morning, while watching his one-year-old daughter, Fury booked an expensive flight back to South America that left in roughly 48 hours. The alternate life was hitting hard, but Fury was chasing a crucial first start of the season.

Sunday morning, when Fury was scheduled to leave for Chile, Frankie developed a high fever and Fury’s wife, Andrea, took her to the local urgent care. Now the decision to leave was even tougher. He still wasn’t in the field and was considering canceling his flight. But with Andrea’s encouragement – and Frankie’s antibiotics working – Fury headed for LAX.

It had only been two days since Fury returned from South America and the quick timing hit him as he took his seat on the plane. It was entirely possible he could make two long international flights and not even get a start. Before the plane pushed back from the gate, Fury’s phone went off, and he received the news he’d been waiting for: he was officially in the field in Chile. He’d get his chance.

“When I was on the Latin American Tour, I would have given anything to be in this position. I have to look at it like that,” Fury says.

A made cut might mean getting through the reshuffle and earning more starts. A great week could mean the rest of his season is set. That is the life on the alternate list, and Fury is hoping that life is short-lived.

On Thursday, Fury has a 12:05 first round tee time, and a chance to change his season.

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