12 hours and 1,760 miles away after PGA Tour debut, this golfer teed it up in college event

Caden Fiononi’s assemblage still aches. He’s taking a fewer days disconnected from rubbing his play clubs, and for bully reason.

The elder astatine UNLV had a chaotic travel past week. He made his PGA Tour debut astatine nan Shriners Children’s Open successful Las Vegas, battling insane upwind conditions successful nan 2nd information resulting successful a missed cut. About 12 hours later, he was astir 1,760 miles distant successful Mississippi, moving connected little than 2 hours of slumber and group to tee it up for nan Rebels successful nan Fallen Oak Collegiate.

While it would person been an easy prime for others to not scramble halfway crossed nan country, Fioroni ne'er wavered.

“Most selfish golfers, particularly pinch rankings and PGA Tour (University), you would astir apt person sat it out,” Fioroni said. “But this is my past year, and I attraction a batch astir this team. I attraction astir nan program, and I want them to succeed.”

Fioroni’s information vanished adjacent to 7 p.m. astatine TPC Summerlin connected Friday evening, and he was exhausted. Before prepping for his PGA Tour debut, nan UNLV men’s play squad returned from a assemblage tourney successful Dallas, truthful he was connected nan spell non-stop.

There was a ton of prep clip and grinding connected nan range, playing believe rounds pinch pros for illustration Rickie Fowler picking up connected tips and tricks. Add successful Friday’s upwind conditions, which he played his full 2nd information in, his vessel was quiet erstwhile is last putt dropped.

After talking pinch his father, however, Fioroni called UNLV coach Jean-Paul Hebert and asked whether he could play.

The adjacent measurement was uncovering a flight. Southwest Airlines had 1 to New Orleans, Louisiana, but it was scheduled to time off astatine 7:50 PT. Thankfully, it was delayed an hr and a half, giving Fioroni clip to make it to nan airport.

He scurried location and threw together a bunch of apparel into a bag. “I didn’t really cognize what I threw in,” he said. And it was disconnected to nan airport.

He didn’t person a summons erstwhile he sewage to nan airport, but aft going to nan counter, he was capable to get a spot connected nan flight.

A three-and-a-half hr formation later, Fioroni was wheels down successful New Orleans, wherever Hebert was waiting astatine 3:30 a.m. CT to prime him up. Only location was a problem. His container pinch his apparel successful it didn’t travel retired connected nan baggage carousel.

He was still successful nan apparel he played his information successful astatine TPC Summerlin, and that’s each he had.

“I waited different hr to talk to this woman that astir apt wanted to leave, too,” Fioroni said,” but she tried to thief maine retired because nan container said it sewage there, and they didn’t cognize wherever it was.”

Eventually, nan container was secured, and Hebert and Fioroni sewage successful nan car and headed toward nan edifice successful Mississippi, wherever they arrived astir 6 a.m. CT.

Less than 2 hours of slumber later, Fioroni was up again and fresh to tee it up for nan Rebels.

“I was really excited really conscionable beryllium successful my furniture each day, nan adjacent day,” Fioroni said of his plans earlier flying to Mississippi. “So I conscionable benignant of tried pushing done it. And, you know, my body’s not, I mean, I’m trying to beryllium successful amended shape, but I don’t cognize who tin get utilized to that.”

Fioroni tied for 41st, shooting 7 complete for nan 54-hole tournament. He said nan 2nd information was 1 of nan worst breaks he has ever gotten connected a play people (a plugged dishonesty successful a bunker that led to an opening double), “but I conjecture that’s conscionable what play does, right?”

“I thought it was nan correct thing, moreover though that, you know, I astir apt wasn’t giving myself nan champion chance to play my champion successful that assemblage event, but I still helped nan team,” Fioroni said, “which that was my benignant of purpose.”

Fioroni teed disconnected astatine 11:20 a.m. CT, a small much than 14 hours aft his last putt dropped astatine a PGA Tour arena successful Las Vegas. A huffy dash to nan airport, formation and car thrust later, he was teeing it up pinch his teammates.

It’s a week and agelong of play he’ll ne'er forget, but he knows testing himself will use him down nan road, moreover if he’s not rubbing his clubs for a while.

“When I move pro, not everything’s perfect,” Fioroni said. “And you’re gonna person to recreation nan time aft a tourney and trying to play successful thing else. So that was my first clip doing that.

“I astir apt slept 2 days consecutive aft nan adrenaline kicked out.”