Amari Avery on the break-in, borrowing clubs, and how she's alive at the U.S. Women's Open

USA Today

01-06-2025

Amari Avery on the break-in, borrowing clubs, and how she's alive at the U.S. Women's Open
ERIN, Wisconsin – Amari Avery met with the media on Saturday after the third round of the U.S. Women's Open to shed light on one of the scarier and stranger things to happen in the event's 80 years.
The former Netflix star said someone tried to break into the Milwaukee Airbnb where she was staying along with her boyfriend and parents at around 2 a.m. on Friday morning. Avery said they called the police, and it took 15 to 20 minutes for them to arrive at their Airbnb.
"My boyfriend, my mom, and my dad saw the person outside the door, so it was a little bit scary," said Avery." We just kind of stayed back away from the front door, and we were just kind of hoping it would solve itself, which it was nice that the guy ended up leaving and the police came and made us feel more safe."
They waited until daylight to pack up and left their clubs at the house while they searched for a hotel.
Avery's boyfriend, Gavin Aurilia, who just wrapped up his senior year at USC, then later returned to the house with her father on the way to the airport to collect his clubs and fly on to Arizona for his own tournament.
The only problem is that Aurilia accidentally took Avery's clubs instead. The couple uses the same USC travel bag, and it wasn't until later that day, around 12:15 p.m., that Avery realized what had happened.
'I sat in my hotel at 12:30, like I guess I am going to pull out from the U.S. Open after a pretty solid round,' she said. 'I was obviously devastated.'
She called everyone she knew: TaylorMade, her agent, friends who are here, trying to figure out what to do.
'Luckily Gabi Ruffels was playing in the morning, and she had already finished, and obviously my agent asked, do you want to use her clubs and I was like, well, how did she play because I was like, if she's playing good, no one in their right mind is giving me their clubs,' said Avery.
'I probably wouldn't, either, and I'm a nice person. But unfortunately for her, she missed the cut, but it was fortunate for me, and she's obviously a very class act, great friend of mine, so she lended me the clubs, and obviously I was able to play and make the cut. Just happy to be here.'
To get her own clubs back for the third round, Aurilia's mother flew from Arizona to Wisconsin. Avery's clubs arrived around 8:30 p.m. Friday night, but she had to complete the second round with Ruffels' clubs and could then use her own for Round 3.
Avery shot 73 with Ruffels' set and then shot 76 with her own on Saturday. The Epson Tour player enters the final round in a share of 41st.
'Honestly, based on the score and just based on how I felt yesterday, I felt like Gabi's clubs were honestly pretty good,' said Avery. 'I joked with her last night after I called her and I said obviously thank you so much for lending me the clubs. I was like, I might take your putter.'