Golf can be a brutally unforgiving sport, and top-ranked amateur golfer Gordon Sargent got a dose of that reality at the most unfortunate time on Sunday.
Putting on 18 to finish out his final round at the U.S. Open, Sargent was looking at an easy tap-in putt for par. He did everything right in that moment and seemingly deserved to end the afternoon at two-under (three-over par for the tournament). But a damaged cup would lead to the flukiest of bounces.
Sargent’s putt went into the cup and somehow bounced right out in a totally unnatural way. Sargent stared in disbelief as he had to settle for bogey on the hole and four-over par for the tournament.
How does that even happen? 😦
Just cruel for Gordon Sargent on the 18th.
📺: @NBC & @peacock | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/WDbD4AYm17
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 18, 2023
The bounce was so strange that USGA officials went to investigate what happened there. They determined that the group before Sargent inadvertently damaged the hole when the flagstick was removed. While USGA was able to repair the cup, it wasn’t much of a consolation for Sargent who had to take an undeserved bogey.
Could you imagine if this happened to a golfer in contention, though? USGA avoided disaster at Sargent’s expense, but golf fans still couldn’t believe that the cup malfunction wasn’t caught earlier.
It could have been so bad.
This was how Twitter reacted
Can you imagine if this happened to McIlroy or Fowler on 18 today on a putt to win the US Open. https://t.co/pwS3pHH4ec
— Ayaz (@sahyder1) June 18, 2023
This is NOT good.
Can they repair this mid-round? https://t.co/ov1mvvPKuC
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) June 18, 2023
Fans scream the NFL and the NBA are rigged and pick winners by having refs make calls for the league darlings at key moments
Golf: hold our beer https://t.co/5AQEHfcqk6
— Stephen Moran (@smoran26) June 18, 2023
Golf is the most frustrating sport that graces gods green earth. https://t.co/NicEknf91r
— Luke Shepherd (@luketheshepherd) June 18, 2023
Seriously – imagine this happening to Fowler on 18 to win… https://t.co/FwSrEylTVA
— Sam Roberts (@SamRobertsComms) June 18, 2023
This happened to me at the Tin Cup 2022. Cost me my match. Courses should be fined for this happening https://t.co/RsRh88ENVY
— josh (@joshdale32) June 18, 2023
Not sure there’s now anything left for the USGA to get wrong this week 🤷♂️👇 https://t.co/MCBnjKELlk
— John Huggan (@johnhuggan) June 18, 2023
The USGA is so worried about rolling back the ball it can’t set up the 72nd hole of its major properly. https://t.co/6ESuZtvYWg
— Stephen Andress (@StephenAndress1) June 18, 2023
I would have to quit golf after this.
Not mentally strong enough to recover. https://t.co/Z4kmwbmFMR
— Mark Poulose (@MarkKCTV5) June 18, 2023
