There are several techniques to consider for the perfect bunker shot. For example, the position of the feet in relation to the ball needs to be correct. Then there’s the shaft line and clubface to work on, not to mention how much sand to take as you play your shot.
However, Ewen Ferguson found a decidedly simpler approach when his ball found a sand trap during the Porsche European Open in Frankfurt – he used a putter!
The Scot opted for the unusual choice with his ball in a bunker on the par 3 eighth during the first round at Green Eagle.
Admittedly, the bunker in question hardly has the reputation of the game's most famous. After all, it doesn't have the huge depth of, say, Hell at The Old Course, St Andrews, nor is it as steep as the equally daunting Himalaya at Royal St George's, but using a putter for any bunker shot is out of the ordinary, particularly in a high-stakes top-level event.
So, how did he get on? Well, after a solid enough contact, the ball may have lacked a little direction, but, with a little assistance from the lip of the bunker, it still rolled nicely enough onto the green to leave him a perfectly satisfactory six feet from the pin.
Wait, what?! 😲@EwboF opts for the putter out of a green side bunker! #PEO23 pic.twitter.com/nkVDEIa10AJune 1, 2023
Whie the Scot no doubt left onlookers wondering if there might be something in his new approach to bunker shots, his trusty putter didn’t remain his friend for long. Ferguson agonisingly missed his effort for par, leaving the ball a mere eight inches from the hole, and he had to settle for his second bogey of the day.
Ferguson claimed his first two DP World Tour wins in 2022, with the Qatar Masters in March and most recently in August’s ISPS Handa World Invitational. Whether we’ll see him opt for a putter in future bunker shots as he pursues his third this week is anyone’s guess. After his relatively successful experiment the first time, though, it’s probably wise not to put it past him.
