Paul Goydos seemed to be sailing along to a possible PGA Tour Champions victory Sunday afternoon when disaster struck.
Goydos, 59, held a one-stroke lead heading to the 17th hole of the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Michigan.
Then things went very bad. Like weekend-duffer-who-just-learned-the-game bad. Goydos missed an 18-foot birdie putt on 17, but left himself an easy 3-footer for par.
He missed that putt.
Then he missed again.
Then he missed yet again.
Goydos finally tapped in for a triple-bogey, after five putts on the green, including four from 3 feet.
https://twitter.com/ChampionsTour/status/1695891389937017279
After the final putt, Goydos grabbed his ball and stood with his arms crossed, looking dejected.
The putting Chernobyl cost Goydos the lead, as Vijay Singh, who was already in the clubhouse, won the event. Goydos finished tied for third, two strokes back. Even if he could have three putted on the hole, he would have been tied for the lead.
Fans flooded Twitter to share their sympathy for Goydos. Then the most unexpected thing happened — Goydos himself jumped into the discussion, cracking a joke.
Twitter user Greg Ballard tweeted, “I Was Watching it. That’s Unbelievable. Feel bad for @PaulGoydosPGA Get Em Next time. Golf is hard.”
Goydos responded, “Don’t feel bad. It’s a game. Good news though, Ping said they will pay me to stop using their putters.”
Goydos has five PGA Tour Champions victories, but he’ll never forget this one that slipped away.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.