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Gordon Sargent found out just how unforgiving the game of golf can be on Sunday. During his final round of the US Open, the golfer saw a putt pop in and out of the hole on the 18th green.
That brutal result is now going viral on social media as fans and media react to the miss.
Sargent, who’s only 20 years old, is the No. 1 amateur in the world. He won low amateur honors at this year’s championship and got an opportunity to participate in the field at the Los Angeles Country Club over the weekend.
And he fared relatively well.
Not only did he make the cut, but the golfer shot four over for the weekend. That included a -1 on the final day of play. Unfortunately, something else from that Sunday round is going viral.
Sargent had a short putt on the 18th hole as he looked to close out his day. He appeared to hit it perfectly, with the ball falling right down the middle of the cup. Then, the unthinkable.
The ball popped back out of the hole, resulting in an added stroke to his final round.
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
Many around the golf world were quick to react, including Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
“This is unacceptable,” Donald wrote on Twitter. “Does the USGA go fix this mid round? This should never happen.”
Others agreed.
This fan wrote, “That was hard to watch. I feel for him.”
Another person said, “Wow. Didn’t deserve that one.”
This happened to Gordon Sargent on 18. Imagine if it happened later today on a putt to win the U.S. Open.pic.twitter.com/NefFUXedIK
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) June 18, 2023
The USGA explained the reasoning for the mishap, saying, “A member of the group ahead inadvertently adjusted the hole liner when removing the flagstick. Unfortunately, we were not informed of any damage. It has since been adjusted back into place.”
Tough, tough break for Gordon Sargent.