In a dramatic two-hole series at the 3M Open in Minnesota, fans were reminded that the pros are not immune to the ups and downs of the game.
Getty Images
The golf gods give and take. Anyone who plays the game knows that it is volatile. One minute, the ends are smiling kindly on us, then they darken with our next swing later.
The dramatic highs and lows don’t just come at the junior level, though, Tour pros experience them, too.
As evidence, consider the wild sequence of events involving Hayden Buckley in Friday’s second round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities.
In what was already an eventful day for Buckley – marked by double-bogeys and two birdies on his front nine – the 28-year-old champion arrived at the 407-yard 16th hole a little more excited.
He was eight years into the tournament, and his bad exit was about to get worse.
After a scorching drive on the par-4 left him in a dangerous spot near the water, Buckley tried to chip in — but the golf gods weren’t having it. Buckley’s ball bounced off the red post in front of him and into the drink, prompting a frustrated Buckley to pull the post off the ground and slam it into the ground. He continued to make 6 in the hole. His round was coming to an end, but the end wasn’t over with the fight.
Next up for Buckley was the par-3 17th, playing 178 yards over the water. With a logjam on the tee, Buckley had to wait 20 minutes.
“It’s never fun to wait when you’re playing badly,” he said.
But his spirit was about to shine. Suicidal, Buckley fired an ace, his frustration leading to happiness.
For good measure, Buckley followed his hole-in-one with a birdie at 18, but it was too little, too late. He missed the cut, repeating what he did at the 2023 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, where he got past the 17th green but fell short again over the weekend.
“I need to find this whole hole-in-one and decide something,” Buckley said.
Finding the golf gods may take a long time.
“Strange things happen in this game,” Buckley quipped.
Source link
