The Loop
Explosion goes off in Zach Johnson's backswing, totally freaks him out
We cover a lot of ground in Golf Digest, offering tips on pretty much every situation in golf. Here's one we hadn't really considered until now: how to collect yourself when a loud explosion goes off right as you're standing over a big putt.
Here was the the scene on the 16th hole of the final round of the John Deere Classic, with Zach Johnson a stroke back of Tom Gillis and standing over a lengthy birdie putt.
It was unclear where the noise originated. A boat driving by right when Zach Johnson was putting was originally identified as the culprit, but it also could have been a car backfiring on a nearby service road. Or a gunshot. Or fireworks. What was apparent is that Johnson was rattled, but he still managed to two-putt for par.
(Update: Consensus seems to be it was an air cannon from the boat.)
It was not Johnson's only bad break of the day, because he also had this putt on 18 to tie for the clubhouse lead.
Zach Johnson was this close to tying the clubhouse lead. > #QuickHits > http://t.co/YFWS7EOXDG — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) > July 12, 2015