News
U.S. Open 2020: Patrick Cantlay just got one of the worst bounces off a flagstick you'll ever see
Following Thursday's so-called "easy" first round of the 2020 U.S. Open, golf fans wanted Winged Foot to fight back. Well, we're pleased to report that not only has the course fought back, it's rubbing the competitors' noses in the dirt.
One of the worst victim's of Saturday's third round (so far) is Patrick Cantlay, who began the day at six over par and has fallen all the way to 12 over with a few holes to go. At the par-4 15th, Cantlay was just in front of the green in two, facing a testy chip for his third. He wound up hitting it exactly how he wanted to, but the flagstick got in the way:
Cruel might be underselling it. That is one of the worst ricochets off a flagstick you'll ever see in a professional golf tournament. The only thing that would have made it worse is if it rolled all the way into that creek behind him.
Cantlay's chip, which came from 25 yards out, ended up 47 yards from the pin. That means he hit one -22 yards. How he was able to get it up and down for bogey after that is a triumph of the human spirit. After seeing this, we should all apologize to Matt Wallace, who had his caddie tend the flagstick from 50 yards out during Thursday's first round at the par-5 12th hole, only to lay the sod over it. This is what he was trying to avoid, he just didn't execute.