Amateur Dumbfounded By Putt That Bounced Out of the Hole at U.S. Open

Gordon Sargent—the No. 1 amateur in the world—was astounded as he watched his tap-in putt on the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open fall into the middle of the cup and bounce right back up to the putting surface. 

Lipped-out putts can often appear to fall to the bottom of the hole and pop back out, but Sargent’s was a true mishap. His ball fell into the center of the cup but appeared to hit the side of the hole’s plastic inner lining, which clearly was not cut deep enough into the turf.

Although the fluke won’t cost Sargent any prize money due to his amateur status, it did lead to an unfair bogey on the final hole of his first U.S. Open appearance. 

According to the USGA, there was an issue with the 18th hole that had been unintentionally caused by a member of the previous group, which consisted of Ryan Gerard and Mackenzie Hughes. 

"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,” the USGA explained. 

Social media absolutely erupted with criticism for the USGA, despite its response to Sargent’s brutal break and the eventual adjustment of the cup. Even Luke Donald, the Team Europe Ryder Cup captain, weighed in.