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

The USGA offered an explanation for Gordon Sargent’s tap-in putt on No. 18 that bounced directly out of the cup.

Gabrielle Herzig

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

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Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

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