Even the best golfers have their moments of complete disaster. Just ask Tony Finau, who had a mind-boggling miss from three inches during Saturday’s round at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Yes, you read that right. Three inches.
The 2022 champion was having a pretty steady round at Memorial Park Golf Course, trading a couple of bogeys with birdies, when the unthinkable happened on the 15th hole.
It started innocently enough. Finau hit a solid tee shot on the par-3, leaving himself a long birdie putt from 42 feet. His first attempt was decent, rolling up to just under four feet from the hole.
That’s when things went sideways.
His par putt caught the lip and spun out. Frustrated, Finau then made a rookie mistake – he carelessly stabbed at the next putt with just his right hand on the club.
The ball barely moved.
By the time he finally got the ball in the hole, a routine par had turned into an ugly double-bogey. To make matters worse, tournament leader Min Woo Lee was pulling away at the same time, effectively ending Finau’s hopes of reclaiming his title.
But here’s the thing about great players – they bounce back. Finau immediately responded with back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17, finishing with a par for an even-par 70.
If it’s any consolation to Finau, he’s in pretty good company. Some of golf’s biggest names have had similar embarrassing moments:
• Rickie Fowler missed a six-inch putt at the 2020 PGA Championship
• Brooks Koepka did the same thing at the 2021 PGA
• Jordan Spieth three-putted from three feet at the 2022 Valero Texas Open
• Even Rory McIlroy three-putted from two feet earlier this year at Dubai
Sometimes golf just reminds you it’s a really tough game – even when you’re standing three inches from the hole.
