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Many amateur golfers are all too familiar with the frustrating struggles of putting that professional golfers rarely have to deal with. Unfortunately, one individual who had a great chance to win a recent PGA Tour Champions event fell victim to those struggles and likely cost himself a victory in the process.
Paul Goydos may not be a widely recognized name, but he spent nearly twenty years on the PGA Tour after earning his tour card in 1993. While he only managed to win two events, he accumulated over $12 million in earnings before deciding to transition to the Champions Tour once he became eligible for the senior circuit in 2014.
Goydos had a strong start, winning five tournaments in his first four years on the Champions Tour.
However, he has been experiencing a drought since 2017, and it seemed like he was on the cusp of ending it at the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club over the weekend. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so due to what occurred on the 17th hole during the final day of the tournament.
With only two holes remaining on Sunday, Goydos held a one-stroke lead over the rest of the field and was in an excellent position to claim the $330,000 prize reserved for the winner.
His tee shot on the par-3 17th landed on the green, and he putted to get within approximately three feet of the hole. However, what should have been a relatively easy par turned into a complete nightmare when Goydos ended up with a triple-bogey on the scorecard, requiring five putts to complete the hole, including four misses from a relatively short distance.
Four putts from 3 feet.
Paul Goydos’ 1-shot lead turned into a 2-shot deficit after a triple bogey on the 17th hole at the Ally Challenge.
If Goydos had managed to par the hole, he would have almost certainly secured the victory.
Unfortunately, his collapse caused him to plummet from the top of the leaderboard, ultimately finishing two strokes behind Vijay Singh, the eventual winner, in a tie for third place (which still earned him $158,400).
According to the Source brobible.com