In the world of golf, frustration is commonplace. We have seen players, some of world-class calibre, show their anger and frustration when things don’t go their way by throwing a ball, tossing their club, or angrily hitting the grass with whatever club they have at hand. But yesterday, at the Valspar Championship of the PGA Tour, Patton Kizzire took his outburst to a new level.
The three-time winner on the tour flew into a rage after missing a par putt on the par-three 15th hole of the Copperhead Course, at the Innisbrook Resort, and vented his anger in a way rarely seen on television (if ever): kicking his putter several metres into the air. The ‘kick’ was such that it almost sent it off the green, and he had to stop using it because the shaft was bent from the impact.
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To finish the hole, he had to use a wedge. However, he didn’t have to prolong the improvisation too much as he was unable to complete his round due to an alleged back injury. He had started on Thursday from the 10th tee and played eight holes at three over par before claiming this physical issue (which seems more like frustration as he hasn’t made a cut all year except for the Sentry, which has no cut) and ended his participation in the tournament. We’ll see if his gesture doesn’t result in some sort of penalty. For now, it was the topic of conversation on the television broadcast, where analyst Gary Koch wondered: “Is he perhaps trying out for the NFL?”
