Patrick Rodgers had a wild trip on 14 Sunday.
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Bad photographs all the time appear to come back on the worst instances, even for PGA Tour execs.
Such was the case Sunday for Valero Texas Open 54-hole chief Patrick Rodgers. The closing spherical already wasn’t going based on plan for Rodgers, who had slipped from a one-shot lead at 13 below to start the day, to 4 again of Corey Conners after 4 front-nine bogeys.
He steadied himself on the beginning of the again 9 with a number of pars, however then issues bought away from him on the par-5 14th.
Still 4 again, Rodgers set as much as go for the inexperienced on the opening he had birdied every of the earlier three rounds. However this time, the opening was enjoying into the wind and he had 291 yards left for his second out of the primary reduce.
“Oh no,” NBC Analyst Paul Azinger stated as quickly as Rodgers’ ball left the face of his 3-wood. “What a time to hit a foul ball.”
This wasn’t only a foul ball. It was a shank.
The ball got here out screaming, low, proper and heading extra proper. Rodgers instantly dropped his membership and regarded away in disgust. The ball ended up within the timber proper of the green, out of view from NBC’s cameras, however clearly in a spot that will be troublesome for Rodgers to get to, not to mention swing from.
With no spotters within the space, Rodgers plopped down a provisional ball, however his now-fourth shot wasn’t a lot better. This one was additionally proper, however caught the inexperienced facet bunker and a minimum of gave him an opportunity to rise up and down for bogey.
Only he’d by no means get to play that ball.
Against all odds, the following shot the printed had of Rodgers was him crouching behind his ball, deep within the brush, weighing his choices. There was no approach he may take a swing at it.
He wouldn’t be capable of return on line with the flag for his drop if he took an unplayable since it could simply be extra brush, however he additionally couldn’t play the provisional he already hit.
This is the place issues get distinctive. While Rodgers did the proper factor by hitting a provisional, he would nonetheless must go hit one other one again from the primary reduce. The provisional was out of play.
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“He cannot play the provisional ball because he found his original,” PGA Tour guidelines official Orlando Pope stated on the printed.
His solely choice to take and unplayable was stroke and distance. Rodgers hopped again right into a PGA Tour cart and was pushed again out to the place he hit the primary two 3-woods to offer it another go.
His third strive? Again, proper.
If you’re conserving rating at house, his *second* fourth shot ended up in the identical bunker as his *first* fourth shot.
From there, his fifth bounced in the course of the inexperienced and saved rolling over the inexperienced, nonetheless 22 ft from the opening.
But then Rodgers did the unthinkable: He chipped in for bogey.
“Took awhile but he saved bogey,” Broadcaster Dan Hicks stated. “That’s one of many craziest bogeys I’ve ever seen.
“You don’t normally hit a driver and three 3-woods and make bogey.”
Rodgers rapidly shrugged off the bogey by birdieing the very subsequent gap to play the 14th and fifteenth in even. Just goes to point out there aren’t any photos on the scorecard.
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