Golf can be a cruel sport, just ask veteran Ken Duke.
Leading the Champions Tour’s Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Georgia, Duke was eight-under for the event and cruising with 22 holes left to play.
But after reaching the green in regulation on the 15th at TPC Sugarloaf – six metres above the hole – Duke’s week began to unravel.
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After hitting his birdie putt with too much pace, Duke’s ball eased by the hole. Then it just kept going.
Pushed on by some ridiculous green speed, a tricky pin location or an ill-timed gust of wind, he started to walk after it in disbelief.
Duke reached his ball as it slowed three metres past the hole, ready to mark it once it came to a halt.
“Woah, that needs to stop,” PGA TOUR Champions commentator said as he described the putt on the coverage.
“That’s going to go off the front of the green.”
But it didn’t stop.
Behind him was a false front to the elevated green, and behind that, a hill of fairway that his ball would end up rolling at least 30 metres down.
Looking less than impressed, Duke trudged back up the hole to retrieve his ball.
Desperately trying to salvage things, Duke’s fourth shot pitched into a greenside bunker, from which he played back to nearly the exact same place as his second shot.
However, this time, he wisely took a little heat off his putt – which still saw it trickle beyond the hole. But he tidied it up for a triple bogey, seven.
Duke shot 73-73 over the weekend to finish 5 under, this placed him tied for 10th.
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