OAKMONT, Pa. -- Danny Willett broke the putter he used to win the Masters in anger during the third round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont and said frustration simply got the best of him.
"The putter has been bad all week,'' Willett said Sunday after shooting 71 to finish the tournament at 289, 9 over par.
Willett played the back nine first, and after three-putting the eighth green, he took out his anger on the putter by rapping it several times against the course bridge that goes across the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
"Unfortunately, it's now in two pieces,'' Willett said.
Danny Willett finished out the U.S. Open with a new putter after breaking the one used to win the 2016 Masters in anger. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
This came a hole after he thrust it into his bag so violently at the seventh hole that his caddie had to do some work to extract it.
"Obviously, the starting and stopping on Thursday, Friday, pace changed a little bit, but it's enough to kind of throw you out," Willett said. "Hit the lip a lot, and things just didn't quite go our way. One of them weeks.
"Had a couple I finished out with a wedge yesterday. Just a bad week really on the greens. They're tricky to read, tricky to keep the pace and the line the same.''
Willett plans on repairing the putter he used to win at Augusta for his first major tournament title.
"We'll have to get it refurbed, and then I won't be using it again," Willett said. "I'll end up keeping it. I don't know, I might pull it back out of retirement once.''
Silly boy. I have thrown my club one or twice but not broken it. I once threw my sand wedge into a farmer's field about 15 years ago. It may still be there to this day.;-) CAC
cac handed Geordie.
I saw a replay of him hitting his putter a few times and breaking it. I can understand how the greens could cause a golfrer to lose his temper, they were way fast and hard to read. WHY they felt that the greens had to be Triple mowed and double rolled is beyond me. The even mowed the greens again before the start of the fourth round on Sunday. Had to be a problem to read the greens in the afternoon round after playing them in the morning to finish up the third. i'll NEVER understand the way the USGA and PGA think when it comes to the greens, especially in the majors.
Don
Putting is easy if you have the Right Putter.
Agree Don. They want the damn score near Par but to me, wya too many unfair greens out there. Its one thing to reward a great shot, but to punish a good shot to me is wrong.
Golf is a game that can only be played...
GolfGearReview.com Administrator
You could tell that the guys were just guessing out there based on lines and pace. The only putts that they had any confidence in were the straight uphill ones. That to me diminishes the game every bit as much as the superman length drives that are being hit. I mean seriously; a 300 yard par three?! These guys are not playing the same game with the same equipment that we are. it might look the same, but it's not the same.
I just read an article says the greens were at 14 or more for Oakmont. Normally on tour they are in the 11 to 12 range, and that's plenty fast to test a goflers skill with the putter. The issue with DJ's ball moving was in part due to the super fast greens being so fast the ball could move with little of no imput from the golfer. A little wind and it moves and the golfer gets a penality for nothing. Just DUMB in my opinion to have the greens that fast.
And I agree with scomac, there were a lot of times it looked like they were just guessing about the line or the speed on a lot of those putts. I never see so many Missed putts from inside 5 or 6 feet before.
Don
Putting is easy if you have the Right Putter.
How about the 684 yard Par 5....seriously? This event is all about the USGA showing it's still in charge and can still put up a challenge for the best players in the game..nobody said it was a fair challenge...
like the drivable Par 4 on Sunday, if your ball happened to bounce/roll into the first cut, it would stay. if it didn't, back it went 40 yards.
Saw one guy putt up one of those slopes...he had a long shot after that when it got almost to the hole, but then didn't stay...
Golf is a game that can only be played...
GolfGearReview.com Administrator
That's it in a nut shell; It's all about the USGA reminding everyone that they are in charge. They don't like the fact that the PGA is the face of golf in this day and age. They're here to remind us that they are the ones who are the keepers of the trust. It's all about who has power and nothing more than that. Groove rules, anchoring bans, amusement park style course conditions; it's just another in a long list of decisions ostensibly to protect the integrity of the game, but nothing more than the annual power play!
I saw a couple of guys try to either chip or putt the ball up one of those False Fronts in front of the greens, only to have the ball get Almost to the level part of the green and then turn around and roll back down the slope back to the golfers feet or even farther than it was from the flag before the shot. This is NOT a test of the golfers skills as much as it was a Guessing Game as to how fast the green was and how fast the slope in front of the green was and how hard do you have to hit the ball to get it to STAY when it gets on the green???? It was like watching Putt Putt golf on network TV at times.
Don
Putting is easy if you have the Right Putter.
Yeah, that was unfair. And in one case, the guy I saw had hit a shot on the front middle of the green only to have it roll back there. It's just too much like a circus..a windmill and a clown's mouth where all that was missing..
Now, back to that dress... HA!
Golf is a game that can only be played...
GolfGearReview.com Administrator
I'm with you Scott, back to that dress. It was for sure a good fit on her, and the white color did show off her curves quite well. The good news is that she "Does" have the body to wear a dress like that and look good doing it. Much better than when you see the same type of dress on a women that looks more like the Pillsberry Dough Boy. I don't mean to sould like a male pig, but I just don't think any one, man or woman should wear skin tight clothing if they are NOT in decent shape. I've seen a few women wearing high gloss strecth pants that were at least 75 pounds overweight. NOT a pretty look in my book. Paulina looks good in that dress but it's not a good dress style for Rosie O'Donell for sure.
Don
Putting is easy if you have the Right Putter.