Golfer Apologizes For Punting His Putter To The Moon In Middle Of PGA Tour Event

The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook caused some major crashouts from PGA Tour players at the Valspar Championship last week, and Patton Kizzire was among the group who lost their cool on the difficult track.

Kizzire, a three-time winner on Tour, reached his boiling point during Thursday's opening round.

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At one-over par through his first five holes of the tournament, Kizzire was faced with a par putt from just inside six feet. After missing the putt on the low side, he took a step towards the hole to presumably tap his ball in for bogey. Instead, he punted his putter, and when we say punt, we mean it.

His flatstick went so high up in the air that it left the frame on the broadcast and traveled a good 15 or so yards to the other side of the green. Kizzire damaged his putter, therefore tapped in for bogey with a wedge before ultimately withdrawing from the tournament two holes later, citing a back injury.

READ: Viktor Hovland's 'Disgusting' Win At Valspar, JT Keeps It Classy In Defeat, Tiger Woods' Hater Blockers

After showing off his punting ability, Kizzire took to Instagram a few days later to issue an apology to his fans while also pointing to the fact that the missed putt wasn't his putter's fault.

"I just wanted to address the situation at the Valspar Championship last week. I wasn't feeling well and I certainly lost my cool," Kizzire said in the video. "It wasn't my putter's fault, I just lost my cool and it's unacceptable. I'm looking forward to being a better version of myself and I appreciate you guys understanding."

It goes without saying that this type of behavior can't be encouraged and Kizzire had no other option than to issue an apology.

With that being said, this type of behavior from PGA Tour players is a rarity, which in turn makes it incredibly entertaining. 

Both things can be true at once: golfers, at any level, shouldn't be punting putters across greens after a missed five-footer, but when they do, it's a spectacle.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016, when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.