Golf but . . . smellier?
During a raucous week Down Under, fans at LIV Golf Adelaide have come away with all kinds of souvenirs, some more odiferous than others.
Signed balls and gloves. Autographed programs, caps, flags…
And Bryson DeChambeau’s dirty socks.
It happened on Saturday, at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, where DeChambeau found himself in an exuberant exchange with rowdy spectators around the putting green.
During the noisy back-and-forth, fitting for a circuit that bills itself as “golf but louder,” a challenge was laid down: DeChambeau would have to drain a mid-range putt, or part with a certain article of clothing.
You can see how it played out here.
With a crowd chanting behind him, DeChambeau put a nice stroke on the ball, but his bid slid past the cup on the left.
Honoring the terms of the challenge, DeChambeau removed his shoes and then his low-cut socks, which he sniffed while nodding in approval at their scent, before handing them over to an apparently well-served fan, who seemed delighted with his, um, win?
“And there goes my socks,” DeChambeau posted afterward on social media. “Enjoy them. I guess . . .”
The playful interaction was part of a lively second round of an event that is quickly emerging as the LIV equivalent of the famously party-hardy WM Phoenix Open. Earlier in the day, on the 12th hole at Grange GC, a par-3 known as the “watering hole” due its loud music and boozy fans, the caddie for Australian pro Lucas Herbert was struck in the back of the head by a water bottle after Hubert drained a birdie putt.
The caddie, Nick Pugh, dropped to his knees, a sobering moment for all on hand, though Herbert reported later that Pugh was doing well.
The fan who wound up with DeChambeau’s socks should be okay as well, provided he doesn’t inhale too deeply.
