Masters contender misses shocking putt to start final round

Entering the final round of the Masters, all the talk at Augusta National was about the two names atop the leaderboard: Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. As two of the biggest names in the sport duking it out for a green jacket, this should have come as no surprise.

But as this tournament has shown time and time again, anything can happen on Sunday, meaning some of the other names near the top of the leaderboard were well within striking distance as the day began. One such contender, Corey Conners, entered the day just four shots off the 54-hole lead held by McIlroy. And after his performance on the 1st hole, Conners finally got the patrons talking — albeit for all the wrong reasons.

Conners, in the penultimate pairing, got off to the picture-perfect start. He found the fairway off the tee at 1 and then hit a wedge 25 feet below the hole for a look at birdie. With two putts from that position, he could settle into the round with a stress-free par and head to the par-5 2nd looking to make birdie.

That’s not how it went down, though.

Conners lagged his birdie try within a foot of the cup, setting up what looked like an easy tap-in for par. However, with the ensuing stroke, the Canadian did not even touch the hole. Instead, his ball scooted by the right edge of the cup.

Fans watching at home likely found themselves thinking, I coulda done that! And, for once, they may have been right. It’s not often you see a 1-footer missed in your Saturday morning skins games let alone on Sunday at the Masters.

So, how unlikely was Conners’ miss? According to stats from the PGA Tour, pros have made 99.55% of putts from 3 feet and closer during the 2025 season. Conners has missed just three looks from this distance, good for a 99.49% make rate.