DP World Tour pro hit an unexplainable shot at Joburg Open. Then the leader quickly outdid him
Romain Langasque, left, and Sami Valimaki on Saturday on the 18th hole at Houghton Golf Club.
DP World Tour
Tour pros don’t hit shanks often, but when they do, it’s a little relieving to know the best in the world can hit ugly ones, too.
And it makes us couch caddies feel even better about ourselves when it happens twice on the same hole.
Such was the case Saturday. Romain Langasque, who started the day four shots off Dan Bradbury’s 36-hole lead at the Joburg Open, had it to 13 under early in the back nine, but gave one back at 16 and drove it right and under a tree on the 18th hole.
His punch-out attempt was a straight skull off the hosel.
The 2020 Wales Open winner’s ball just barely rolled into the fairway bunker ahead of him. He was able to limit the damage to just a bogey, and he head into the final round six strokes off the lead.
Normally, that would have ended up as probably the worst shot we’d see for the day on the 18th hole at Houghton Golf Club. But then Sami Valimaki stepped on the tee.
Despite making bogey on the second hole, the 24-year-old Finn was seven under for the day and leading the tournament by one over Bradbury. However, off the tee on the finishing par-4, Valimaki found himself on the opposite side of the same tree Langasque found himself beside just two groups earlier.
The results were worse.
‘An absolute nightmare’: Pro shanks one, his next shot strikes a tree, then he’s hit into
Clipping a tree branch audibly on the back swing, Valimaki, also a one-time DP World Tour winner, hit a pure shank right off the cart path on the hole and into the woods.
“He’s hit the worst shank you’ve ever seen in your life,” said one of the Sky Sports Broadcasters.
Valimaki was fuming in his post-round interview with the DP World Tour after making double to fall one back of Bradbury, at 16 under.
“It’s hard to be happy how you finish the round hitting terrible shots,” he said.
This wasn’t the only big number for Valimaki for the week. He finds himself near the lead despite making an eight on the par-5 third hole in round one. He rebounded with two birdies over the next three holes to shoot 66 on Thursday, but will now have the night to sleep on that shank.
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