PGA Tour winner kicks his putter 40 feet, bends it — then he exits

Patton Kizzire’s form looked good. 

Only, this was golf, not football. 

And he was putting, not punting.

“Ay, yi, yi, fellas,” announcer Steve Sands said on Golf Channel. “You don’t want to see that.”

Indeed. Still, those watching at home and at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort did. It was a sight. For those familiar with golf’s frustrations, it may have also been relatable. 

The act appeared to have come on Copperhead’s 204-yard, par-3 15th hole during the Valspar Championship’s first round. There, after Kizzire’s tee ball left him with a 40-footer for birdie, he ran his birdie attempt about 5 feet past the hole, and he missed the comebacker to the right. 

The club putted no more, though. 

As seen during the Golf Channel broadcast, Kizzire started to walk before his par putt reached the hole. He took three steps. He moved his putter out in front of him. He moved his right leg back, then through, then into the middle of the club. Kizzire booted it.  

It went up, up, up; nearby broadcast cameras panned up but didn’t catch its apex. A couple seconds later, it dropped back down, onto the green, about 40 feet away. 

Said analyst Gary Koch on the Golf Channel broadcast: “Auditioning maybe for his NFL career?”

Said analyst Brad Faxon: “That was about a 20-yard — that would have been a field goal. The extra point.” 

Said Sands: “Your [Tampa Bay] Bucs looking for a kicker?”

Said Koch: “No, I think they’re comfortable with who they have.”

A close-up showed Kizzire’s leg strength, though — the putter was bent where he struck it. He ended up hitting his remaining putts with a wedge. 

As to how the three-time PGA Tour winner got to that point? He struggled a bit. On 10 (he started play on the back nine), he missed a 17-footer for par. On 11, he missed a 13-footer for birdie. On 12, he missed a 3-footer for birdie. On 13, he missed a 15-footer for birdie. On 14, he made a 4-footer for par. 

After 15, Kizzire took just 10 more shots, though. He bogeyed the par-4 16th. He parred the par-3 16th. On the par-5 18th, he hit a tee shot and a second shot — and he then withdrew; the X account of the PGA Tour’s communication team cited his reasoning as a back injury. 

Kizzire was done. Just like his putter.