Oakmont (United States) (AFP) – Danny Willett conquered some of most famous greens in golf to win the Masters, but Oakmont’s treacherous putting surfaces pushed him to breaking point in the US Open.
England’s Willett was so frustrated with his performance on the greens that he snapped his putter in two late in his third round — the same putter he used in making his major breakthrough at Augusta National in April.
“Yeah, unfortunately, it’s now in two pieces. We’ll have to get it refurbed, and then I won’t be using it again,” Willett said after completing a final-round 71 for a nine-over total of 289.
He was out of the hunt for a second straight major title early on, struggling to adjust as thunderstorms halted Thursday’s first round three times.
In addition to the distracting disruptions, the wet weather meant players faced vastly different course conditions than those that prevailed in the practice rounds.
“Just a bad week really on the greens,” said Willett, who had to finish out a couple of third-round holes with his a wedge but had another putter available to put in his bag for the final round.
“They’re tricky to read, tricky to keep the pace and line the same. Obviously, the starting and stopping on Thursday, Friday, pace changed a little bit … things just didn’t quite go our way.”
Willett took 129 putts for the week, starting with 35 in the first round.
He was spiralling down early Sunday with double-bogeys at the third and fifth before five birdies and two bogeys the rest of the way.
“I’m a bit disappointed with the week, but (it) could have been a lot worse,” Willett said.
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