Patrick Reed’s Wild Shank at Shinnecock Is the Kind of Shot Regular Golfers Know All Too Well

The fescue at Shinnecock Hills is not your friendly neighborhood rough. It’s more like a grass monster that eats golf balls and spits out misery. Patrick Reed found that out the hard way on Thursday during the first round of the U.S. Open.

On the par-4 14th, Reed’s tee shot sailed left into the thick stuff. What happened next was the kind of moment that makes even the best players look like they’re playing a completely different sport. His second shot went absolutely sideways, rocketing across the fairway and right back into the fescue on the opposite side. The U.S. Open’s social media team captured it, and the clip took off fast.

Professional golfers don’t usually play yo-yo golf, but Reed did exactly that. And honestly, it was refreshing to see a guy with his reputation just flat-out duff one like the rest of us. He managed to escape with only a bogey, which given the circumstances felt like a small win.

Wind made things worse for everyone

The conditions at Shinnecock were brutal all day. Gusts hit 35 miles per hour, and the course lived up to its nasty reputation. Only 17 players finished under par by the time the round wrapped up. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a 2-over 72. Brooks Koepka, who got more attention for wearing a shirt that looked like it belonged on a cruise ship than for his actual golf, finished a shot worse. Even the reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun stumbled to a 7-over round.

So Reed’s 2-over score, which tied him with Scheffler and a bunch of others, is actually not bad. He played mostly steady outside a couple of ugly holes. The shank on 14 was the lowlight, but he didn’t let it completely derail his round.

Reed has been a lightning rod for controversy his whole career. He’s been accused of cheating multiple times, and his reputation as a villain in the sport is well earned. But Thursday’s shank was just a pure, honest golf moment. No drama, no gamesmanship, just a guy hitting a shot that looked like he’d never held a club before.

With the wind forecast looking similar for Friday, scores aren’t going to plummet. Reed is still in the mix, and honestly, that shank might be the most memorable thing that happened all day. Golf fans love to see the best players struggle sometimes. It makes the rest of us feel a little better about our own rounds.