If he didn’t have count the short par-4 14th hole at Black Desert Resort, PGA Tour pro Davis Thompson would have had an opening round to be proud of on Thursday at the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship.
But an unfilmed chipping disaster at 14 turned Thompson’s scorecard upside down, and left golf fans scratching their heads at the bizarre Shot Tracker results for the hole.
Here’s what we know happened.
Davis Thompson makes ugly 8 at Bank of Utah Championship
Most of Thompson’s scorecard for the first round looked agreeable. Three bogeys were offset by five birdies, putting him at two under. But that doesn’t take into account the horror show that unfolded on 14.
Starting his day on the back nine, Thompson made four steady pars on holes 10-13. Next was the par-4 14th. Playing only 308 yards, most pros stand on the tee hoping for a birdie or better on what is the second-easiest hole on the course.
Thompson was likely thinking the same, more so when his tee shot ended up just short and left of the green. But four shots later, and Thompson had barely moved his feet.
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While there is no video of the incident, PGA Tour’s Shot Tracker allows us to get a good idea of what happened. While the 14th is short, its green is raised and its edges are shaved down, causing any balls hit short to roll off the front of the putting surface.
This appears to be what happened to Thompson.
Making matters worse on Thursday was a pin placement on the front left edge of the green. So the pro, who won last year’s John Deere Classic, was left with a tricky chip with little room to work with.
According to Shot Tracker, Thompson’s second shot from 55 feet ended up just 6 feet from where it started, most likely after rolling back off the front of the green. His third shot advanced another 6 feet.
But the disaster was just getting started. His fourth shot, and presumably third chip, ended up 6 feet farther away from the hole. Shot No. 5 seems to have ended up right back at his feet, with Shot Tracker recording only 6 inches of advancement.
With his sixth shot, Thompson decided to give up on getting it close, sending it 26 feet beyond the hole. But at least he was finally putting.
Two putts later, he wrote down a quadruple-bogey 8.
A Tour Cast video rendering posted on X.com by @TheModelManiac shows Thompson’s struggles on 14 in more detail.
While the snowman was devastating to Thompson’s scorecard, he rallied on his second nine, making four-straight birdies to close out a round of two-over 73.
