The game of golf is devised to make you lose. So much so that even if you are in a good position, it can turn the tables on you at any time. Unfortunately, Tom Hoge learned it the hard way early on Friday in his eighth Players Championship appearance.

The 36-year-old wasn’t particularly struggling on the second day. The 454-yard par-4 seventh hole changed the trajectory of his round. Suddenly, he went from playing the weekend to getting knocked out of the competition entirely.

Tom Hoge made a quintuple bogey (9) on the 7th hole in the second round, taking his score in the PGA Tour flagship event from even par to 5-over par. Here’s how it all unraveled:

Hoge’s drive off the tee went wide left into the water. After losing the ball, he had to sustain a one-stroke penalty, and the ball was dropped in the rough just before the water. The poor lie forced him to hit a short wedge shot that once again landed in the rough.

From there, he found the rough a couple of more times before finally landing in the bunker. Hoge was already six shots in by this point and 94 feet away from the hole. Fortunately, he hit a great wedge shot that landed 5 feet from the cup. However, he ended up missing that too and had to two-putt it on the green, accounting for a total of nine strokes. Things didn’t exactly go in his favor after that either.

He added a couple more bogeys and a double on his way to shooting 80. Interestingly, Hoge holds both the personal best and worst records at TPC Sawgrass.

He had scored a 10-under 62 in the 2023 PLAYERS Championship, the lowest for the tournament. At the same time, the 36-year-old also holds an excellent record in the PGA Tour flagship event.

While he has never won it, Hoge has finished third twice in the last three times he played in the event. Moreover, he had also never missed the cut in the tournament before this. But the 9-over par in two rounds guarantees his exit from the 2026 PLAYERS Championship before the weekend rounds are played.

As mentioned, fans found the entire episode quite relatable. And they shared their views about Hoge’s performance in the comments section.

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Tom Hoge, ironically, helped the fans connect with professional golf

After watching Tom Hoge, every amateur golfer has started feeling like they can make it to the pro circuit at some point.

One of them said, “Professional golfer Tom Hoge turns amateur for the day,” while another also said, “Relatable.”

Missing the target is a trademark move for Sunday golfers. Fortunately, they are just out there to have some fun and de-stress. But for Hoge, it became a perfect example of shooting oneself in the foot.

Another fan challenged Hoge by saying, “Put me down for a 7.”

They seem to believe that they can beat Hoge by 2 strokes. Interestingly, according to Golf Shaft Warehouse, an average American Sunday golfer can complete a 450-yard hole in 5 to 6 strokes. So the fan is probably giving themselves an extra stroke of breathing space in case something goes wrong. Considering how badly it went for Hoge, it’s a wise decision.

Someone commented, “Same guy co-owns the tournament low round record. Golf.”

As mentioned, Hoge scored a 10-under 62 in the third round of the 2023 PLAYERS Championship. Justin Thomas tied that score last season. However, no one has been able to surpass it so far. To go from 10-under par to 9-over in just a few years shows that Hoge may still need some time to ace his skills.

Another fan wrote, “One of us.”

After the abysmal performance at TPC Sawgrass, the community has claimed that Hoge is similar to them. Of course, professional or not, everyone has a bad day while playing golf. Hoge happened to be the target this time. But he shouldn’t be too upset about it, as many big names have been given that tag, including Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler.