Photo by PickPik, CC by 1.0
Holding your breath as a long putt drops, whether to make eagle or save a tricky par, is one of golf’s purest thrills. The PGA Tour has witnessed its fair share of unforgettable flat-stick heroics over the years.
We will look at half a dozen jaw-dropping putter moments in PGA Tour history, but we have only highlighted putts made from the green in this article. So heroic attempts from just off the fringe don’t count.
For this reason, Rickie Fowler’s 117-foot putt at the 2010 Open at St Andrews doesn’t officially count, but it’s fun to revisit the American’s impressive attempt.
6) Robert Streb – 94 Feet 8 Inches
Robert Streb was forced to putt with a wedge after accidentally breaking his putter in 2015, but still managed to reach a playoff. However, he was eliminated before using the wedge for a crucial stroke on the green.
We’re not sure if he used his replacement putter that year, but the club he carried made some huge plays—like a 94’8″ putt at the Wells Fargo Championship and a 91-foot gem at The Greenbrier Classic shortly after.
5) Chad Campbell – 95 Feet 3 Inches
Campbell has enjoyed a successful career on the PGA Tour, winning four times, while he has also represented the USA in the Ryder Cup on three occasions (2004, 2006 and 2008).
The 47-year-old has produced some fantastic moments and one of these came at the 2015 Northern Trust Open, where he sunk a sensational putt on the 17th hole during his second round from just shy of 96 feet.
It wasn’t a fantastic tournament for the now 47-year-old, who made the cut but could only finish in share of 49th position on +5, some 11 shots off eventual winner James Hahn.
4) Alex Cejka – 96 Feet 2 Inches
Winner of 16 professional tournaments, Cejka etched his name into the history books when he canned a putt from just over 96 feet during round one of the 2011 Northern Trust Open.
Faced with a monster putt on the par-four ninth hole, the German found the bottom of the cup, much to the delight of the crowd, before going on to card a level-par 71 on day one.
Unfortunately, the 50-year-old, whose top major result was fourth at the 2003 US PGA Championship, had to retire from the tournament halfway through his second round after suffering an injury.
3) Ben Curtis – 100 Feet 1 Inch
Curtis may be most famous for his unexpected victory at the 2003 Open, his only major, yet he produced another memorable feat on the 14th hole during the first day of the 2007 Players Championship.
Sitting at one-over-par at the time, the American sunk the long-range effort for birdie to move himself back to level-par and provide a small moment of joy in what turned out to be a dreadful tournament for him.
The 44-year-old missed the cut after struggling to 10-over during the opening 36 holes and he would go on to play golf professionally for another 11 years before deciding to move into teaching.
2) Angel Cabrera – 103 Feet 5 Inches
Cabrera’s two most high-profile moments came in 2007 and 2009, when he won the US Open and Masters respectively, but there are some that may have missed his putt on the 17th during round four of the 2011 Phoenix Open.
The Argentine was out of contention heading into the final round, allowing him to play with more freedom, and he certainly made the most of that when making an eagle at the par-four 17th.
Cabrera managed to make the putt from nearly 104 feet, as he ended the tournament in a share of 49th position on -7, a massive 11 shots behind the winner.
1) Craig Barlow – 111 Feet 5 Inches
You can be forgiven for not recognising the name Craig Barlow, who isn’t a household name in the golfing world, but that may just change after reading about his incredible putt.
In the fourth round of the 2008 Buick Open, the American started off his round in sensational fashion when rattling in a putt from nearly 112 feet to eagle at the par-five first. Talk about making a quick start!
Barlow, a cousin of Brandon Flowers who is the lead singer of The Killers, ended up finishing in a share of 32nd on -10 and he never managed to win a professional event.
Now 48 years of age, he plays on the Korn Ferry Tour in search of that elusive maiden victory.
