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Colt Knost in danger of missing PGA cut because of a bad pin sheet

GettyImages-584177270
GettyImages-584177270

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Colt Knost was hitting a 5-wood into the par-4 10th, his second shot of a rainy morning on Day 2 of the PGA Championship.

Knost’s caddie figured out the yardage, saying it was about 210 yards into the hole. Believing the pin was tucked left, Knost didn’t want to take it on. He planned to lay out to the right, and he did. Imagine, then, Knost’s surprise when he got to his ball and realized the hole location was actually on the right side of the green and he had short-sided himself. Facing a nearly impossible up-and-down, Knost made bogey.

As it turned out, Knost and his caddie, as well his playing partners Joe Summerhays and Yuta Ikeda, had been given pin sheets that had the planned hole locations for the second round. However, after 1.1 inches of rain fell overnight, the PGA of America called an audible and moved the hole location from the left side of the green to the right side. Knost and company had no idea.

“People are going to say we should be able to tell which side of the green it’s on, but I mean, I was 210 yards out and it was raining rather hard. We just expect the pin [sheet] to be right,” Knost said, according to Golf Channel. “It’s a big deal, it’s a big difference. It shouldn’t happen in tournaments like this.”

That kicked off a round that turned out to be a 3-over 73. Knost is at 2-over 142, and he’s on the cut line at the moment. He’ll spend the duration of Friday wondering if he’ll have a weekend tee time.

Once the PGA of America realized the error, they distributed updated pin sheets. However, that was not the last revision of the day. After a 30-minute weather delay, officials moved the hole location on No. 8, requiring them issue a third pin sheet. No players played the eighth without knowing its proper location.

After the round, PGA of America setup man Kerry Haigh personally apologized to Knost and his playing partners, saying simply, “We messed up.” The PGA of America also issued a statement explaining the mistake. That won’t make good on a missed paycheck if Knost misses the weekend.

“I made bogey there and that could be the difference in me playing tomorrow or not,” Knost said. “I hope it’s not, but that would be pretty frustrating if it is.”


Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.


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