A Masters’ moment: Patton Kizzire crawls through shrubbery on hands and knees to find his golf ball

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Patton Kizzire provided the first viral moment of the 2025 Masters when his errant tee shot on the fifth hole sailed right of the fairway, prompting the American to crawl through the shrubbery in an effort to find his ball and attempt to save par.

It’s not a sight patrons at the Masters see very often: a 6-foot-5, 210-pound PGA Tour pro on all fours in the bushes while assessing the playability of his second shot.

Kizzire said it was just “one of those days,” adding that “sometimes you have to get on your hands and knees to save a shot.”

He almost did.

Kizzire found enough space to maintain a solid stance from amid the brush and slapped the ball out into the fairway without any further damage. He even knocked his approach shot to within 5 feet, but then missed the par putt.

Patton Kizzire chips to the green on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

But his effort on the course didn’t go unnoticed.

One golf fan wrote on X: “The Masters aren’t truly underway until Patton Kizzire is crawling around in the pine straw off to the right of the fifth fairway.”

Kizzire’s misery didn’t end there as the 39-year-old followed that with another bogey on No. 8 and a double bogey on No. 9 to shoot 3-over 39 on the front. Kizzire shot 79, leaving the Alabama native in last place after finishing his opening round.

“I obviously didn’t have my best stuff today, but I know my game is a lot better than that,” said Kizzire, a three-time PGA Tour winner.

Stephan Jaeger was the early first-round leader at 4-under, while defending champion Scottie Scheffler was one shot back at 3-under after eight holes. Rory McIlroy, in search of his first Masters win to complete the career grand slam, tees off later in the afternoon. ___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf