Golfer’s Frustration Leads to Lost Clubs as One Gets Stuck in Tree
A Day to Forget: Joost Luiten and the Mystery of the Lodging Golf Clubs
In a game where precision is key, sometimes even professional golfers like Joost Luiten find themselves tangled in perplexing situations.
During the final round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, Luiten’s day took an unexpected turn. Already struggling with his performance on Sunday, frustration got the best of him when his drive veered left into a bunker.
Sitting at two-over for the round and coming off a bogey on the previous hole, Luiten couldn’t contain his disappointment. In an astonishing display of determination or perhaps madness, he aimed his driver towards a nearby tree at Jumeirah Golf Estate’s Earth Course.
The unthinkable happened – not just one club lodged itself between branches above his head but two! Undeterred by this odd predicament, Luiten proceeded to sacrifice yet another club in an attempt to dislodge its predecessors. His caddie joined forces using a fallen branch while a brave volunteer climbed up the tree hoping to shake them free.
Luten tried various methods – jumping, poking with a roaming scoreboard – but all proved futile. Finally accepting defeat, he unleashed one last act of frustration by kicking his golf bag before moving onto his next shot.
“Taking tree trouble to new heights,” shared the DP World Tour on social media.
Bogeying that particular hole wasn’t ideal for Luitens’ scorecard; however, fate had something else in store for him at the 10th tee. Miraculously, his clubs were retrieved by a volunteer and hand-delivered to him by his eight-months-pregnant wife, Melanie-Jane.
A glimmer of hope emerged as Luiten scored three consecutive birdies. Alas, it was too little too late. With a final round score of one-over 73, he completed the tournament at three-over overall, finishing in 48th place out of the 50-player field.
“It was just one of those weeks when nothing went my way,” Luiten candidly admitted to reporters after the match. “I lost my composure and threw my driver which ended up stuck in a tree. That pretty much sums up my week… Luckily, one of the volunteers managed to retrieve them; otherwise, it would have been quite an amusing round with only 11 clubs.”
Danish Delight: Nicolai Hojgaard Secures Victory
While Luiten’s golf club ordeal stole some attention during the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, Danish golfer Nicolai Hojgaard created his own headlines with an impressive performance.
The young talent dazzled spectators with a scintillating final round score of eight-under 64—a remarkable achievement that secured him his third DP World Tour win.
Hojgaard’s victory came about through an extraordinary run of five consecutive birdies on the back nine. This exceptional display propelled him to finish on top with an outstanding overall score of 21-under par—two shots ahead of Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland along with England’s Matt Wallace.
“This victory means so much; it’s truly special,” shared an ecstatic Hojgaard during post-match interviews. Reflecting on his successful year so far, he added, “I feel like I’ve had a fantastic year, but a win was the only missing piece of the puzzle. To achieve it this week, against such stiff competition, is simply unbelievable.”