When Lucas Glover took off his shoes at the recent 3M Open, he encountered a familiar phenomenon that Paul McCartney experienced nearly six decades ago on the cover of Abbey Road: removing footwear in a public setting inevitably sparks conversation.
With widespread discussion often comes a distortion of the facts.
For those who may have missed the resulting speculation, a clarification is in order.
During Sunday’s final round at TPC Twin Cities, Glover sank a birdie putt on the par-4 10th hole and removed his golf shoes before reaching into the cup to retrieve his ball. The action immediately triggered speculation on Golf Channel and elsewhere, as the outspoken critic of the AimPoint green-reading method appeared to be making another statement about the controversial technique.
However, that was not the case.
On Monday, the former U.S. Open champion took to Instagram to clarify the situation.
“Let us clear this up,” he wrote. He explained that the impromptu removal of his shoes had nothing to do with AimPoint; rather, it was prompted by a complaint he had received regarding his metal spikes.
Glover has been a metal-spikes aficionado since joining the Tour 23 years ago. He stated that Sunday’s round marked the first time he had been approached about his footwear mid-competition. Most unusual was the fact that the individual who raised the issue was not a fellow competitor, but an official.
“First, it is not the officials’ jurisdiction to do so. I was not breaking any rules,” Glover wrote. “Secondly, there were other players in the groups ahead of and behind me who were also wearing metal spikes.”
While Glover described his barefoot walk as a “demonstration,” he emphasized it had nothing to do with AimPoint. Instead, he explained, it was his method of approaching the hole without scarring the turf.
To ensure the message was not lost, Glover repeatedly referenced the 2019 rules change concerning spike marks.
“Have I mentioned that we can tamp them down now?”
He had, in fact.
Glover also expressed puzzlement at the notion that his actions had been linked to AimPoint.
“My demonstration yesterday had nothing to do with AimPoint,” he wrote. “I have no idea how anyone arrived at that conclusion.”
Ultimately, Glover said he regretted the episode becoming a story in the first place, particularly on the same day that 21-year-old Jackson Koivun claimed his first Tour victory.
“My biggest disappointment is that a small group of people are fixated on this non-issue instead of Jackson Koivun,” Glover wrote.
His clarification should put the AimPoint speculation to rest. However, if Glover wishes to avoid similar chatter in the future, he might consider following the example of John, George, and Ringo on Abbey Road and keeping his shoes on.