Sizing up the TV coverage from the Waste Management Open ... and away we go.
If you've every played golf in Arizona before, you know hitting a wayward shot almost always requires you to hit a provisional. Why? Because the cactus is plentiful and unless you're crazy or have a lot of money on the line, going in and retrieving your ball isn't advised.
Unfortunately for Spencer Levin, he didn't really have a choice on the 15th hole during Sunday's final round of the Waste Management Open. In contention for his first PGA Tour win, Levin found his tee-shot nestled in the middle of the Cholla cactus.
"This could hurt," Gary McCord said. "I can't believe he's trying this"
While viewers watching CBS's coverage at home were almost certainly begging for Levin to hit the shot from the cactus, almost the entire CBS crew was questioning the decision ... except for one guy
"This isn't a bad idea if he can pop down on top of this," David Feherty said. "He's got five options: He can re-tee, he can play it as it lies, he can take it as far back keeping that point between him and the hole, or he could take two club lengths."
Or the fifth option, which was to go inside the cactus try and hack his way back into play. If you've ever tried option five, you know the final outcome usually ends with ripped clothing and torn ego.
Luckily for Levin, he was able to get the ball in play, but not before suffering the wrath of the cacti. Just second after the shot came out from his the bush and into the first cut, Nick Faldo tried to reverse course from questioning the decision to calling it a smart move.
"Oh, I see," Faldo said. "That was good thinking. But he's still still got a mile [to the hole]."
After panning out to an overhead view to get a better angle of the next shot, the cameras quickly panned back to Levin, who was groaning as his caddie, Mike Hicks, pulled a piece of cactus that was attached to his rib cage.
"He's got a couple of bits on him," Feherty said. "I guarantee you he's got a couple of piece on his calves as well. And there's one on his right buttock."
As CBS zoomed in on Levin getting another piece pulled from his rib cage, he joked with the camera that "you don't want to hit one there". Hey at least the guy had a sense of humor through the whole moment -- including what happened next when his caddie pulled a piece that was attached to his rear.
It was comical stuff, but you had to feel for Levin. After watching him hit the shot and then suffer the cactus consequences, you knew it was only a matter of time before the moment went viral.
Quote of the week:
Gary McCord commenting on the crowds on the 16th hole: "I hope those people don't breed or we could be in for a long generation."
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