Lucas Glover's 3M Open mid-round antics left his playing partner saying, "I've never seen anything like it"
Lucas Glover of the United States hits his tee shot on the 11th tee during the first round of the 2026 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 23, 2026 in Blaine, Minnesota. /CSM Blaine USA - ZUMAc04_ 20260723_zma_c04_041 Copyright: xStevenxGarciax
Lucas Glover of the United States hits his tee shot on the 11th tee during the first round of the 2026 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 23, 2026 in Blaine, Minnesota. /CSM Blaine USA - ZUMAc04_ 20260723_zma_c04_041 Copyright: xStevenxGarciax
A rules official's complaint about spike marks triggered an on-course issue unlike anything Lucas Glover's playing partner, Max Greyserman, had witnessed. The 31-year-old was taken aback by Glover's actions.
On the 10th hole of the final round at the 3M Open, Glover removed his shoes after sinking a birdie putt. Greyserman was closest to the scene and had no clue.
"Like, I had absolutely no idea what is happening. I've never seen anything like this. I have no context of why he's doing this,” said Greyserman. “He takes his shoes off, leaves them on the fringe, goes and picks the ball out of the hole in just his socks.”
Scottish Open Day Four Max Greyserman chips onto the green on hole 1 on Day Four of the Genesis Scottish Open 2026 at The Renaissance Club, North Berwick 12/07/2026 UK Newspapers OUT Copyright: xJamiexJohnstonx FIL-23617-0626
Scottish Open Day Four Max Greyserman chips onto the green on hole 1 on Day Four of the Genesis Scottish Open 2026 at The Renaissance Club, North Berwick 12/07/2026 UK Newspapers OUT Copyright: xJamiexJohnstonx FIL-23617-0626
Glover landed a 10-foot birdie putt to reach six-under for the tournament at the 10th hole in the final round. Following that, he removed his shoes, picked his ball out of the hole in his socks, and walked off the green.
Greyserman stayed focused on his own round, but Glover soon explained the spike-mark complaint that triggered the issue.
"Let me just go make my birdie because I got a job to do and my job is not to worry about Lucas Glover taking his shoes off on the green,” he added on the NUCLR golf podcast via X. “Then Lucas told us that the rules official came up to him and said that guys behind us were complaining about spike marks on the greens. Lucas was upset because they were singling him out."
Although Greyserman uses the AimPoint technique, Glover’s actions had nothing to do with it. In the past, the 2009 U.S. Open champ has criticized the technique.
However, Glover made clear the intention in an official statement.
Lucas Glover on the shoe removal
Lucas Glover was wearing metal spikes at TPC Twin Cities. Naturally, he left spike marks around the holes, and players behind him had lodged a complaint.
“Alright, let’s clear this up. For 23 years on the PGA Tour I’ve worn spikes. 23 years ago, most of us did. It hasn’t been that long since we were NOT allowed to tap them down. Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever had a complaint,” Glover wrote on his Instagram.
As a matter of fact, the USGA and the R&A have allowed players to tap down spike marks since 2019. Even Greyserman vouched in favor of his playing partner.
"Metal spikes are perfectly legal, whether you agree with that or not, it doesn't matter. They're legal at the current time,” said Greyserman. “The rules official has no jurisdiction to tell Lucas to, like, walk better or something, to walk more carefully.”
Moreover, Glover and Greyserman were playing behind a player who was wearing metal spikes. That left Glover even more frustrated.
For Glover, that only added to the frustration of being singled out for something permitted under the rules. What began as a complaint about spike marks ultimately produced one of the more unusual scenes of the final round.
Written by
Avishek Sarkar
Edited by
Rudra Dubey