What started as a promising second round for William Mouw at The American Express tournament turned into a nightmare of epic proportions on the par-5 16th hole. The 24-year-old rookie, who has only been a professional for two years, went from potential contender to Southern California’s cautionary tale after a disastrous sequence of shots led to a jaw-dropping quintuple bogey 13.
From cruising to catastrophe
Mouw began the day in fine form, following up his solid opening round of 68 with three birdies over his first 15 holes, climbing to six-under overall. But when he reached the daunting 16th on the West Stadium Course, everything unraveled.
After a solid tee shot left him contemplating a bold approach to reach the green in two, Mouw decided to go for it. That decision would haunt him. His second shot veered left into one of the course’s notoriously difficult bunkers. What followed was a calamity that golf fans won’t soon forget.
The bunker that broke Mouw
From the bunker, Mouw’s troubles escalated. His third shot sailed over the green and into thick rough. His fourth shot sent him straight back into the sand, and then things went from bad to worse.
In a sequence that resembled a golfing horror show, it took Mouw three more attempts to escape the bunker, only to overshoot the green again with his eighth shot. At this point, Mouw cut his losses and aimed backward to return to the fairway, hoping to regroup. But even then, it took two more shots to find the green, and two additional putts to finally hole out for a soul-crushing 13.
Rattled and reeling on the 17th
As if the disaster on 16 wasn’t enough, the par-3 17th proved to be another nightmare. Clearly shaken, Mouw found the water off the tee and ultimately carded a triple bogey six. In just two holes, Mouw dropped 11 shots, plummeting from six-under to five-over. A closing par on the 18th offered little solace as he finished the day in 151st place overall.
The cost of calamity
Had Mouw simply parred those two holes, he would have been tied for 58th heading into the weekend. Instead, he faces a monumental climb with only one round left before the cut is made. The American Express tournament, with its unique three-course rotation, allows players 54 holes to make the cut, but Mouw’s path to redemption now looks improbable.
Rookie struggles on the PGA Tour
This marked just the third PGA Tour event for Mouw in his rookie season. While he flashed glimpses of his talent over the first 33 holes, the collapse overshadowed his earlier success.
The young golfer now faces the challenge of mentally bouncing back from what will undoubtedly be one of the low points of his fledgling career.
Leaders set the pace
Meanwhile, Charley Hoffman and Rico Hoey lead the tournament at 16-under-par heading into the weekend. With Mouw out of contention, the focus shifts to the battle at the top of the leaderboard and the unique dynamics of The American Express tournament.