If someone had stumbled into your conversation at a backyard barbecue a few weeks ago and proclaimed that Lucas Glover was suddenly going to become the best golfer on the planet you'd have a strong suspicion that they were under the influence of some mighty strong prescription or recreational drugs. Perhaps you would have cut the tension by laughing and saying, "sure, dude, I'd love to see that" and then talked about the person behind their back once they left.
Before the Rocket Mortgage Classic, it was fair to say that Glover was one of, if not the worst putter on the PGA Tour. Certainly from inside four feet. He was several years deep into some Chuck Knoblauch-esque yips that turned every kick-in into a knee-knocker. The 2009 U.S. Open winner had spent over a decade struggling mightily, breaking through for two victories but also having to fight his way back to the big show through the then-Web.com circuit.
It was really rough to watch because the driving and ball-striking still hinted at a man who has the talent to win a major but would have to do something drastic to even sniff those heights again. But Glover took the unusual and humble step of changing everything. He looked at Adam Scott's long mallet putter and simply said give me one of those. He admitted he had a problem and sought out solutions on the physical, equipment, and mental realms.
Since then he's been a completely different person, finishing fourth n Detroit, sixth at the John Deere and fifth at the Barbosol. Then he went out and won the Wyndham to build momentum headed into the first FedEx Playoffs event in Memphis.
And after 73 stellar, steely holes with barely a putting blip and clutch shots to spare, he outlasted Patrick Cantlay and gobbled up all those points as well, becoming the first player to win in back-to-back weeks since Tony Finau. He is now fourth in points with greater Chicago on the horizon. A solid showing there will give him a real chance to win it all.
Glover is quiet and unassuming and has a quiet efficiency to his game. It's not thrilling to watch yet he gets the job done. He's doing things at 43 years-old last seen only when Tom Brady was still gracing a playing field. Now the first to win a playoff event north of 40 since Tiger Woods, he is showing signs of a late-career resurgence following the Vijay Singh blueprint.
At this point, it seems silly to bet against him. Because everything is falling into place and he's proving that he can not just hang with the big boys — he can hold them off. Consider the dudes chasing him yesterday. Cantlay. Max Homa. Rory McIlroy. Tommy Fleetwood. Viktor Hovalnd. Jordan Spieth. All of them faltered while Glover gritted his teeth, sank every putt he should have sank and added a handful of timely saves and fearless fairway finders off the tee. To watch him is to marvel at just how few and far his mistakes are, and how he thwarts potential disaster.
It's been a long time since he hit two bad shots in a row.
This resurgence was a long time coming and we do, it turns out, love to see it. So let's get weird and see him complete this out-of-nowhere run like a Cinderella in the NCAA Tournament. It's a great story with a good protagonist and could only get more storybook in nature.
This article was originally published on thebiglead as How Weird Does Lucas Glover Want to Get?.
