Tom Hoge can’t seem to find the target, it seems. The 36-year-old wasn’t particularly struggling before the 7th hole on the Friday of The PLAYERS Championship 2026. However, what transpired on the 454-yard par-4 completely changed the trajectory of his round. And suddenly, he went from playing the weekend to getting knocked out of the competition.

As many sources reported, “Tom Hoge made a quintuple bogey (9) on the 7th hole today ☠️.”

Yes, that’s not a joke. He scored 5-over par on just one hole. That took his score in the PGA Tour flagship event from even par to 5-over par. And the outrageous errors he made really felt relatable to many of the golf fans.

Hoge’s drive off the tee went wide left into the water. After losing the ball, he had to sustain a one-stroke penalty, and the ball was dropped in the rough just before the water. The poor lie forced him to hit a short wedge shot that once again landed in the rough.

From there, he found the rough a couple of more times before finally landing in the bunker. Hoge was already six shots in by this point and 94 feet away from the hole. Fortunately, he landed a great wedge shot 5 feet away from the cup. However, he ended up missing that too and had to two-putt it on the green. That ended up accounting for a total of nine strokes.

As mentioned, fans found the entire episode quite relatable. And they shared their views about Hoge’s performance in the comments section.

Tom Hoge helps the fans connect with professional golf

After watching Tom Hoge, every amateur golfer has started feeling like they can make it to the pro circuit at some point.

One of them said, “Professional golfer Tom Hoge turns amateur for the day,” while another also said, “Relatable.”

Missing the target is a trademark Sunday golfer move. Fortunately, they are just out there to have some fun and de-stress. Hoge was probably channeling his inner Sunday golfer, or maybe he just wanted to connect with his fans and help them relate to professional golf. Either way, he definitely caught the attention of the netizens.

A fan challenged Hoge by saying, “Put me down for a 7.”

They seem to believe that they can beat Hoge by 2 strokes. Interestingly, according to Golf Shaft Warehouse, an average American Sunday golfer can complete a 450-yard hole in 5 to 6 strokes. So the fan is probably giving themselves an extra stroke of breathing space in case something goes wrong. Considering how badly it went for Hoge, it’s a wise decision by them.

Someone commented, “Same guy co-owns the tournament low round record. Golf.”

Hoge scored a 10-under 62 in the third round of the 2023 PLAYERS Championship. Justin Thomas tied that score last season. However, no one has been able to surpass it so far. To go from 10-under par to 9-over in just a few years shows how far Hoge has come in his career.

Lastly, a fan wrote, “One of us.”

After the abysmal performance at TPC Sawgrass, the community has claimed Hoge to be similar to them rather than a pro golfer. But he shouldn’t be too upset about it as many big names have been given that tag, including Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler.