Lucas Glover has offered a detailed and humorous explanation for his unusual decision to remove his shoes after sinking a putt during the final round of the 3M Open on Sunday. The former U.S. Open champion, who finished T-57 in the PGA Tour event in Minnesota, sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole. Instead of immediately retrieving his ball, he walked to the fringe of the green, removed his shoes, and then approached the hole.
While some speculated Glover was protesting the AimPoint green-reading system, which he has expressed dissatisfaction with, he stated his actions were unrelated to the putting method. Glover explained in an Instagram post that his removal of shoes was an effort to be "mindful" of his spike marks on the greens, particularly given he wears metal spikes.
"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. He noted that an official, not another player, approached him about his spike marks. Glover asserted that he was not breaking any rules and pointed out that other players were also wearing metal spikes.
Glover described the greens at 3M as bent grass, soft, and heavily watered, conditions he said would lead to damage regardless of spike type. He stated he did his best to tap down any damage as he left the area around the hole. "My demonstration yesterday had nothing to do with Aimpoint. I have no idea how anyone came to that conclusion. I took my shoes off to get my ball out of hole because that was literally the only way to not make any marks around the hole. Again, no matter what type of spikes were on my shoes," he explained.
He expressed disappointment that the situation had drawn attention away from golfer Jackson Koivu. Glover concluded his statement by emphasizing that players can now tap down spike marks, a point he reiterated multiple times. "Looking forward to The Rocket Classic this week. I’ll be wearing metal spikes, and the people playing behind me are still allowed to tap down the marks. Did I mention that," he added.