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There are lots of different ways to grip the putter.

Traditional, left-hand low, claw, left-hand low with claw, arm-lock… the choice is considerable.

As of today, you can add another to that list: the ‘Hubbard’.

Playing in the second round of this week’s PGA Tour event – The American Express at La Quinta – US journeyman Mark Hubbard had television viewers hitting the rewind button after gripping his putter in truly bizarre fashion.

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Standing over a ten-foot putt for par on the par-4 ninth – his final hole of the day after starting on the tenth – the 31-year-old cradled the club in his left hand and elaborately hunched himself over his club, stretching his right arm all the way down the shaft, finally gripping the club with his pinky around six inches above the hosel. 

Yes, really.

He proceeded to miss on the low side, bogeying the hole and signing for a 76, comfortably missing the cut.

See the weird moment for yourself…

Former Open champion Mark Calcavecchia was one of those watching on. He tweeted: “Gotta love Mark Hubbard. He just whipped out a grip on his last hole that not even I’ve thought of before.”

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And in case you’re wondering, yes, it’s perfectly legal to grip the club this way – so long as Hubbard’s belly has not acted as an anchor for the club, that is. 

We’ve just got one question…

Why?!

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