PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Tom Hoge’s 2026 Players Championship came to a crashing halt on Friday with one of the most dramatic single-hole meltdowns in recent PGA Tour memory. The veteran golfer, who ironically co-holds the course record at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course with a bogey-free 10-under 62 from the third round in 2023 (later tied by Justin Thomas in 2025), carded a shocking quintuple-bogey 9 on the par-4 seventh hole during his second round.
Entering the day 1-over-par 73 for the tournament and 1-under through his opening six holes, Hoge watched his scorecard implode on the 454-yard seventh. His tee shot hooked left into the water hazard for a penalty stroke. After dropping, he topped a fairway wood, punched out, shanked his approach, hit into the greenside bunker, blasted past the pin, missed the return putt, and finally tapped in for the 9. The disaster turned his round, from promising to disastrous, dropping him from even par to +5 in a single stroke.
Hoge added a bogey on the eighth, finishing the front nine at 5-over 41 despite two birdies earlier in the round. He added another double on the par-4 10th hole and a final bogey on the 14th to come in on 39, en route to an 8-over 80 for the day. Combined with his first-round score (+1), it left him eight shots off the cut line, bringing an early end to his week at the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
The irony was not lost on observers: the same player who set the 18-hole scoring benchmark just three years earlier with his record-setting 62 — achieved with 10 birdies and no bogeys — now etched his name into another, less flattering piece of history on one of the course’s demanding holes. Hoge has enjoyed strong showings at The Players in recent years, including a T3 finish in 2023 following his record round and another T3 in 2025, but this year’s edition will be remembered for the quintuple-bogey unraveling.
As the tournament moves forward with leaders vying for the title, Hoge’s collapse serves as a stark reminder that no lead (or record) is safe on this iconic layout. For the North Dakota native, attention now turns to regrouping ahead of upcoming events.
