WATCH: DP World Tour Pro Putts It Out Of Bunker

Ewen Ferguson took the unusual approach to a bunker shot during the first round of the Porsche European Open

Ewen Ferguson takes a shot from a bunker with a putter at the 2023 Porsche European Open
Ewen Ferguson opted for a putter with a bunker shot at the Porsche European Open
(Image credit: Twitter @DPWorldTour)

There are several techniques to consider for the perfect bunker shot. For example, the position of the feet in relation to the ball needs to be correct. Then there’s the shaft line and clubface to work on, not to mention how much sand to take as you play your shot.

However, Ewen Ferguson found a decidedly simpler approach when his ball found a sand trap during the Porsche European Open in Frankfurt – he used a putter!

The Scot opted for the unusual choice with his ball in a bunker on the par 3 eighth during the first round at Green Eagle. 

Admittedly, the bunker in question hardly has the reputation of the game's most famous. After all, it doesn't have the huge depth of, say, Hell at The Old Course, St Andrews, nor is it as steep as the equally daunting Himalaya at Royal St George's, but using a putter for any bunker shot is out of the ordinary, particularly in a high-stakes top-level event.

So, how did he get on? Well, after a solid enough contact, the ball may have lacked a little direction, but, with a little assistance from the lip of the bunker, it still rolled nicely enough onto the green to leave him a perfectly satisfactory six feet from the pin. 

Whie the Scot no doubt left onlookers wondering if there might be something in his new approach to bunker shots, his trusty putter didn’t remain his friend for long. Ferguson agonisingly missed his effort for par, leaving the ball a mere eight inches from the hole, and he had to settle for his second bogey of the day.

Ferguson claimed his first two DP World Tour wins in 2022, with the Qatar Masters in March and most recently in August’s ISPS Handa World Invitational. Whether we’ll see him opt for a putter in future bunker shots as he pursues his third this week is anyone’s guess. After his relatively successful experiment the first time, though, it’s probably wise not to put it past him.

Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.