Cal’s Lost Weekend at the PGA Championship
It was supposed to be a career-defining weekend for Cal—his long-awaited debut at a major championship, the 2025 PGA Championship. The months leading up to it had been a steady climb: top-10 finishes, a clutch win on the Florida Swing, and a reputation building as one of the tour’s most consistent ball-strikers. But somewhere between the first tee on Thursday and the missed cut Friday evening, Cal’s PGA dreams unraveled into what would soon be called “Cal’s Lost Weekend.”
Thursday: A Slow Burn Begins
The signs were there early. On the opening hole, Cal pulled a hybrid into the rough, chunked the approach, and limped away with bogey. The rhythm he’d found all season had vanished. His normally reliable putting stroke betrayed him, lip-outs stacking up like missed opportunities. He posted a 76—far from catastrophic, but miles from contention.
Friday: When the Wheels Came Off
Friday’s round started with hope. A birdie on the par-5 2nd gave a glimpse of the Cal his fans knew. But then came the 4th—a double bogey after a tee shot sailed into a creek. The meltdown accelerated on the back nine: a shanked bunker shot on 13, a four-putt on 15, and a snapped wedge in frustration on 17. He carded an 80 and missed the cut by nine shots.
Beyond the Numbers
But it wasn’t just poor play. Cal looked adrift—isolated, distracted. Rumors swirled: personal issues, sponsor pressure, even a lingering wrist injury he refused to disclose. His usually stoic demeanor crumbled in a post-round interview: “I didn’t have it this week… I don’t know where I was.”
The Fallout
By Saturday, Cal had disappeared. No practice range sessions, no media. A note from his team cited “mental and physical fatigue.” Analysts debated whether this was a blip or something deeper. His fans feared the worst—that the moment had been too big, the spotlight too bright.
The Bigger Picture
In golf, a “lost weekend” can be just that—a bad stretch of holes. Or it can signal a deeper unraveling. For Cal, the PGA Championship became a mirror, exposing cracks that had long been hidden beneath polished press conferences and solid stats.
Time will tell whether this was just a stumble or the start of a spiral. But one thing’s certain: Cal’s Lost Weekend at the PGA Championship will linger in golf’s memory as the moment promise met pressure—and blinked.
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