Lucas Glover Removes Shoes on 10th Green During 3M Open Final Round

After rolling in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole to reach 6-under par for the tournament, Lucas Glover walked off the green, unlaced and removed both of his shoes, and then walked back to retrieve his golf ball from the cup in his socks. Television analysts immediately connected the bizarre theatrics to Glover’s well-known disdain for the AimPoint green-reading method, a feel-based system where players use their feet to gauge the slope of the putting surface.

Social Media Clarification and the Real Spike-Mark Backstory

The internet ran wild with the protest narrative, fueled by Glover’s past criticism of slow play and his previous calls to ban AimPoint from the professional circuit. Last year on his SiriusXM radio show, Glover argued that AimPoint had not statistically helped players make more putts and complained that players stomping around near the hole was disruptive. During an episode of his show last year with co-hosts Mac Barnhardt and Taylor Zarzour, Glover stated, “Statistically, [AimPoint] hasn’t helped anybody make more putts since its inception on the PGA Tour. Statistics have borne that out. It’s also kind of rude to be up near the hole, stomping around figuring out where the break is in your feet. It needs to be banned. It takes forever.”

However, that television-born theory crumbled within hours. After the round, Glover responded to an Instagram post from the social media account FlushingIt to set the record straight, explaining that the barefoot walk had nothing to do with green-reading techniques. Instead, he was reacting to a complaint from a competitor in the group behind him regarding cleat scuffs. I wear metal [spikes], Glover wrote.

No, not even close. Nothing to do with A…

Lucas Glover, via social media

Glover elaborated on the exchange to golf reporters after finishing his round at TPC Twin Cities. He noted that a rules official had approached him because players in the following group blamed his footwear for damaging the putting surface.

“There were some complaints about my metal spikes marking up the greens from some guys behind me. Rules official notified me. Was just being silly, there’s no way to not mark up soft, damp bent greens. Oh, and we can tap down spike marks now.”

Lucas Glover, via Golf Channel

Tournament Finish and Background

The lighthearted moment preceded a rough stretch on the course. Right after his theatrical shoe removal on the 10th green, the 45-year-old (or 46-year-old, per varying source details) six-time Tour winner recorded a triple bogey on the 11th hole. He finished the week outside the top 50, tying for 57th place on the leaderboard after shooting +1 on the afternoon following an opening-round 65 at TPC Twin Cities, with even par over the next two rounds.

The former U.S. Open champion at Bethpage Black has frequently utilized his Sirius/XM platform, the Lucas Glover Show, to critique slow play and green-reading practices before the incident in Minnesota brought his footwear choices into the spotlight.