9 months ago
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FOOTAGE of Tony Finau holing a putt “with his shadow” re-emerged with an incredible theory explaining the bizarre moment.
Finau, now 34, was taking on Jason Kokrak at the World Golf Championships Match Play event in Austin, Texas.
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X @PGATOUR"Put your shadow on it!"@TonyFinauGolf starts the day 1UP with a little help from his … shadow? 
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After seeing his opponent make par, the popular American had the chance to win the hole and move one up.
Finau found himself with a seven-foot-eight-inch putt.
But after reading the left-to-right line perfectly, he seemingly left it agonisingly short as the ball came to a stop right on the edge of the cup.
One commentator could barely believe it had failed to drop in.
He said: “Oh, that ball might fall in. It has to fall in.”
He then suggested: “Put your shadow on it.”
His colleague replied: “Nah, that never works.”
The main commentator added while laughing: “I’ve never seen it work either, but people say that.”
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Incredibly, though, Finau walked up to the ball and blocked the direct sunlight.
And immediately, the ball started moving again and rolled in.
That prompted a wry smile from Finau and an enthusiastic reaction from the commentator who exclaimed: “There he did it!
“Mark it down. That is the first time that has ever worked.
“It’s official now.”
The co-commentator responded: “I have never seen that in my life.
“I’ve heard it since I was a little boy – put your shadow on it and it will fall in – never seen it work until right then.”
And with the video from 2021 going viral on social media again, plenty of fans chipped in with their brilliant reactions to the rare golfing phenomenon.
One said: “Definitely witchcraft.”
What is the shadow theory?
WHEN a golf ball stops at the very edge of the hole, golfers have ten seconds once they reach it in a “reasonable” time to see if it will drop in on its own – saving them having to take another shot.
And there is a theory that covering the ball with a shadow can help it naturally nudge those couple of extra millimetres so it goes in the cup.
The idea is that, like other plants, blades of grass ‘reach’ upwards when bathed in sunlight so when that direct light is blocked, they ‘relax’.
This then ‘bends’ or ‘wilts’ the grass down and can sometimes give the ball the slight shift needed to give it the momentum to roll over the lip.
Whether that can all happen within the permitted ten seconds is another question, though.
And there is plenty of debate as to whether it is fact or fiction.
Many players say they have benefited from it over the years but a USGA Green Section official was having none of it.
In an email to golf.com, they said: “Despite what many believe to be true, often in response to watching the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance, grass does not follow the sun nor does it lay over when shaded, a response known as phototropism.
“Golf commentators probably have also contributed to this myth.
“The golf ball moves based on gravity and friction against the grass blade. It would fall into the hole based on those two factors.”
Another theory among golfers is the heavy steps – the idea that clomping up to the ball without touching it (or damaging the green) can cause enough vibrations to see the ball drop in.
Jumping up and down is not allowed, though, because it does not constitute ‘natural forces’.
And getting down on hands and knees Happy Gilmore style and blowing (or shouting) it in is, unsurprisingly, also banned.
Another wrote: “Ain’t nothing you can tell me there’s some Voodoo right there.”
A third added: “I’ve never seen the shadow trick work in person but I sure as hell try it every single time!”
A fourth typed: “This is the most impressive thing I’ve seen all day.”
A fifth labelled the trick as the “greatest golf hack ever”.
And a final user joked: “It’s a ghost!”
As per Rule 13.3a, golfers are allowed to wait ten seconds once they have taken a “reasonable” time to reach the hole to see if the ball will drop in by its own accord.
After those ten seconds have passed, the ball is considered at rest.
That rule undid Si Woo Kim just a few weeks later in 2021 because the ball eventually went over the lip a full minute after he got up to it and inspected the situation with his caddie.
As a result, Kim – who appeared to try the shadow theory – had to put the extra stroke down, despite not playing another shot to tap it in.
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Golfers are allowed to wait ten seconds to see if the ball will drop into the holeGetty - Contributor
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