Pro golfer strips off to take shot leaving punters in hysterics

South African golfer Louis de Jager had spectators chuckling when he stripped off his shirt to play a shot out of a muddy spot at the Soudal Open.

During the 13th hole this weekend, De Jager’s tee shot fell awkwardly just short of a pond. Rather than risk dirtying his attire, the 37-year-old made the unorthodox decision to remove his shirt and unbuckle his belt before taking his swing.

His peculiar tactics seemed to work in his favour as he successfully struck the ball from the near-hazard without getting a speck of mud on him, earning uproarious cheers from the gallery present at the Belgian course.

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Boosted by the audience’s support, De Jager managed to save par and scored three birdies subsequently, ending with a round score of -2 (69), making the halfway cut. Despite these efforts, weekend rounds of 74 on Saturday and 73 on Sunday caused him to slide down the leaderboard, tying for 72nd place.

The golfer couldn’t completely avoid puzzled commentary, though. One commentator questioned: “The shirt’s off, the belt’s undone. Is this really necessary?”, to which an analyst replied: “He obviously doesn’t want to get mud on his shirt, so yes.”

The pair seemed to find humour in the unexpected incident, even offering De Jager some advice for future situations, stating: “I mean, I think personally if you’re gonna go as far as that, you might as well take the trousers off, the shoes off, the socks off and everything.”

The moment quickly gained traction online, with De Jager’s unique approach sparking discussion among golf enthusiasts. After watching the footage, one fan quipped: “Can finally say I’ve achieved the physique of a pro athlete.”

Social media users were left scratching their heads at the spectacle, with one admitting: “Not sure what purpose the undone belt buckle is serving here?”, while another retorted: “This is what peak performance looks like – deal with it [haters].”

One fan described the scene as “Incredible scenes”, while another suggested: “Well, a dirty shirt may have been the preferable option,” and a puzzled observer added: “Shirt off to avoid getting super muddy, I get that … but the belt undone? ! That’s a new one.”