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PGA Tour

PGA TOUR 2025: The worst lip-outs — agony on the edge of the cup

From tap-ins that spun out to putts that burned the edge, PGA TOUR’s 2025 lip-outs montage shows how thin the margins can be.

The PGA TOUR has compiled a montage of the most brutal lip-outs of 2025, posted on October 16. It’s a stark reminder that even the game’s best aren’t immune to bad breaks on the greens. The reel runs the gamut—from nervy shorties that refuse to fall to perfect-looking mid‑rangers that ride the rim and stay out. For golfers who live and die by a single roll, these are the moments that separate a tidy par from a costly bogey.

While highlight packages tend to celebrate hole-outs and long bombs, this cut focuses on the other side of putting: start line, pace, and probability. On TOUR setups, with firm, fast greens and sharp edges, the window for a successful capture is razor thin. Miss that window by a fraction—too much pace, a half-dimple outside the intended line—and the ball can catch the lip and spin away.

Why lip-outs happen on TOUR greens

Lip-outs are a function of two controllables—start line and speed—interacting with slope, green firmness and the cup edge. On modern TOUR greens, the ideal entry speed is often discussed as “just enough to finish a short distance past the hole” if it misses. Too firm and the ball reduces the capture size of the hole; too soft and it can peel off with the last roll on a breaking line. The sharper and cleaner the hole edge, the more likely an over‑paced putt is to spin around the rim instead of falling.

Start line magnifies the effect. Even a fraction of a degree offline means the ball arrives at the lip on the high or low side with compromised capture. Add in late break near the hole—common on faster greens—and a putt that looks center‑cut for 80% of its travel can glance the edge at the last moment.

Grass type and maintenance also play a role. Firm, fast surfaces accentuate every micro‑error; grain can influence how a softly paced putt loses speed, especially downhill or across the slope. None of that changes the fundamentals: if the ball arrives with appropriate dying speed on the intended line, the hole “plays larger.” If it arrives hot or barely trickling on the wrong side of the break, the effective target shrinks and lip-outs multiply.

The fine margins that decide tournaments

At TOUR level, putting performance is measured in tiny edges. A single lip-out is a half-stroke swing—sometimes more when momentum and strategy shift. Across a week, one or two of these can be the difference between making the weekend and boarding an early flight, or between contending and chasing. It also affects decision‑making: after a harsh lip-out, players often face a delicate comebacker that tests nerve and routine.

Psychologically, lip-outs feel worse than a clear miss because they look “good enough.” But elite players manage that frustration by anchoring to process: commit, roll the ball on the chosen start line with the intended pace, accept the outcome. Over a season, those habits stabilize Strokes Gained on the greens—even if a reel like this reminds us that variance can be brutal.

Lip-outs: what club golfers can learn

  • Prioritize speed control. Train an entry pace that would finish roughly 30–40 cm past the hole on a straight putt. Capture size grows when the ball is not over‑paced.
  • Own the start line. Use a marked ball or gate drills to ensure the face is square at impact. A degree or two offline is the difference between center cup and catching the lip.
  • Read the last third. Most putts break more near the hole; match start line and pace to how the ball will roll in the final meter.
  • Play the “pro side.” On breaking putts, choose a line that lets the ball fall on the high side at dying speed rather than attacking low and firm.
  • Practice short ranges under pressure. Build routines from 1–2 meters with randomization to normalize the feels you’ll have on the course.

The TOUR montage is entertaining—and a little painful—but it’s also instructive. The next time a well‑struck putt rides the rim, remember: on slick greens and sharp cups, millimeters and millisecond timing decide everything. Control what you can, accept what you can’t, and keep rolling it the same.