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Matthieu Pavon pokes fun at himself after making a 12 at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open

Golf is a silly game, and even for the best players in the world, sometimes it requires a sense of humor to get through the tough times.

Enter: Matthieu Pavon.

The 32-year-old Frenchman shot even-par 70 in the first round of the 2025 RBC Canadian Open on Thursday and had a solid chance at making the weekend with a good round Friday.

Matthieu Pavon of France plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open 2025 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on June 5 in Caledon, Ontario.

That possibility went out the window after just one hole, though, when Pavon made a 12 on the par-4 10th to start his second round. The massive number dropped him more than 50 spots on the leaderboard, and he ultimately finished third-to-last, just one behind world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who had a rough week in his own right.

Now, it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing in the world to see a performance like that at your local muni on a given weekend, but how does a player on the PGA Tour — the highest level of golf in the world — make a 12?

Well, Pavon explained exactly how. In a hilarious post to X on Saturday, Pavon walked through “The easy guide to making a perfect 12.”

Here’s his breakdown:

Step 1: “First shot: Feeling confident off the tee after a brilliant warm up. Pull the shot 40 [yards] left into deep rough.”

Step 2: “Get lucky: ball is plugged. Make a perfect drop — going for the green is tempting, although a little voice in your head says ‘get back to the fairway.’ Decided to go for it. Grass closed the clubface at impact — straight into the trees.”

Step 3: “Dead! Try to go back to the fairway but failed. Now deep in the thick rough.”

Step 4: “Feeling smart now, try to anticipate the clubface closing at impact. Wasn’t successful. Ball straight in the water!”

Step 5: “Drop.”

Step 6: “Great decision: Dropping 60 yards from the pin on a tight and wet surface. Fat the shot, ball in the water!”

Step 7: “Drop again.”

Step 8: “Head is gone. So why not try again from 60 yards instead of going a few steps back to you favorite 88 yard [shot]? Fat the shot again. Water.”

Step 9: “Drop again (starting to master it) from the same spot.”

Step 10: “Realize there are only two balls left in the bag. Play smart: aim left to avoid the big slope pulling balls back into the water.”

Step 11: “Finally on the green. God, it feels good! Looking back at the 10th tee and feeling like the clubhouse is not so far away. Nice lag to 1 foot to make sure I’m not making three putts (not great for the stats)!”

Step 12: “In! Highest personal score on a single hole in career. Walk to the next tee, try to pinch myself, ask my caddie if it was a 10? Turns out it was a 12! Think about John-Louis Guepy, the record-holder for most consecutive birdies (10). Why not? Birdied the next two… and came back to earth with a bogey on 13!”

It was likely an embarrassing moment for Pavon, but nothing that a few jokes can’t fix. And hey, it’s not the worst score ever recorded on the PGA Tour. Not even close, actually.

Pavon now turns his attention toward Oakmont, where he’ll look to avoid a 12 and capture his first major victory at the 125th U.S. Open.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: RBC Canadian Open 2025: Matthieu Pavon’s funny explanation of his 12

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