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'This is nuts': US Open contender bombs out in 'horrible' scenes

Mackenzie Hughes is seen here looking at his ball stuck in a tree.
Mackenzie Hughes couldn't believe his bad luck when the ball ended up in a tree off his tee shot. Pic: Getty

Mackenzie Hughes was left cursing his misfortune in the final round of the US Open as a bizarre piece of misfortune saw his chances nosedive at Torrey Pines.

The Canadian went into the final round with a share of the lead and got himself back into contention after a shaky first nine holes in San Diego.

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The overnight co-leader bogeyed three of his first six holes, but birdied Nos. 7 and 9 to sit two back with nine to play at Torrey Pines South.

After a par at the 10th, Hughes suffered arguably the worst break of any player at the tournament after skewing his tee shot left of the fairway at the long par-three 11th.

Spectators in the gallery took cover as the ball was sailing towards them but it never ended up nestling anywhere next to them on the ground.

After a few moments of uncertainty it became clear that the ball had come down onto the cart path, before bouncing up and lodging itself in a nearby tree.

Hughes was able to identify his ball and take the penalty stroke but ended up making a double bogey-5 to drop to 2 under par, with his rivals taking advantage to push ahead.

The horror break for the Canadian left viewers in disbelief on social media.

Contenders fall in final round drama

Hughes' hiccup became a common theme in the final round at Torrey Pines as one by one, the leading contenders fell by the wayside.

Collin Morikawa chopped his way through the rough on the 13th for a double bogey, while Rory McIlroy had a shot plug into the side of a bunker at the 12th that saw him suffer a double bogey as well.

Bryson DeChambeau rocketed into the lead after an impressive front nine but came unstuck on the turn, with a double bogey at the 13th typifying his struggles.

DeChambeau was tied for the lead after 10 holes. He was four shots behind three holes later.

It essentially came down to two-horse race between Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen, who traded turns to lead in a chaotic final round.

Rahm finished with back-to-back birdies to take the clubhouse lead at six-under with Oosthuizen one shot back with three holes to play.

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