Lucas Glover explains why he took his shoes off in protest during 3M Open

During the final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, PGA Tour veteran Lucas Glover went viral for sinking a putt and taking off his shoes before walking up to the hole to retrieve his ball. Fans and media pundits immediately surmised that Glover was protesting AimPoint, but that's not why he pulled the shoeless stunt. 

In a hilarious Instagram post published on Monday, Glover explained that he was mocking the complaints about his metal spikes leaving spike marks on the greens. 

Lucas Glover's explanation for taking off his shoes

"For 23 years on the PGA Tour I've worn spikes," Glover wrote in the post. "23 years ago, most of us did. It hasn't been that long since we were NOT allowed to tap them down. Yesterday was the first time I've ever had a complaint."

Glover reiterated multiple times that metal spikes haven't been an issue since the PGA Tour started allowing players to fix spike marks on the greens in 2019. The 46-year-old was also perplexed that he was singled out when many other players on the course were wearing metal spikes.

"First of all, it's not the officials' place," he wrote. "I wasn't breaking any rules. Secondly, there were people in the groups in front of me and behind me wearing metal spikes as well. The greens at 3M are bent grass, were soft, and appeared to have been watered a fair amount (because of the forecast I'd imagine). I don't care what you wear on your feet, metal or soft spikes; in those conditions, they are going to get beat up. I did my best around the hole to tap down my damage as I was leaving the area."

So, to protest the ludicrous complaint, Glover performatively took his shoes off after draining a birdie putt on the 10th hole.