Watch: Carlos Sainz drops and breaks the Netflix Cup amid celebration with Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas and his partner Carlos Sainz stepped up their game at the inaugural Netflix Cup on Tuesday. The 15-time PGA Tour and two-time major winner and Formula 1 driver duo beat the rest of the field to win at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. However, disaster struck as Sainz dropped the trophy during the celebrations and broke it.
Thomas and Sainz defeated the pairing of Tony Finau and Pierre Gasly in a closest-to-the-pin contest in the final round. The duo won the alternate ‘playoff hole’ contest and claimed the big victory live on Netflix. The golfer-F1 star partners won black-and-white checkered jackets and the Netflix Cup trophy from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei.
Soon after this, the duo got sprayed with champagne by a shirtless comedian Bert Kreischer, who was involved in the event’s hosting along with PGA Tour star Joel Dahmen and NFL star Marshawn Lynch. The winning duo walked up and stood on the podium when Sainz tried to hold the trophy in one hand and a large bottle of champagne in the other. He accidentally dropped the silverware, breaking it into pieces.
Watch Carlos Sainz drop the Netflix Cup trophy in the post below:
Carlos Sainz was trying to get a better grip on the trophy while resting it on his arm when he lost control. The drop of the trophy was received by gasps from the audience. The Ferrari racer quickly put his hands on his head after seeing the cup lying in pieces on the grass.
Justin Thomas was seen in surprise as well. The PGA Tour star laughed while looking at the destruction in horror and hugged Sainz. The fun-filled event, which saw the duo defeat the rest of the field, came to an unfortunate end. Tony Finau also walked up to the broken trophy in shock. The golfer lifted the pieces and tried to keep them together on the podium while striking a pose with it.
It is pertinent to note that Sainz's embarrassing incident with the trophy wasn’t the first he witnessed this year. Interestingly, the F1 star’s action drew a quick comparison to his former McLaren teammate Lando Norris destroying Max Verstappen's trophy at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The English golfer, who was also part of the exhibition golf event, smashed the Dutch racer’s $45,000 trophy during the champagne celebrations at the race podium.
Netflix Cup's charity game
Interestingly, the broken trophy gained big attention from viewers across the world. It is noteworthy that the Netflix Cup was originally held for charity. The Netflix Cup even had a ‘Squid Game Hole.’ At the specially named fifth hole, the contestants played a game of ‘Red Light, Green Light,’ like in the hit South Korean show, waiting for the “Squid Game" doll to turn her head.
The golfers teed off or faced a penalty based on the doll’s movement. Moreover, anyone who sank a hole-in-one won a giant plastic ball with $4.56 million, which was then donated to charity.