Pinto forgives caddie for costly error at U.S. Amateur: He was 'heartbroken'

Segundo Oliva Pinto cleared the air with his caddie Thursday night after he made a costly mistake during Pinto's first U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes.

Pinto says he forgave Brant Brewer for his error on the 18th hole, which ended the Argentinian's promising run.

"He was in tears, heartbroken about what happened," Pinto said Friday, according to ESPN's Tom VanHaaren. "I posted a picture on my Instagram saying it's not his fault, it could happen to anyone. He's not used to playing on the big stage in competitions, so he didn't know the rules."

Brewer brushed the sand with his hands while Pinto lined up his shot from a greenside bunker. Pinto - who was all square in his match with Tyler Strafaci - was penalized after the violation was caught on camera, costing him the hole and the match.

Pinto said Brewer was assigned to him and didn't have much experience caddying larger events. But despite not having a relationship with Brewer, Pinto knew if he forgave the caddie, the public would follow suit.

"I told him that if I can forgive him, everyone can forgive him, because I felt bad with the social burden on him with everyone posting on Twitter and Instagram," Pinto said.

"My thought was, 'I want to leave this place like a man,' and I think I did," Pinto added. "There's always something positive about the negative."