Top Five Golf Collapses (Videos)
For Martin Kaymer and the Green Bay Packers it had to be difficult to get out of bed this morning. Yesterday they both ended their days much differently than they expected. Kaymer blew a 10 shot lead in Abu Dhabi and Green Bay couldn’t hold on to a 16 point lead with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. To say that the magnitude of these failures is the same would be silly, but it is strange how they both happened on the very same day.
The events in the Desert and the Pacific Northwest got me thinking about some of the memorable collapses in golf history. Whether it was a big lead that seemed impossible to lose or a player on the verge of victory that made every wrong decision in the book. A good collapse can sometimes make the winner seem insignificant. We now take the time to look at five of the most memorable train wrecks in golf history.
#5 Adam Scott, The 2012 Open Championship
For years we waited for Scott to finally capture his first major championship. In 2012 at Royal Lythm & St. Annes it looked like that was finally about to happen. Scott carried a 4 shot lead through 68 holes. After that it was a slow four-hole cycle of unraveling that left him without the Claret Jug. A bunker on 15, missed short putt on 16, a deep approach shot on 17 followed by another pot bunker on 18 and all of a sudden Scott had a 7 foot par saver on 18 just to force a playoff with Ernie Els. The putt didn’t find the cup and Els had his second Open Championship while Scott was left wondering what went wrong.
#4 Arnold Palmer, 1966 US Open
In 1960 Palmer won his only US Open by overcoming a seven-stroke deficit. Six years later a seven-stroke lead wasn’t enough to help Palmer capture his second. He started the final round four strokes clear of Billy Casper and when he made the turn the lead was seven. Casper would go on to blitz Olympic shooting 32 on the back and Palmer gave all seven strokes back before stepping on to the 18th tee. Arnie would par the final hole to send the open to an eighteen-hole playoff. He would eventually lose that playoff after coughing up a two-stroke lead. In total Arnie couldn’t hold off Casper who made up nine strokes over two days.
#3 Greg Norman, 1996 Masters
It’s sometimes difficult to remember that Greg Norman is a two time major winner. That’s because his losses stick out more than the victories. The biggest failure is the 18 hole final round nightmare in 1996 at Augusta. After an opening round course record 63 and then two more solid rounds Norman entered the final round with a six-stroke lead over Nick Faldo. Things changed very quickly, Faldo shot a red hot 67 and Norman racked up five bogeys, two double bogeys and all of a sudden his walk in the park became a funeral march. Australia’s hope for a Green Jacket would have to wait seventeen more years until the previously mentioned Adam Scott prevailed in the rain in 2013.
#2 Phil Mickelson, 2006 US Open
This one is like a fine wine; it only gets better with age. Well maybe not better, but the saga continues to grow as Mickelson’s quest for the only major that eludes him continues. His record six runner up finishes in the event are what holds Lefty back from the career grand slam, and 2006 at Winged Foot was arguably his best shot. Mickelson dominated that time in golf. A win in the Open would be his third straight and instead he was left calling himself an idiot. Despite only hitting two fairways all day he stepped up to the 18th tee with a one-stroke lead. What followed after was a hospitality tent, a tree, a buried lie in a greenside bunker and a desperation chip for a playoff. After all that mess Phil was left on the back of the green with his hands on his head wondering what had just happened. If he never goes on to win a US Open the ghosts of Winged Foot could be a big reason why.
#1 Jean van de Velde, 1999 Open Championship
If I asked you to tell me who won the 1999 Open Championship could you tell me? Any guesses? Last chance. Alright the guessing game is over, it’s Paul Lawrie and the reason why he’s the forgotten man is because of what Jean van de Velde did at Carnoustie. He stepped up to the 18th tee needing no more than a double bogey to bring the Claret Jug home to France. He could of thrown the ball down the fairway and won the championship instead he ended up in ankle high water giving us one of the most comedic golf pictures you’ll ever see. He eventually would go on to save his Open chances by sinking a clutch putt for a mind boggling seven. Of course he’d go on to lose in a playoff and for the Frenchman. His only shot at a major was gone and he’s left thinking about a hole where he literally made every wrong decision possible.