While it is common to see professional athletes play less than their best when the pressure is greatest, seldom does one see a classic "choke" like the one that occurred about seven this evening in New Jersey, at the Northern Trust Open.
An Australian golfer named Cameron Smith, who played his figurative ass off all week long, including a SIXTY on Friday, finishing with a couple of birdies to get into a two-man playoff with American Tony Finau. (John Rahm, the leader for most of the tournament, imploded to third place, which many would consider a positive development).
They set up at the 18th tee for the sudden death playoff, a damnably-long par four with a barely visible fairway. It must have been intimidating even with them having played that hole several times during the preceding week. Finau hit first, landing a perfect 290 yard shot in the middle of the fairway. Smith teed up and proceeded to hit a ridiculous slice out of bounds to the right. It was his worst shot of the entire tournament; the worst duffer in the world would have taken the name of the Lord had he hit such an awful shot. With the tournament effectively over, Smith teed up his third shot and hit it into a bunker on the right side.
They played out the hole - there is no conceding in stroke-play golf. Finau finished his well-deserved par to win the tournament, and Smith ended with a much larger number. 6? 7? Who knows? Who cares?
Cameron Smith won more than a million dollars this week, but I suspect he will spend a few sleepless nights, thinking about his spectacular choke. Gotta feel for the guy.
An Australian golfer named Cameron Smith, who played his figurative ass off all week long, including a SIXTY on Friday, finishing with a couple of birdies to get into a two-man playoff with American Tony Finau. (John Rahm, the leader for most of the tournament, imploded to third place, which many would consider a positive development).
They set up at the 18th tee for the sudden death playoff, a damnably-long par four with a barely visible fairway. It must have been intimidating even with them having played that hole several times during the preceding week. Finau hit first, landing a perfect 290 yard shot in the middle of the fairway. Smith teed up and proceeded to hit a ridiculous slice out of bounds to the right. It was his worst shot of the entire tournament; the worst duffer in the world would have taken the name of the Lord had he hit such an awful shot. With the tournament effectively over, Smith teed up his third shot and hit it into a bunker on the right side.
They played out the hole - there is no conceding in stroke-play golf. Finau finished his well-deserved par to win the tournament, and Smith ended with a much larger number. 6? 7? Who knows? Who cares?
Cameron Smith won more than a million dollars this week, but I suspect he will spend a few sleepless nights, thinking about his spectacular choke. Gotta feel for the guy.
