Greg Owen: What a Stupid He Is

Hmm... Van De Velde at Carnoustie? Norman in half of his tournaments

I'm gonna have to go with Van de Velde in '99. Owens let his emotions get the best of him when he three-putted from three feet, I agree. But every last one of us has done that, though probably not with so much on the line. I think that Pampling's OB with the driver was actually a dumber mistake, which he fortunately didn't have to pay for.

But oh, Jean Van de Velde. THAT was some choking right there. I remember watching it as it happened. Couldn't take my eyes off the screen. It was damn near hypnotic... watching this guy completely come undone in front of the entire world in arguably the biggest event in his sport. All he needed was a double bogey -- play it safe with a fairway wood, easy shot into middle of the green, then he could four-putt and still win. I couldn't remember every detail, so I had to go online to an old article to find it:

He hit driver off the tee and was lucky that it found land, albeit on a peninsula guarded by Barry Burn. He would find that hazard before long.

His next shot hit the upper rail of the grandstand, bounced off the bricks bordering the burn and wound up in the rough. Van de Velde plowed through the long grass with a wedge and the horrified gallery, who had come to expect the worst, gasped when the ball sank into the bottom of the burn.

As if that wasn't enough, Van de Velde almost compounded his growing list of errors when he rolled up his pant legs, stepped into the chilly, shin-deep water fed by the Firth of Tay and contemplated playing a ball that was underwater.

He finally took a drop in the rough and hit in the bunker.

Craig Parry, also in the bunker in a more conventional two shots, holed his shot and offered Van de Velde one last hope.

"What about you following me into the hole?" Parry said.

Fat chance. He blasted out to 8 feet, but summoned enough courage to make the putt and get into the playoff.



Look at that picture and tell me that guy hasn't lost his composure. I mean, I've choked in big spots before, but I've never choked so bad I ended up standing ankle deep in mud with my pants jacked up around my knees. Pretty sure that's not what he had in mind when he teed off on the 72nd with a three-stroke lead.