72nd Hole in a Tourney - The Great Separator

[wannabe]

I am literally so amazed that time and again, with all the years, nay decades, of tournament and contention play that PGA Tour golfers have, the 72nd hole of a tournament continues to carry with it such drama and unpredictability.

Over and over again, I see professionals have an amazing tournament, only to lose at the very last hole of the very last round.

I wonder, is special training needed for such a situation? Is it because it happens to individual golfers so rarely in reality that there just is no way to train for it?

I'm just amazed. For these guys, I'd think the cliched "Cinderella Story" routine would have been part of their preparation so that, all things done, they'd be ready, ready, ready for that last final push, whatever it takes -- different mindset, breathing, routine, technique, whatever -- to make it past the finish line.

Is it the greatest challenge in all of sport - finishing a golf tournament in the lead to win?

[mcfc_nick]

id say yes it is one of the hardest things to do although i couldnt tell you as ive never been in that position before! i think that it is just the pressure of winning that makes it difficult and i think golfers would find it difficult on any hole!

a great example of this is that i just watched a tv program from the 2007 open, and romero made bogey on the final hole otherwise he'd have made the playoff, harrington was a shot in the lead going down the last and made double by going in the bern twice, then garcia makes bogey down the last with a shot lead, and even in the playoff with a two shot lead harrington made bogey on the last and was lucky that garcia's birdie putt lipped out!

i guess depending how far in front you are going down the last it is one of the most difficult things to do!

[timwalsh300]

I can only imagine. When I'm having a great round and I'm on the final hole I get so nervous, holding my breath and hoping that I don't hit it OB and ruin everything... and I'm just playing by myself for nothing more than personal satisfaction.

I think there is a big difference between golf and other sports in this regard, which makes the pressure so much greater in golf. In baseball, if you are up to bat with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th it's a great story if you get the game winning hit, but it's not expected. Hitters make an out 70% of the time.

But in golf you are expected to make par (as a Tour Pro). Nobody is standing in your way trying to stop you. If you can't hit 4 solid shots to finish and instead end up making bogey to lose, you can't really credit anyone else for your loss - you can't say "Well, the other guy just threw a really great pitch." It's all on you.

I guess the closest example is a basketball player with a 1-and-1 free throw opportunity in the final seconds of a game, down by one point. Or maybe a kicker in football with a routine field goal attempt to win. The fact that it's so easy, so routine, and yet so much is riding on it, makes it harder (psychologically).

Tim