Robert Karlsson Withdraws from Open Championship Due to Set-Up "Yips"

[mvmac]

Most of the time, guys don't WD because of a bad pre shot routine.  But it seems that's exactly why Robert Karlsson pulled out earlier this week.  The problems seems to be that he is having a tough time pulling the trigger.  If anyone is familiar with Karlsson you might recall that he does get pretty static for a few seconds before he hits it.  At the US Open this year I got a chance to watch him play a few holes with Robert Rock and I was surprised by how long he stood over the ball, I wasn't counting but it must have consistently been close to 10 seconds of him hovering the club just above the ground and staring at the ball before he made his backswing.  I just figured it seemed longer because I was watching him live and not on TV but according to his website that's where it peaked.

Here is what Karlsson has said on the matter on his website

And t his is from the Daily Mail in the UK

Quote:

One of Europe’s leading players has had to pull out of The Open after suffering a savage attack of the yips.

Swede Robert Karlsson, an 11-time winner on the European Tour, walked in after two holes of practice on Tuesday because he found himself struggling to pull the club back from the ball.

Playing partners Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia looked on in horror and sympathy at the occurrence of every golfer’s nightmare.

Donald’s caddie John McLaren said: ’It was probably the worst case I have ever seen and you felt so sad for Robert. We can only hope he finds a solution quickly.’

The yips normally occur in golf when a player is putting and past sufferers include Bernhard Langer and Peter Alliss. But Karlsson’s condition, affecting his long game, is not unknown.

Garcia himself suffered a version that saw him continually grip and regrip the club.

On Tuesday, the Spaniard put his arm around Karlsson and the pair had a 10-minute conversation before the latter left the course.

No official explanation was offered for the 43 year old’s withdrawal but Karlsson later tweeted: ’Pulled out of the British Open. Have got into some bad habits in my game and routine that I need to address. Taking a few weeks off.’

This is from the 2010 US Open, not nearly as bad but gives you an idea of how he "pauses" longer than other pros.

[zipazoid]

Wow. At least Kevin Na tries to work thru it.

[ApocG10]

Im sure he is trying to work through it. Maybe he just couldn't do it at all. We dont know how bad it was, but if he withdrew from the open, it must be bad. I wouldnt judge him for it.

I know if I stand over the ball too long, I have to step back and start over. It rarely happens, but I have to hit my shot fairly quick, or it goes bad.

[MSDOGS1976]

That's pretty wild. Can't imagine not being able to pull the trigger. I don't even take a practice swing, just a waggle and then I'm swinging away. Of course I'm not worth a damn either. ;)

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Wow. At least Kevin Na tries to work thru it.

’Pulled out of the British Open. Have got into some bad habits in my game and routine that I need to address.

[Etzwane]

Kind of sad for Robert, looks like he was back from the slump of the last couple of years when he had eye problems.