What happens to these people?

[joekelly]

Yani Tseng, a huge winner 2 years ago,  starts the final round yesterday  ahead by 3. She shoots 78 and ties for 12th.  Last week Kuchar starts the final round ahead by 3 and shoots 77. Rory can't find the hole this year and quickly slides away from top spot. Duval on top of the world and collapses, never to contend again. I mean i could find many examples but seems to me either something happens in either the body or the brain of these folks. Now we know the body gets old and stiff so no one expects Vijay to win again but young folks who have great skills 'should' be more consistent. What happens?

[Strandly]

Maybe they just become content with making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year playing high level events and don't really care about winning majors.

[Chris223]

I don't follow LPGA so I can't comment on that.

Kuch just had a bad round I think - although he also had an awful final rnd at the PGA.  But for the last couple years the dude has been Mr Consistent.

Duval it was an injury problem.  He has had back issues since his game started to go away and vertigo.  I don't think  it's a case that his game went anywhere - his health is not allowing that game to come out and will never let it out again.  He simply doesn't have the body anymore.

Rory needs to put more effort and focus into his golf and he'll be right back to where he was.  I hate the way all these top 10 players take practically EVERY week off except for WGC and Majors.  It's why I like guys like Zach Johnson - well known, very good player who plays practically every week, even the smaller tournaments that the majority of the field is no name players.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by joekelly

but young folks who have great skills 'should' be more consistent. What happens?

Why should they be more consistent?

When a player loses a bit of confidence it makes a difference. It doesn't matter how old or young they are.

In fact, the young ones will have a lapse because you build up a memory bank of missed putts and bad shots over months and years.

At first there's nothing to lose and everyting to gain. McIlroy had to deal with the expectations of others, as well as his own.

And.....a couple of shots a round is the diffeence between making cuts and being in the top few on Sunday evening.

Look at Henrik Stenson lately - a perfect example.

[liquor box]

The LPGA has plenty of cases of players who are the next big thing for 3-9 months and then fall away from prominence. Very few can contend for years at a time.

I am constantly amazed that players in both the mens and womens tours can be so consistent week in week out and then follow a 65 with a 75 the next day. Is it a bad nights sleep, sickness or just bad luck?

I guess this is what make golf great, just when you start to think it is getting easier you have a shocker and have to work hard again.

[boogielicious]

Yani had an injury and changed her swing to compensate.  Now she has trouble being as accurate as before.  Similar things happen to many other players, Woods for example.  Rory changed clubs.  I think that makes a big difference.  He has also lost a bit in the putting game.  Not sure why.  That makes a huge difference.

[MS256]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Why should they be more consistent?

When a player loses a bit of confidence it makes a difference. It doesn't matter how old or young they are.

Exactly. There's a fine line between contending and packing up on Friday night and going home.

In golf there's no place to run and no place to hide and no teammates to pick up the slack.

I wonder how tough it would be to get out of a slump if a baseball player had to go home without a check on Friday if he went 0 for 4 on Thursday.

[turtleback]

Maybe it is the same thing that happens to me  One day I go out and everything is great and I shoot an 84.  The very next day I go out and can't hit the ball solidly to save myself and I shoot 94.

Maybe the thing to marvel at is not the inconsistency of the folks mentioned in this thread, but to reflect on what that struggle says about guys like Jack and Tiger who play at an impossibly high level for an impossible length of time.

[ghalfaire]

I believe these sudden collapses have to be mental other than those that clearly come from injury.  There just doesn't seem to be any other conclusion when someone so dominate as Yani Tseng goes from #1 to a "not in the discussion" almost overnight.  Her most recent (Labor day weekend) performance of a third round 63 followed by a final round 78 is just unexplained by anything other than the mental side of the game (reaction to pressure/unrealistic expectations, etc.).  So there it is and it is the same as when I go out an fire a 82 one day and on the next struggle to stay under 95.  "Who know what lurks in the minds of men?".

[3putter]

Originally Posted by turtleback

Maybe it is the same thing that happens to me  One day I go out and everything is great and I shoot an 84.  The very next day I go out and can't hit the ball solidly to save myself and I shoot 94.

Maybe the thing to marvel at is not the inconsistency of the folks mentioned in this thread, but to reflect on what that struggle says about guys like Jack and Tiger who play at an impossibly high level for an impossible length of time.

I think this is what anyone who knows this game well will take away from it.