If you could turn back time?

[FarawayFairways]

If you could turn back time and throw the ball to a golfer and say “have another ago” who would it be and where? Well three nominations sprung to mind.

For reasons of partisan parochialism, Bernhard Langer, Kiawah Island, 1991, was an immediate thought. Somehow though, I’m not sure a Ryder Cup match quite has the historical resonance to qualify, and the reasons for thinking along these lines are more tribal rather than golfing? In any event, that missed putt would only have tied the match. Indeed, the passage of time has probably embedded it in the cups mythology rather than leaving any enduring sense of unrightable tragedy

I’m turning instead to a favourite player of mine, and am struggling to separate two candidate incidents. On both occasions Tom Watson is the recipient of my charity.

The first nomination is his second shot at St Andrews in the 1984 Open at the par 4, seventeenth; ‘The Road Hole’. As the climax approached Watson was paired with Ballesteros and the two looked destined to shoot it out.

There are two lines off the tee. The safest is to drive to the left and the wider part of the fairway. It does however leave you a longer second into a narrow target. The riskier option is to drive blind over the Old Course hotel and carve off the dog-leg. This involves aiming at the narrowest part of the fairway but will shave significant yardage off your second, making the approach a whole lot easier to manage.

As they stood on the tee, commentators confidently predicted the conservative Watson would drive to the left, and the cavalier Ballesteros to the right. The opposite happened. Watson elected the riskier route and was duly rewarded with position ‘A’. Seve played the percentages and didn’t execute it particularly well landing in some light rough and about 100 yds further back. Watson it seemed was destined to go on and eclipse Harry Vardon’s record and chisel a sixth Open victory into the history books, with the promise of more to follow. Not only that, he would do so at ‘the home of golf’ and also complete an unprecedented clean sweep of the Scottish roster having previously tamed Carnoustie, Turnberry, Troon and Muirfield.

The Spaniard played first and somehow conjured up an improbable escape and found the green. Damn! But not to worry. Seve had, had a bit of an escape and doubtless played a fantastic shot, but Tom was still in play. Well he was until he hit his second. He went a club long and cannoned through the green and onto the road leaving him hard up against the perimeter wall. He bogeyed, and 15 minutes later it would be Ballesteros lifting the claret jug.

I think the reason that probably prevents me throwing the ball back to Tom and asking him to try again at this hole, is that there’d be no guarantee he would go onto win. If I’m granting someone the chance to rewrite history, then I at least want to have a good chance of achieving my desired result

Fast forward then to Turnberry and 2009. A 59 year old Watson has an 8 foot putt at the last to win the Open (and again a second chance to match Vardon). It really has to be this. The country collectively groaned as the ball slid past the hole and the clearly fatigued Watson would perish in the play-off to Stewart Cink

Spare a thought for Turnberry though. We believe we’re correct in recalling that they started a tradition of naming a facility after their Open winners, usually a bar, restaurant, or meeting room. They must have looked down the list of entrants nervously at the start of the week. In English a ‘Sink’ is a domestic drain, and can also be used to describe a socially deprived housing estate. Mind you, the identity of the 1994 winner should have served as a salutory warning of the perils of this policy (Nick Price). Could you really hope to market the ‘Sink Bar’ and ‘Pricey Restaurant’?

Note to self – next time the open comes to Turnberry, have a look at the field and back the player with the least attractive name on the fixed odds

[mvmac]

Phil at Winged Foot in '06, 18th hole

Might be the most recent in my memory because they just showed it on Golf Channel

[Big C]

Tom Watson Turnberry - without a doubt. Only, rather than giving him another 8 foot putt, I'd have him pull an 8-iron on the approach.

[David in FL]

Tom Watson Turnberry - without a doubt. Only, rather than giving him another 8 foot putt, I'd have him pull an 8-iron on the approach.

I agree with Watson at Turnberry, no doubt. But I think he hit the 8 iron, didn't he? Regardless, that's the shot I give him back. Had he won, it would have been one of the greatest stories in professional sport of the last 100 years.... Which is to say, ever.

[bkuehn1952]

Me on my 60th birthday in 2012.  I stood on the 18th tee not knowing that a par on this par 5 would give me 69.  I hit an extremely poor tee shot and pretty much spoiled the hole with a double.  Although there is no guarantee that I could hit a "do over" better and/or par the hole, I sure would like to have another chance.

[Big C]

I agree with Watson at Turnberry, no doubt. But I think he hit the 8 iron, didn't he?

Regardless, that's the shot I give him back. Had he won, it would have been one of the greatest stories in professional sport of the last 100 years.... Which is to say, ever.

You're right, he hit the 8. Wish it would have been the 9!

[tristanhilton85]

I agree with Tom Watson @ Turnberry. I a lso agree with having him re hit the approach and not the putt.