Worst Shot In Major Championship History

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Shooting29 said:

My favorite has always been when Bobby Clampett topped it at the 2000 US Open.

Nobody was in contention at that major. Nobody but Tiger, anyway.

[Golfingdad]

It doesn't really stand out anymore because it only TEMPORARILY cost him the US Open (he won the playoff), but Retief Goosen in 2001 at Southern Hills:

EDIT:  This is a good situation to think about in relation to the new playoff rules ... without a night to gather himself and shake off the nerves, if he had to go right back out there immediately and play that one hole again, would he have been able to win?

Edited March 1, 2018 by Golfingdad

[MuniGrit]

 

[Buckeyebowman]

6 hours ago, mvmac said:

What do you think is the worst shot hit in major championship history by someone who had a chance to win?

Obviously the idea for the discussion is for the shot to be hit by someone that was in the hunt. I'm sure there were plenty of shots hit by guys that missed the cut 

Thanks for the idea @skydog 

---

 IMO Van de Velde's wasn't all that bad, he just got extremely unlucky to hit the metal sign.

Here's my vote. 

If we're talking men's majors, I might go with this one.

Or this one. 

 

I kind of disagree. I think you could pick any number of Van de Velde's shots on 18 at Caroustie!

6 hours ago, iacas said:

I noted this one in the earlier discussion (1:58:48):

 

Yes, we lall remember Norman's flare to the right of the 18th green! But, this is a great thread, Some of the other posts have called to mind other disasters! How about, who was it? Some Brit named Oosterhusid. or something like that, with a dead block into the trees to the right of the 18th tee at Augusta. Yrll Tell me his hands didn't feel like two twenty pound blocks of ice on that swing!

Edited March 1, 2018 by Buckeyebowman

[iacas]

50 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

I kind of disagree. I think you could pick any number of Van de Velde's shots on 18 at Caroustie!

None of his shots were really that poor. He got unlucky with the one. That was all.

[Buckeyebowman]

Please! He hosed up up that hole completely! Why take driver off the tee with a 2 stroke lead? Much like Phil at Winged Foot!

[MuniGrit]

8 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Please! He hosed up up that hole completely! Why take driver off the tee with a 2 stroke lead? Much like Phil at Winged Foot!

Why wouldn't he? He hasn't hit a fairway all day. I think he hit 2 fairways with or without driver. Nobody talks about it but I thought Paddy should have won that tournament and blew it on last 3 holes too.

Edited March 1, 2018 by MuniGrit

[MuniGrit]

44 minutes ago, iacas said:

None of his shots were really that poor. He got unlucky with the one. That was all.

Wasn't his drive pretty bad and he got lucky it didn't get wet? I seem to remeber a pushed flare to the right.

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, MuniGrit said:

Wasn't his drive pretty bad and he got lucky it didn't get wet? I seem to remeber a pushed flare to the right.

Even if he had to drop he could still make double and win.

[mvmac]

3 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

I kind of disagree. I think you could pick any number of Van de Velde's shots on 18 at Caroustie!

His up and down for 7 was pretty good 

Not saying he hit good shots on 18 but I don't think any of them qualify for the worst shot of all time in a major.

 

[onthehunt526]

Van De Velde's Drive, 2nd, 3rd, hands on his hips in the burn, his 5th were pretty bad at Carnoustie in 1999. The bunker shot was okay, and the putt was pure for a triple bogey.

How long does the shot have to be to qualify as the worst? How bout Hale Irwin's whiff at Birkdale in 1983. John Daly hitting a moving ball in 1999 at Pinehurst. Retief Goosen missing a 2 foot putt to win the 2001 U.S. Open. Or my favorite Branden Grace hitting it O.B. on the 16th whilst tied for the lead in the Final Round of the 2015 U.S. Open.

My winner Greg Norman, 200 yards out, 72nd hole of the 1986 Masters, tied with Jack... First mistake, not hitting driver, especially with the pin toward the back. (one of the few times I can remember the Sunday pin on the upper level, '91 and '03 come to mind)... so you are trying to take hit a 4-iron uphill, I don't fault him for trying to make 3 to win, I fault him for in reality taking par out of play (at least in '87 he made damn sure he was going to get into a playoff, if he missed). There have been worse, Watson's pull-hook on 18 in '91 while tied with Woosnam. Ballesteros 4-iron at the 15th that wasn't even close on Sunday at the 1986 Masters.

Edited March 1, 2018 by onthehunt526
hit submit accidently

[onthehunt526]

7 hours ago, iacas said:

Nobody was in contention at that major. Nobody but Tiger, anyway.

Well they were until Tiger showed up on time for his tee time everyday.

[mvmac]

24 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

Van De Velde's Drive, 2nd, 3rd, hands on his hips in the burn, his 5th were pretty bad at Carnoustie in 1999.

Here's my take. If Van de Velde's second shot doesn't hit the sign, he gets a drop out of the stands and probably makes bogey. The drive or the second shot wouldn't have been remembered for being all that bad.

26 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

John Daly hitting a moving ball in 1999 at Pinehurst.

Daly wasn't close to winning.

27 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

First mistake, not hitting driver, especially with the pin toward the back.

Jack also hit 3 wood off the tee on 18.

[onthehunt526]

20 minutes ago, mvmac said:

Here's my take. If Van de Velde's second shot doesn't hit the sign, he gets a drop out of the stands and probably makes bogey. The drive or the second shot wouldn't have been remembered for being all that bad.

Daly wasn't close to winning.

Jack also hit 3 wood off the tee on 18.

What about Irwin's whiff on the 68th Hole of the 1983 Open Championship? He only lost by 1.

Yeah Van De Velde's drive was offline, but it was safe, if his second stays in the bleachers, he makes 5.

Yeah Jack definitely hit 3-wood on 18, he wouldn't have had to hit a 5-iron in if he split the fairway with a driver... that seems about right.

How about the curse of making eagle on both 8 and 13 on Sunday,.. Ballesteros killed his drive on 15, pull-hooks a 4-iron from 198 yards that wasn't even close, that was pretty bad... A lot of golf fans know about or remember Normans 4-iron into the crowd in 1986, how bout his thinned pitch O.B. in the playoff with Calcavecchia and Grady at Troon in 1989?

[MuniGrit]

Ochoa in 2005 Women's US open 18 tee shot was an awful shot. Pull hook into the middle of the pond.

[Zeph]

 

[1badbadger]

18 hours ago, iacas said:

I noted this one in the earlier discussion (1:58:48):

 

It's hard to believe such a pretty swing could hit golf shots like that...

[dbuck]

In recent memory:

Jordan at 12 at Augusta

Phil at Baltusrol US Open

DJ at Chambers Bay

Several years back Chip Beck NOT going for it at the Masters on 13 I believe.