Worst Shot In Major Championship History

[mvmac]

Here's a few more from this article, most of the ones in the past 40 years we've mentioned.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/a-complete-rundown-of-the-worst-shots-ever-hit-in-the-final-round-of-a-major

Rocca's second shot into the valley of sin.

Rory in '11 at the Masters.

 

8 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

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

I've seen that before but didn't know it was on the final round of a major. That's a good one to debate whether it was a "shot" or just a huge blunder.

http://www.golfchannel.com/video/1983-british-open-hale-irwin/

8 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

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.

Yep @iacas mentioned that.

8 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

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?

Yep.

[Golfingdad]

1 hour ago, mvmac said:

I've seen that before but didn't know it was on the final round of a major. That's a good one to debate whether it was a "shot" or just a huge blunder.

http://www.golfchannel.com/video/1983-british-open-hale-irwin/

Oh my god!  I don't remember that one, but that has to be the winner!!!

It was a ONE INCH PUTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If a poll gets added, that's where my vote is currently going.  Good lord.

[woodzie264]

20 hours ago, DeadMan said:

I feel like we should have a category for worst putts (IK Kim is probably the winner for that one given how straight it seemed to be) vs. worst shots.

Spieth's first drop on 12 in the 2016 Masters has to be up there with one of the worst shots. You have to get that one over the water, no matter what. And he finished 3 back of Willett, so it made a pretty big difference.

 

Yep

[NM Golf]

Someone beat me to Rory's debacle at the 2011 Masters

Edited March 1, 2018 by NM Golf

[Groucho Valentine]

I personally saw Steve Stricker hit a shank OB at the Merion US Open. That shot was terrible. 

[iacas]

Just now, Groucho Valentine said:

I personally saw Steve Stricker hit a shank OB at the Merion US Open. That shot was terrible. 

Let's stick to shots from players in contention, please.

Instant edit: My bad. It was Sunday and, at the time, Stricker was one or two back.

 

He finished six or so back, and I don't remember seeing him much later on Sunday, so that may explain my initial reaction. But this counts, and I was wrong.

[boogielicious]

19 minutes ago, iacas said:

Let's stick to shots from players in contention, please.

Instant edit: My bad. It was Sunday and, at the time, Stricker was one or two back.

 

He finished six or so back, and I don't remember seeing him much later on Sunday, so that may explain my initial reaction. But this counts, and I was wrong.

Wasn't his followup shot almost as bad? 

[Groucho Valentine]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

Wasn't his followup shot almost as bad? 

Ill admit..i laughed at him.. 

[DeadMan]

I'm a bit of a connoisseur of a PGA Tour shank, and that Stricker one is just a thing of beauty. The camera angle allows you to see that it's a shank and the ball flight magnificently. Then the pro tracer is just *kisses fingers*

[onthehunt526]

3 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

I'm a bit of a connoisseur of a PGA Tour shank, and that Stricker one is just a thing of beauty. The camera angle allows you to see that it's a shank and the ball flight magnificently. Then the pro tracer is just *kisses fingers*

That was pretty bad... I think I hit half-shanked the next one too... Then got up-and-down for a 7 from like 230. If he only could have done it the first time *scratches head*

Rocca's chunk was pretty bad, but it didn't end up costing him. (He made the putt from the Valley of Sin to force a playoff) a 7 on 17 (the third playoff hole) cost him the jug.

The '91 Masters had a very ugly finish. Olazabal, Woosnam, and Watson were all tied at 11-under. Olly made 5 on 18 in the group in front. Woosnam pulled his drive in the practice fairway. Watson drove perfectly. Woosnam missed pin-high left, Watson went long left (kind of like his 7-iron on the 72nd hole at Oakmont). Woosnam chipped 6 feet past the hole, Watson chipped onto the front of the green. Watson 3-putted for double. Woosnam made his putt for a 4, and the green jacket.

Interesting note: Tom Watson shot 36 on the back, with 2 eagles, 1 birdie, 3 pars, 1 bogey, and 2 doubles (his other double was on 12 when he rinsed his tee shot). Talk about bi-polar golf. 

3 5 5 3 4 3 3 4 6- 36

[Buckeyebowman]

On 3/1/2018 at 4:22 PM, DeadMan said:

I'm a bit of a connoisseur of a PGA Tour shank, and that Stricker one is just a thing of beauty. The camera angle allows you to see that it's a shank and the ball flight magnificently. Then the pro tracer is just *kisses fingers*

I don't know if it was that shot, but there was a pro tour shank where the commentator said, "I didn't know the pro tracer could do that!" Just a purple stripe veering off the screen right! I think what this thread points out is that no matter how talented you are, if you play enough golf, this kind of crap will happen to you! 

[skydog]

I was thinking that Norman's 1996 Masters meltdown at least deserves some recognition in this thread but I couldn't think back to a single iconically bad shot that embodied the collapse. Like most of Norman's collapses, it seemed to just be a string of poor shots and poor decision making that ended up costing him. His tee shot at 16 (4:09 in) deserves an honorable mention here and definitely seemed to be the worst of the day. You don't see many (I can't think of any off hand) sunday tee shots that end up in the water there considering the ideal landing spot is ~30 yards to the right, well right of the pin.

 

Edited March 3, 2018 by skydog

[Golfingdad]

2 hours ago, skydog said:

I was thinking that Norman's 1996 Masters meltdown at least deserves some recognition in this thread but I couldn't think back to a single iconically bad shot that embodied the collapse. Like most of Norman's collapses, it seemed to just be a string of poor shots and poor decision making that ended up costing him. His tee shot at 16 (4:09 in) deserves an honorable mention here and definitely seemed to be the worst of the day. You don't see many (I can't think of any off hand) sunday tee shots that end up in the water there considering the ideal landing spot is ~30 yards to the right, well right of the pin.

 

30 yards right of the pin is probably in the bunker - that’s only ideal if you want to guarantee a 4.  20 feet or so right of the pin is what you mean, I think. ;).  I can’t name any in particular that ended up in the water but I know I’ve seen plenty.  Also don’t forget where THE most iconic shot in the history of that hole started from?  It came after a tee shot that finished quite a ways left of everything (but luckily was long enough to clear the water)

[skydog]

9 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

30 yards right of the pin is probably in the bunker - that’s only ideal if you want to guarantee a 4.  20 feet or so right of the pin is what you mean, I think. ;).  I can’t name any in particular that ended up in the water but I know I’ve seen plenty.  Also don’t forget where THE most iconic shot in the history of that hole started from?  It came after a tee shot that finished quite a ways left of everything (but luckily was long enough to clear the water)

Miscommunication- I was saying the ideal landing spot is 30 yards right of where Norman's ball landed in the water- and yea, about 20 feet right of the pin. I can't think of any other guys in contention on Sunday that have hit it where Norman did. Clearly he was shooting for the pin (which isn't even necessary since balls to the right funnel down to the pin) and pulled it a bit.

I had to check the video after your comment assuming we're thinking of the same shot (2005)- Tiger's ball was really just long of the green, not really left of the pin. 

[mvmac]

3 hours ago, skydog said:

His tee shot at 16 (4:09 in) deserves an honorable mention here

I thought of him as well but I think by the time he got to 16 he was out of the tournament.

[skydog]

Just now, mvmac said:

I thought of him as well but I think by the time he got to 16 he was out of the tournament.

Yea pretty much. I think he was 2 back of Faldo when he hit that shot at 16...so not completely out of it, but the writing was clearly on the wall by that point that it wasn't going to be his day. 

[Golfingdad]

4 hours ago, skydog said:

Miscommunication- I was saying the ideal landing spot is 30 yards right of where Norman's ball landed in the water- and yea, about 20 feet right of the pin. I can't think of any other guys in contention on Sunday that have hit it where Norman did. Clearly he was shooting for the pin (which isn't even necessary since balls to the right funnel down to the pin) and pulled it a bit.

I had to check the video after your comment assuming we're thinking of the same shot (2005)- Tiger's ball was really just long of the green, not really left of the pin. 

You sure? He’s up against the collar of the rough only a few yards behind the bunker.  It seems to me it’s pretty close to the same line that Norman was on.

Regardless, I agree that was an awful shot by Norman and that he had several that day. :(

[MuniGrit]

4 hours ago, mvmac said:

I thought of him as well but I think by the time he got to 16 he was out of the tournament.

I felt(along with probably the rest of the world including Greg himself) that even though he was up by 2 at the turn he was done.