Some purists think water has no place on a golf course. You can see where they are coming from. After all it is the only type of hazard that offers no chance of rescuing the situation via a nifty escape shot. Nine times out of ten a brief visit to a water hazard will cost you at least two shots which is a harsh penalty for an ill timed miscue; something that Sergio Garcia recently found out at the famous 17th at Sawgrass.
Garcia was in a share of the lead and was chasing down Tiger Woods, who of course is not Sergio’s “favourite guy to play with”, as he arrived on the 17th tee. Cue two balls in the water, a quadruple bogey and another water ball from the 18th tee and Sergio’s challenge was over.
With this in mind we thought we’d have a look at some other golfers who have left the course in damp spirits…
Sergio Garcia – 2012 Cadillac Championship
Sawgrass wasn’t the 1st time Sergio had done a wash, rinse & repeat on the golf course. At last year’s Cadillac Championship at Doral, he managed a 12 on a par 4! In the final round, Sergio had barely got going before he hit no less than 4 balls into the drink on the third hole.
The Blue Monster Course at Doral features plenty of water…now the water features plenty of Sergio’s golf balls.
Garcia began the final round of the Cadillac Championship with an eagle. Two holes later, his round came undone. The Spaniard hit his tee shot into the water and following a drop he proceeded to do his best ‘Tin Cup’ impression, hitting three identical shots into the water from about 240 yards short of the green. Garcia finally went over the green with his ninth shot, chipped back onto the green and two-putted for a 12.
After his round reporters wanted a world and the Spaniard understandably said, “Not today guys, I don’t have the energy.”
John Daly – 2011 Australian Open
While Sergio’s four ball salvo was indeed impressive for a professional golfer and one of the world’s best players, it is no match for John Daly’s exploits at the Australian Open in 2011.
The Lakes Golf Club near Sydney isn’t dominated by water but what hazards there are are sizeable to say the least!
Playing at the aptly named Lakes Golf Club, Daly lived up to his well known nickname, ‘The Wild Thing’ when he reached the 11th hole. He hit 6 balls into the lake to his right and what’s worse is that Daly only had 6 balls left in his bag. Instead of trying to source more from tournament officials or his playing partners, he elected to walk off the course and get the hell out of Dodge.
“I would say this is the last time we see John Daly at this tournament,” said tournament director Trevor Herden. This was not the first time the long hitting, two time major champion had withdrawn from this tournament.
Jean van de Velde – 1999 Open Championship
The most famous of golfing meltdowns included a visit to the Barry Burn on the final hole at Carnoustie. Having foolishly elected to hit driver from the tee, Jean van de Velde proceeded to fritter away his handsome three shot lead, hitting first into the grandstand and then into the Barry Burn.
Jean van de Velde – Under Pressure with words from Peter Alliss
Cue one of the most famous scenes in golf as the Frenchman took of his shoes and socks and climbed into the water to contemplate playing it out. Thankfully he took a drop and went on to get up and down from the greenside bunker to get into a playoff.
However the trip to the Barry Burn had taken its toll and he would not threaten in the playoff.
Greg Norman – 1996 Masters
Having shot a course record 63 the previous day, Greg Norman was in prime position, 6 shots ahead of his closest challengers and about to become the first Australian winner of the Masters. Up against a steely Nick Faldo, the Shark had his fair share of wobbles throughout the final round and ended up trailing the Englishman by 5 at the close of play.
The famed 12th at Augusta is a devilish hole and after a shakey front nine, Greg Norman was always likely to fall victim to it in 1996.
Two key moments came on the back nine when Norman knocked it in the water on both the par 3 12th and 16th, leading to double bogeys on each occasion.
Mark Calcavecchia, 1991 Ryder Cup
At the 1991 Ryder Cup, Mark Calcavecchia was dormie with four holes to play in his final day singles match against Colin Montgomerie. In a seriously hostile atmosphere the Europeans were looking sunk and the Americans seemed minutes away from sealing the deal.
The 17th on the Ocean Course is all water from tee to green and for a player like Mark Calcavecchia, who hits it left to right all day long, it can be a real demon.
However the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island is a fearsome beast and there is water everywhere, including at par-3 17th. Calcavecchia shanked his tee shot into the drink having lost the previous two holes as well. Monty eventually tied the match and Calcavecchia, trying to recover from his collapse, made his way to the Kiawah beaches where he reportedly sank to the ground and cried.
Tiger Woods – 2013 Masters
It is a painful experience for any golfer to find the water during a round so spare a thought for Tiger Woods who, during the second round of the 2013 Masters, found the drink short of the green at the par 5 15th after hitting one of the most accurate approaches of the first two rounds.
Tiger’s unlucky break at the 15th.
Having taken a share of the lad and sitting pretty in the middle of the fairway, Woods clipped a wedge from the perfect Augusta turf and sent it flying straight at the pin. The shot was too good though and having struck the pin, it screamed back into the water.
Cue an incorrect drop, a two shot penalty and a triple bogey 8 rather than the birdie that seemed so certain.
Ouch.
What can we learn from this article? Well…when faced with a shots over water you can either hit one more club…or lots more golf balls!
