I have played golf for fifty two years. My parents began playing golf when I was thirteen, though I did not take up the game seriously until 1967 after watching how much fun Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and the Mexican team had over the weekend of the 1967 World Cup. Since then, I've seen my share of boring and exciting tournament rounds, but my favorite TV watching (or live) is last minute comebacks. Yesterday and today were two of those times.
This week, I was so very happy for Mary Lou Mulflur and the Washington Lady Huskies. Mary Lou was Anya's coach in college, and a first class lady, who was rebuilding her team after some of her best seniors left college, including Paige McKenzie, then the #1 ranked golfer in the USA. The Huskies came back both, on Tuesday against UCLA (ranked #1 in this tournament) on Tuesday for a 3-2-0 win, and Wednesday against Stanford (defending champions) to win 3-2-0 as well. Coincidentally, Stanford in 2015 and Washington in 2016, were ranked 13th at the start of the season, both were seeded #4 in the match play, both knocked off the #1 seed in the tournament in the semifinals, and both won the title against the defending champion!
It was some of the best match play I have seen in years, amateur or professional. Nowadays, unless it is a major, I only watch golf on Sundays, and some Saturdays, and I wish that would show more amateur golf as I truly enjoy watching match play.
They say that Byron Nelson's record of 11 tournament wins in a row and 18 tournament wins in one year would be the most difficult record to break... I think there is one record much more difficult to break: three straight U.S. Junior Championship wins, followed by three U.S. Amateur Championship wins.
Tiger Woods did just that, and of course, at match play. That is seven matches a tournament! Here is why I do not think this record will ever be beaten: you have to be 17 years or younger to compete in the U.S. Junior. Tiger won the U.S. Junior at 15, 16 and 17 years old, then won the U.S. Amateur at 18, 19 and 20, and then turned pro.
To break that record, some kid would have to win the U.S. Junior at 14, 15, 16 and 17, then win three U.S. Amateurs; or, win the junior at 15, 16 & 17, then win four consecutive Amateur Championships. No one is going to do that. Anyway, back to "great comebacks" I have watched on TV or witnessed personally, and in no particular order:
2016: U.S. Women's NCAA... too many matches to name, but the best was on the semifinals when Sarah Rhee comes from 3 down and three to play, to win her match in 19 holes against UCLA's Lucy Ridderstrom, this match put her team in the finals. Second best was Julianna Alvarez (no relation), who although did not trail in her match in the finals, was against the ropes in the first and second playoff holes, and came through with clutch shots to win her match and the championship for the Huskies.
1995 U.S. Amateur: Tiger Woods' second win in this tournament. He was five down after the first 18 holes and three down with four to play, when he holed out a 40 footer that started his comeback. He won #18 to even the match, and then won the championship on the second playoff hole.
1991: Phil Mickelson won his first tournament in the PGA Tour while being an amateur (he was attending Arizona State University). The title did not come easy. He was leading by a single shot going into Sunday, but, Phil being Phil, made a couple of costly mistakes that cost him a double and got behind Jim Thorpe, a seasoned professional. Phil came back with three birdies in the last four holes and won by one.
2011: Charl Schwartzel birdied the last four holes to win the 2011 Masters. He was never the leader until he holed out on the last hole!
1986: The Masters again, and this is the Master or all Masters! His name is Jack Nicklaus. He shot rounds of 74, 71, 69 and 65 to come from six back at the beginning of the day. He shot 33 in the last ten holes! birdie, birdie, birdie, bogey, birdie, par, eagle, birdie, birdie, par (30 on the back nine). His son Jackie was his caddie for his last major win!
1973: Johnny Miller shoots a 63 on Sunday (with a bogey!) at Oakmont to win the U.S. Open! Johnny had shot 76 on Saturday to fall "out of contention", but, Sunday was full of birdies.
1966: Arnold Palmer was "The King", and it was four years since his last major. He is leading the U.S. Open at Olympic C.C. in San Francisco by seven shots with nine holes to go over Billy Casper. Casper shot 32 to Palmer's 39, then won the playoff. True, Casper had a little help here, but he still shot 32 on the back nine of the U.S. Open. Great comeback as far as I am concerned.
1999: Ryder Cup. United is down by four points. No team has ever come back from four points behind with twelve matches remaining, as you have to win 8 1/2 points out of 12 to win. That is exactly what the American team did under the captaincy of Ben Crenshaw.
1991: Ryder Cup. Mark Calcaveccia is five up with five to go over Colin Montgomery. Colin wins the last five holes to earn a half point, which forced the last match to be the deciding match (Langer missed a five foot putt to hand the cup to the USA, but had Calcaveccia won his match, that last putt would have been useless).
1974, The Masters: Trailing Hubert Green by 7 shots, Gary Player closes with a 64 to win by one over Tom Watson who closed with a 69. Hubert Green closed with a 72
1960, U.S. Open. Arnold Palmer is six shots back from eight shots back to win at Cherry Hills by closing with a 65. Amateur Jack Nicklaus was second after a final round of 71.
2010: Oklahoma High School State Championship (I was told about this one by coach Garrett Mantle). Elk City was behind by five with nine holes to go in the 4A State Championship, when Berek Dyson predicted to him: "I'm going to play the last nine so good, we will win". True to his word, Berek shot 34 in the back nine and Elk City won the 2010 Championship by two strokes!
And my favorite (guess why, LOL):
2000. Anya Alvarez, age 11, competing in the 13-14 year old flight of the State Tournament (everyone younger competed at nine hole tournaments and she was good enough to play 18). The month before, Anya broke 80 for the first time from the back men's tees at a regulation course (from age 9 up, she moved back from the forward tees). In the State Tournament in Santa Fe, a course she had never played, she opened with a 94 and was trailing local member who shot 83. Anya was in eight place, and the tournament was to 36 holes. At dinner that night, she asked, "do you think if I shoot in the 70's tomorrow I can win?". I thought, "mmm, this girl is not trying to get in the trophy line (top three got a trophy), she believes she can win". I said, "Maybe. Jeannel played the best this year yet, she is bound to have a high 80's round tomorrow". In the morning, over breakfast, she said, "Dad, I had a dream in which I would tie Jeannel after 18 and would win in a playoff". Anya finished with an 80, Jeannel with 91, and Anya won in the first playoff hole.
NEVER, EVER, GIVE UP!
No comments:
Post a Comment