Choke
If you went to bed early last Sunday night thinking that the British Open result was a forgone conclusion, you could be forgiven. I’m sure you were not the only one. You would also not have been the only person having to look twice after reading the morning news and seeing that Ernie Els had won The Open by a stroke.
For those of us who stayed up late to watch every shot and cheer home our boy Adam Scott, it was a gut wrenching and soul-destroying experience. It was almost surreal as we watched him succumb to the pressure of the moment and surrender the Claret Jug to Els.
By the 18th hole and despite still being tied for the lead, Scott’s fate seemed inevitable. By then this train wreck was in full motion and there would be no stopping it. I felt tremendous sympathy for him watching those final holes and even more so as he was forced to sit through the presentation ceremony immediately afterwards. To his credit he showed a great deal of dignity and sportsmanship, which is a reflection of the man and the class act that Scott is. There is no doubt he would have being dying inside and still in utter shock and disbelief at the events that had transpired.
Ernie’s victory and fourth major was overshadowed on Monday morning as the sports media worldwide were more interested in headlines like “Scott Chokes”.
Reading through the online news and forums there was also a lot of retaliation to these articles from readers and fans of Scott. Comments such as “what would you know about trying to win a golf tournament you talentless hack”. Well there is a good chance that the writer probably knows very little about how to win a golf tournament. But that does not undermine his ability to report the facts of the event.
Let’s face it: Ernie played well on Sunday but he didn’t exactly come from the clouds and snatch victory from Scott’s grasp. The fact is that Scott put on an almost flawless clinic of golf for 68 holes. He put himself into commanding position holding a four-stroke lead with four to play. The Open was his to win. And “yes” he choked and choked badly.
The media love that word, “choke”. It is a gripping and emphatic word that captures the attention of a reader. It compels us to read more, to get to the bottom of this so-called ‘catastrophic collapse’ that apparently took place.
What I’m not a fan of is that the word is rarely used with the sole purpose to describe the event, but rather it is used aggressively, loaded with insinuation and is a thinly veiled personal attack. It oozes hostility and animosity.
The only thing the sports media loves more than a good choke is labelling someone as a choker. Comparisons have already been made to Scott’s childhood hero Greg Norman.
Norman never won a major on US soil. He had numerous near misses in the American majors. A freakish chip in by Larry Mize in a Masters playoff and a holed bunker shot by Bob Tway in the PGA helped were among several of his runner-up finishes. Norman’s best opportunity came later in 1996 when he held a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo heading into the final round of the Masters. Norman buckled under the pressure, collapsing to shoot a final round 78. For me, if Norman wins one of those American majors early on in his career and gets that monkey off his back, I’m almost certain he goes on to win several more and he probably wins The ‘96 Masters in a canter.
Scott is an awesome talent. I love watching him play and for me he has one of, if not the best, swing in golf. I still feel though that his putting is the missing piece of the puzzle. Sure, it has improved a lot since the change to the broomstick but I still felt it looked susceptible over the closing holes on Sunday. I think the catalyst for his collapse was the missed five-foot putt on the 16th. If he holes that putt, I think he then pars 17 and 18 and goes on to win.
There is nothing harder than trying to win or close out a tournament with a shaky putter. It seeps into the rest of your game and before you know it you’re standing over the next tee shot thinking about your next putt. A certain recipe for disaster.
With every near-miss comes a little more weight on the shoulders, a little more scar tissue in the memory and a little more unwanted attention, focus and scrutiny from the media. There is no doubt Scott has the game to win majors. The question now is how much damage has been done from this traumatic experience and how he will bounce back.
The next time Scott finds himself with an opportunity to win a major (and there will definitely be more), it will be accompanied by so much extra hype, attention and commentary. That ‘favourite word’ of the media will be circulating through the pressroom, locker room and gallery. The reality facing him now is that when he is in next in contention the 2012 British Open will be at the forefront of everyone’s mind and his critics will be keen to question his ability to win.
There will be nowhere to hide, no flying under the radar or quietly going about his business. If he wants to win now he will have to do it in the face of adversity. He will have to stand up and stick it to all those doubters and sceptics.
I’ve always felt in recent years that Scott is Australia’s best chance for a major victory. He is that good a player that if he can bounce back from this and win a major in the future, then I think he will go on to win two, three or maybe more.
But undoubtedly now, his greatest challenge will be winning one
By Andrew Mckenzie
