I watched in amazement as Danny McCarthy, trailing by 5 strokes from the lead, rocked TPC San Antonio with eight birdies on the back nine. His efforts resulted in chasing down Akshay Bhatia forcing a Texas showdown. On the first hole of the playoff, McCarthy chunked a shot in to the brook protecting the 18th green. McCarthy later revealed in an interview with a PGA staff writer that his remarkable run was halted by a bug playing on his ball and in his mind!
In McCarthy’s own words, “… and a bug jumped on my ball…but thought I could kind of not let it distract me.” You honestly can not make this sh*t up!
This got me thinking. Firstly, I couldn’t help but empathize with McCarthy’s stroke of misfortune, imagining it happening to me in some alternate golf universe. Respect to you, Mr. McCarthy. Secondly, with the Masters set to commence tomorrow, it led me to delve into the tournament’s playoff history and reflect on who, perhaps, left Augusta National lamenting “Golf Sucks”.
Two individuals stand out as unfortunate souls who just didn’t have much luck in closing the deal in the playoffs at the Masters or other major tournaments.
In 1954, Ben Hogan endured the unfortunate honor of being the sole golfer to suffer defeat twice in a Masters playoff – each by a single in the 18-hole playoff format. [Note: sudden death was instituted in 1976] Hogan was bested by Sam Snead (70 – 71) in ‘54 and by Byron Nelson in ‘42 (69 – 70). Interestingly, this was Hogan’s second loss to Nelson, the first being in the Glen Garden Country Club (Ft. Worth, Texas) Caddie Championship in 1927. Nonetheless, Hogan’s trophy case boasted two green jackets from 1951 and 1953 Masters along with two additional major wins in 1953.
In the first and only 36-holesMaster playoff, Craig Wood found himself on the wrong end of a showdown with Gene Sarazen in 1935. After training by 4 strokes following the morning 18, Wood fell another stroke shy of his opponent registering a final tally 144-149. And yes, that’s 36 holes contested in one day, following 72 holes played over the previous four days. This wasn’t the only playoff heartbreak for Wood, as it marked his third major playoff defeat and, ultimately, the distinction of being the first golfer to fall short in playoffs at all four major tournaments – later joined by Greg Norman. However, Wood did find redemption by clinching the Masters and US Open titles in 1941, with runner-up finishes in The Open Championship and PGA Championship in 1933 and 1934, respectively.
Denny McCarthy’’s memorable surge at the Valero Open this year came hot on the heelsl of a playoff defeat to Viktor Hovland at the 2023 Memorial Tournament, succumbing to a bogey after 10 consecutive pars. Two heart-wrenching losses indeed. Whether it was a bug that thwarted Hogan’s quest for his third Masters victory; or merely fatigue-induced hallucinations of insects plaguing Wood finishing up 108 holes of golf, one thing remains certain – golf, for all its frustrations, has an uncanny ability to captivate us, reminding us that its allure lies in its inherent unpredictability. After all, as we say here, “Golf Sucks… until it doesn’t.”
@_dennyccarthy
