With four different winners in the four golfing majors, including an unlikely return to glory for one of the game’s friendliest names, and a Ryder Cup that will forever be remembered for the emotion around Seve Ballesteros and the impossible Sunday drama, golf in 2012 did not disappoint.
Surprise of the Year: The Birdman
As Webb Simpson tapped in to win his first career major at the US Open in June, the golfing world exhaled. What had been an exciting, turbulent final round that saw six former major champions duke it out for the title ended with a phenomenal up-and-down for Simpson’s breakthrough moment. A day that had been full of twists and turns was about to see its biggest one yet.
As Bob Costas was conducting his trophy presentation interview, a fan took it upon himself to intervene, loudly ‘cawing’ to the millions of viewers at home before being dragged off the green. I find it hard to fathom how nearly everyone was able to keep a straight face, but Simpson did make mention of the incident, telling the fella to, “Enjoy the jail cell pal.”
(Dis)honorable mention: Adam Scott’s collapse
Trailing by six strokes as he made the turn in the final round of the British Open, Els probably didn’t think he had much of a chance to bring home the Claret Jug. Adam Scott was in complete control of both his game and the tournament, and with four holes to play his lead was four. After missing par putts on the 15th and 16th though, the latter being from inside five feet, his lead was just two. A few groups ahead, Els drained a 20-foot putt on the 18th to get into the clubhouse one back of Scott and hoping for a playoff. The 17th was Scott’s biggest mistake, ruining a good drive with a brutal approach that put him in the left rough, from which bogey was a certainty. Tied heading to the 18th tee, he compounded his issues by plunking his tee shot into a pot bunker. After pitching out he actually hit a very good recovery and faced a 12-footer to force a playoff. He couldn’t get it to drop though and the collapse was complete. As happy as everyone was for Els, who has been on the other side of those moments many times, the shock of what Adam Scott had just done was much more overwhelming than the joy for Els.
Team of the Year: The Europeans
In the first Ryder Cup played since the passing of European legend Seve Ballesteros, a golfer that thrived when things looked most difficult, it almost seemed fitting that the 2012 European squad trailed 10-4 on Saturday afternoon and 10-6 heading into Sunday singles, tying the 1999 Americans for the biggest comeback in the event’s history. It was no secret that the whole Euro squad said they were playing for Seve, but saying and doing are two different things and anyone that watched Ian Poulter, for example, could clearly see the passion and determination the team really had for their fallen comrade.
Unfazed by the seemingly insurmountable deficit, they won the first four points of Sunday singles, evening the score with eight matches still to be played and, because of their victory in 2010, the tiebreaker. With the Americans holding leads in six of those last eight though, it still looked like the Cup would return to American soil. And then the madness occurred. On the verge of losing his match to Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose drained a 12-foot par putt on the 16th and followed that up by making an impossible putt from long distance on the 17th to take the lead, which was sealed with another 12-footer on the last. Next, one of the steadiest golfers around, Jim Furyk, couldn’t make a putt, blowing his lead over Sergio Garcia by bogeying the 17th and 18th holes. Suddenly this miracle looked as though it just might happen. Once it became clear the match of Steve Stricker vs Martin Kaymer would be the pivotal one, all eyes and all the pressure in the golfing world suddenly were upon them. Coming up to the 18th green needing a win, Steve Stricker made a clutch 8-footer to push that pressure onto Kaymer, who faced a 6-footer to win the event for the Europeans. And he did just that, dropping it right down the middle.
Six of the twelve matches on Sunday went to the final hole, with the Americans winning only once. It was arguably the greatest Ryder Cup of all time, and once again the Europeans took home the coveted Samuel Ryder golden trophy, the seventh time in the last nine events that they’ve done so.
Torn for my boys!! Crazy stuff…that’s the Ryder Cup…congrats to the Euro Team! They stepped up big time! #WOW
— Rickie Fowler (@RickieFowlerPGA) September 30, 2012
(Dis)honourable mention: The caddie
Any professional golfer will tell you that their caddie and them form a team. A caddie does much more than just carrying a bag. They do everything from providing info, advice and mental help to fixing your divots and raking sand traps to just being a friend or lending an ear. Sometimes though, that relationship doesn’t go quite so well, and in the case of European Tour golfer Jose Manuel Lara, he may have had more than a few harsh words after getting disqualified from the BMW International Open.
On the second hole of their round, Lara’s caddie realized they were playing with 15 clubs in the bag, one more than permitted. Instead of owning up to his mistake and taking the two-stroke penalty for each hole played with an extra club, he decided to take a stroll into the bushes and try to hide the club. After his playing partners grew suspicious the caddie admitted his wrongdoings and Lara was DQ’d. There are many ways to get booted from a tournament; this just may be the strangest. I’d venture a guess that this caddie wasn’t back on the bag the following week.
Rant of the Year: Amateur coach
Hearing a coach lose it on his player’s isn’t something new; we’ve heard it countless times. Some are funny, some are warranted, and some are just downright weird. This one, from the coach of Huntingdon College’s golf team, a Division III Methodist school in Montgomery, Alabama, definitely falls into the latter category. Things start out pretty smooth, with Coach Matt Mahanic actually praising one of his golfers. Things turn sour quickly around the two minute mark though. If you’re against profanity or hearing someone get totally berated, then this video isn’t for you. For everyone else though, this is must see stuff. And for those wondering: yes, he was fired.
Shot of the Year: Bubba’s hook
Ask just about any golfer, pro or not, which tournament they most look forward to every year, and the answer is almost always the same: The Masters. The fact that it’s played at the same course every year and that that course is one of, if not the nicest in the world has over the years created just the right mix of drama, prestige and allure. This year’s best shot adds to the reputation and storied history that is Augusta National.
Coming into the event, Bubba Watson had strung together three straight top 5’s and was in fine form. An opening round 69 had him in 4th place, the same spot he would be in entering Sunday’s final round. Third round leader Peter Hanson struggled throughout the day and Phil Mickelson (entered final round in 2nd) blew his chances with a triple bogey on the 4th hole. That left Louis Oosthuizen, who pulled ahead with a miraculous double eagle on the Par-5 2nd hole, and Bubba Watson to essentially duel for the Green Jacket. And that’s exactly what they did. 72 holes would not be enough to settle the title, and Oosthuizen and Watson headed to the 18th tee for a playoff. After tying the first hole with pars, Watson hooked his tee shot on the second playoff hole, the par-4 10th, into the right trees. The event was seemingly in Oosthuizen’s hands, and after a solid tee shot it looked like it was just a formality. But then Bubba pulled off a shot maybe only he could, a sky-high 40-yard hook wedge shot that went from deep in the woods to within fifteen feet of the hole. After Oosthuizen hit a poor approach and then failed to get up and down for par, Bubba two-putted for his first major victory. His approach to that final green will live on in Masters lure forever.
Honourable mention: Who else, Tiger …
Jack Nicklaus called it one of the best shots he’s ever seen. After missing the green right on the par-3 16th hole in the final round of The Memorial, Tiger Woods looked destined for a bogey that would drop him out of contention. Facing a bad lie and a down slope between him and the pin with water beyond the green, knocking it within 6-8 feet would have been a great shot. Not for Tiger Woods though. Opening the clubface wide open, Tiger flopped the ball perfectly into the fringe and the ball trickled down the slope and into the hole, paving the way to another victory for Eldrick.
Buzzword of the Year: Anchor
There were several hot topics in the golf world in 2012, whether it was Tiger vs. Rory, new grooves on wedges, youngsters in the spotlight, lengthening of courses; there were lots of things to talk about. The one topic that was discussed non-stop all year though, was Anchored Putters.
More commonly referred to as a “belly putter” they are used to anchor the end of the club to the stomach (or any point of the body) in order to use that point as a base for the pendulum motion of the putting stroke. Basically, by attaching the putter to your body you remove the “jitters” or nerves that may otherwise influence your hands and move the putter face open or closed. The anchored putters have been used by three of the last five major champions (Ernie Els, Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley) and have always garnered criticism, but with so many players now using them, a decision needed to be made. And late in November one was.
Starting in 2016 (the same season golf will return to the Olympics) golfers will no longer be able to anchor clubs to their bodies. Rule 14 now states that “the ball must be fairly struck at with the head of the club and must not be pushed, scraped or spooned. In making a stroke, the player must not anchor the club, either directly or by use of an anchor point.” The ruling is still under review, however it’s expected to hold up. The main question now is whether players that anchor their putters currently will switch to conventional putting methods now, or wait until closer to 2016 to make the switch.