|
Palmer learns to control his presumptions
Posted: Saturday April 13, 2002 11:50 PM
| |
Arnold Palmer reacts to a missed putt in the final round of the 1961 Masters Tournament, which Palmer threw away and lost to young upstart Gary Player. The Augusta Chronicle |
By David Westin
The Augusta Chronicle
In 1961, all Arnold Palmer needed was a par on the 72nd hole to become the first back-to-back winner in the Masters Tournament.
Even a bogey on the par-4 18th hole would put him into a playoff with Gary Player, who had finished 30 minutes earlier.
Instead, the unthinkable happened. Golf's reigning king made a double-bogey 6 after blading his third shot out of a greenside bunker and over the green.
When he met members of the media afterward, Palmer said he played the hole too hurriedly because "for the first time in my life, I was overconfident."
Years later, he related an incident that showed just how overconfident he'd become that day.
|
In this series of articles, The Augusta Chronicle looks at some of the 'disasters' throughout Masters history. Use the pull-down menu to get from story to story.
|
It happened after Palmer hit his second shot on the 18th hole with a 7-iron. The shot, from a grassy lie in the right-center of the fairway, was off-line. It took one hop into the right greenside bunker, the same bunker that Player had got up-and-down for a par earlier in the day.
The difference was that Palmer's ball was half-buried and Player's wasn't. Of course, Palmer didn't know that as the ball bounced in the bunker.
As Palmer started the uphill walk toward the green and what he thought would be his third Masters title (he also won in 1958), a friend outside the ropes called him over.
"He said 'congratulations,' and I shook hands with him. I said 'thank you,"' Palmer related in Larry Guest's 1993 book Arnie, Inside the Legend.
In his post-tournament interview, Palmer said, "I never thought for one minute that I wasn't going to win. I had a one-shot lead, but I kind of forgot you have to finish."
In his career, Palmer's trademark charging style of play cost him as many tournaments as it won. Of all the tournaments he lost, Palmer said the 1961 Masters is the only one he regrets.
That goes back to the incident with his friend on the 18th fairway.
"Now, that was a mistake, one that I would change if I could," Palmer said in Arnie. "That was a bad mistake, one that I shouldn't have done. But any other golf tournament that I lost or won, I accept the conditions in which I won or lost."
After skulling his bunker shot on No. 18 over the green and down a hill into the gallery, Palmer decided to putt it from there.
His reasoning was that because the pin was cut in the front-left of the green, he would have trouble stopping a chip shot short of the hole. The reason? There wasn't much room between the green and pin on the left side of the hole.
"I putted that ball up the hill at 18 after hitting it out of the trap," Palmer said. "There, again, I was beside myself. I had lost all train of thought. I was thinking about a playoff instead of thinking about making four."
His putt was too hard and ended up 15 feet from the hole. Palmer then missed that for a bogey that would have forced an 18-hole playoff with Player.
"I thought sixes only happened to other people," Palmer said. "The only shot I took any time on at all at 18 was that 15-foot putt, and by that time, it was too late."
Palmer, four shots behind Player at the start of the day, had taken a one-shot lead after 14 holes. Palmer was 3-under par on his round and needed pars on the final four holes to win by a shot. He did make par on Nos. 15, 16 and 17, but came to grief on No. 18.
Palmer shot 2-over-par 38 on the back nine after a 3-under 33 on the front nine. For the day, Palmer shot 71; Player had a 74.
"I played the back nine too fast," Palmer said. "Once ahead, I kind of forgot there's more to it than getting ahead. You've got to finish on top."
"It's a mean game," Player said after the victory fell into his lap, making him the first international player to win the Masters.
"For Arnold's sake, I was very sorry for him," Player said. "I tried to put myself in his place, and it must have been awful."
Memorable 18th hole mishaps in majors:
1999 British Open - Jean Van de Velde. Needing only a double bogey to win his first major, the French player took a triple bogey 7 at Carnoustie's closing hole. He lost a four-hole playoff to Paul Lawrie that also included Justin Leonard.
1970 British Open - Doug Sanders. Needing only a 3-foot putt to beat Jack Nicklaus at St. Andrews, the colorful Sanders backed off his putt. He then pushed it to the right, took a bogey and lost to Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff the next day.
1939 U.S. Open - Sam Snead. Thinking he needed a birdie on the closing hole at Philadelphia Country Club, Snead suffered a triple bogey and finished two shots out of a playoff that was eventually won by Byron Nelson. The U.S. Open was the only major title to elude Snead.
| Related information |
| Multimedia |
 Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video
|
| Search our site |
Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day |
|
|
Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV. |
| 
