WHEN I WROTE last week that Kyle Stanley was a name we hadn’t heard the last of, I really didn’t think I’d be writing about him again this week as winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
There’s no doubt that he’s a talented golfer, but what courage to come back from such a gutting defeat just a week ago.
Even Stanley himself didn’t expect to come back so quickly – “You go from a very low point to a high point. I’m not sure I expected to maybe recover this quickly. You know, I’ll take it.”
Golf, and indeed sport in general, can be so fickle, as Stanley would attest.
Whereas last week he was the victim of fortune, this week he was the beneficiary. Just as Brandt Snedker came from 8 behind last week to win, Stanley came from 8 behind on Sunday to overtake Spencer Levin.
This week it was Levin who suffered. He lead by six at the start of the round, and didn’t close it out. But the very fact that it was Stanley who beat him is the exact example that will show him he can come back from such a crushing defeat.
“That shows he’s a hell of a player obviously. But I guess it shows that you can recover from it. I think I will. I feel like I am getting better, like I keep saying. It was a weird feeling today. I’ve never had a lead like that.” Having the belief that he can come back from this defeat and having a tangible example on which to pin his hopes is half the battle.
The event itself, held at TPC Scottsdale, is one of the most fun events on tour, particularly the 16th hole which has produced some incredible dramatics over the years as this video attests.
YouTube credit: golfingworld
It’s these unique attractions that make certain events on tour special and make us want to watch them. A hole such as the 16th is like a spectacle within a spectacle and it makes events such as the Waste Management Open all the more appealing. It would be easy for an event like this to get a bit lost in the schedule, given that it’s early in the season and doesn’t always attract the biggest names. But we all remember it and look forward to it because of the 16th hole.
In Qatar, meanwhile, Paul Lawrie captured the Qatar Masters after it was reduced to 54 holes due to high winds on Friday.
In my mind, Paul Lawrie will always be remembered as the guy who capitalised on Jean van de Velde’s antics on the 72nd hole of the 1999 British Open. While that win was undoubtedly a career high-point for Lawrie, that moment alone probably doesn’t do his career justice.
In fact, he has won the Qatar Masters before in the very year he went on to win that Major. So those of you who believe in history repeating itself might like the look of 66/1 on Paul Lawrie to be victorious at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s in July. Personally, I’ll be having none of that action, but that’s just me.
Baron spell
While Lawrie’s Open in 1999 brought his career to a new level for a number of years, he has endured a fairly baron spell as well. He finished ninth on the European money list in 1999 and 6th in 2001, but had no win on tour in the years 2003-2010 inclusive.
Last year, he broke that duck with a win at the Open de Andalucia and has clearly used a springboard on which to develop his game further. The win means he now has the WGC events to look forward to and should he remain in the top 50 in thw world rankings, he’s currently 47th, he will also have a ticket for the Masters in April.
One small final story that I always like to bring to people when talking about Paul Lawrie is that he is one of what is thought to be eight players who have scored an albatross (-3 on a par 5) in the British Open. Maybe with the luck he has had in theat particular tournament 66/1 doesn’t seem like that bad a price after all.
