Get Up Eight Times

Watching the horrifying comedy of errors that was today’s British Open just makes you appreciate the likes of someone like Tiger Woods that much more. Seeing those doofuses take the lead and then bungle it down the stretch, giving ESPN reason to treat us to the exhausting flashbacks of Van de Velde (I lost track at the three thousandth replay of those clips, I’m sure the Frenchman must be wanting royalties at this rate) was nauseating. Through all of that garbage, Sergio Garcia still couldn’t secure his first major championship, going up and down at a pot bunker at the 72^nd and then missing the putt that would have nailed him his first major. Some things are just meant to be, we guess.

It was like watching an Irish stallion and a Spanish mare limp in agonizing pain to the finish line of a prize horse race—yeah, it was close throughout, but it never felt like anyone won. Yeah, we guess Harrington did end up embracing his strangely hyperactive kid, but come on, the guy hit the water twice on the last hole. Did you feel as if you were seeing the next Claret Jug winner?

We have to admit though, it was kind of fun to watch Sergio give Carnoustie away, considering how I saw it coming since Friday afternoon. He never fails to fail. His inability to nail putts didn’t exhibit the characteristics of a total Normanesque meltdown, instead looking more like a closer who kept on drawing 3-2 counts and then nailing an inch outside the zone at every crux pitch. Contrast that to Harrington and Romero, who put on gagfests at the home stretch after placing themselves at the top of the pack. That was more in line with the classical choke, and yet neither will gain much recrimination for their peers for their meltdowns.

So will Sergio ever win a major? Probably. It’s hard for me to see him going ten years without getting back to this level and taking one away from the regulars (I’m not sure seeing Padraig Harrington rush up the scoreboard struck fear in Garcia’s heart), and sometimes you luck into victory when everyone falls apart around you and you have just enough of a good round. Even Norman, the master of choking, still managed two Open Championships, and Garcia has typically done well in Anglo-Saxon territory (top ten finishes in six of his last seven Open tournaments, and top five in the last three). His game has been more haphazard in the states, but it’s likely that he’ll bounce back. Not many golfers are known for being clutch, so it’s hard not to see him getting one.

Then again, his girlfriends have been Martina Hingis and *gulp* Greg Norman’s daughter. Sometimes you just can’t underestimate the power of karma.

In light of today’s tournament, here’s a nice article about the psychology of choking for you. Thanks to Harrington’s rebound, Jean Van de Velde will never be left alone.