Video: Graeme McDowell gets an incredibly lucky bounce on the 18th hole
If you didn’t believe in the luck of the Irish before today, this clip should go a long way to making you a convert. Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is one of the best golfers on the planet at the moment, but the shot he hit during Sunday’s final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship — in tournament news, Tiger Woods came into the round tied for the lead but ended up losing to Robert Rock — had nothing to do with skill, and everything to do with some ridiculously good luck.
[Related: Lack of consistency dooms Tiger Woods in Abu Dhabi final round]
How crazy was McDowell’s shot on the 18th hole? Put it this way: His hole-in-one on the par-3 12th was a mere afterthought on Sunday. After knocking his second into a bunker short of the 18th green, McDowell caught his approach shot thin and half expected it to end up in the grandstands behind the green.
But instead of ending up with an incredibly difficult fourth shot, McDowell’s ball ricocheted off the grandstand and rolled back to within a couple feet of the cup. Of course, he went on to make the birdie putt and finish in a tie for third. He can thank the luck of the Irish for that shot.
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Lack of consistency dooms Tiger Woods in Abu Dhabi final round
Everything appeared to finally be in place for Tiger Woods’ return to the big stage. After working tirelessly with instructor Sean Foley on his swing and finally seeing his hard work pay off with a win at the Chevron World Challenge, it seemed like the only thing that remained was a banner win from Woods.
Sure, Chevron broke the winless streak, but if Woods wanted to legitimize the comeback, he needed to prove he could win a full-field event … and put together four rounds of solid golf.
Through three rounds at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, it seemed like Woods was on the verge of a win that could’ve catapulted him back into the discussion as one of the top players in the game.
But instead of capitalizing on the moment, and a 54-hole lead, Woods once again proved that while his swing and putting stroke are certainly improving, he’s still missing that killer instinct that used to be the bedrock of his golf game.
After missing only two greens in two of his three rounds, Woods looked completely lost in the final round, rarely giving himself a birdie opportunity inside of 20 feet. A lot of that had to do with an erratic driver that saw him hit only two fairways and six greens during the final round — and fail to make a single birdie on the back nine.
It was a far cry from the consistent play that was a staple of his game for the first three rounds. While Robert Rock deserves a lot of credit for taking down Woods in Abu Dhabi, the former No. 1 sure did take it easy on the Englishman.
For only the ninth time in 61 events, when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead, Woods failed to close the deal on Sunday. Not only that, this was the third time in the last five events that Woods watched his 54-hole lead crumble on Sunday.
This is troubling stuff. Say what you want about this being a mere aberration, but until Woods finally wins an official worldwide event and puts together for solid rounds, the questions will continue to persist about his inability to close things out from the front.
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Video: Kyle Stanley builds a five-shot lead at Torrey Pines
Anything can happen in the final round of a PGA Tour event, but the way Kyle Stanley’s playing at the moment, you’d be crazy to bet on anyone but the former Clemson Tiger to lift the Farmer Insurance Open trophy on Sunday. Stanley fired a ho-hum 4-under 68 to build a five-shot lead over John Huh and John Rollins after three rounds, and now only needs to keep it together over the final 18 holes to go wire-to-wire for his first tour victory.