19th Hole

Golf’s 5 biggest underachievers

Published

4 years ago

Jun 4, 2020

Tony Jacklin recently called Sergio Garcia “golf’s biggest underachiever”. Garcia, a notoriously poor putter, has won more Ryder Cup points than anyone, pulled on the green jacket, triumphed at the Players Championship and currently sits in the top-10 in career earnings at the age of 40.

Maybe he should have won more, but to call him golf’s biggest underachiever is a gross exaggeration.

Golf is one of the toughest sports out there, and there are several extremely skilled players that at one stage looked to have the world at their feet, and who it just never happened for – the real underachievers of the game.

Here are five players, loaded with talent yet trapped in golf no man’s land, who I sincerely hope can all showcase their best game again on the biggest stages.

Anthony Kim

Let’s deal with the elephant in the room right off the bat. AK broke onto the scene over a decade ago finishing in a tie for second on his very first start. He wowed fans with his swashbuckling style that led him to three PGA Tour victories and a record 11 birdies in a single round at Augusta – all before the age of 25.

Speaking in 2010 on his runner-up finish on his debut, the party-loving Kim said

“Worst thing that could’ve happened to me. When I jumped out on Tour, I was attracted to shiny things, shiny people. I got sucked into a whole different world. I don’t know if things ever got out of control, but they were moving way too fast.”

Nostalgia is powerful, and when it comes to Kim, golf fans are not prepared to let him go, with his legend seemingly growing the longer he stays away from the sport. AK hasn’t played since 2012, where due to poor form and injuries he was only able to play four consecutive rounds at an event twice out of 10 attempts.

He remains away from the sport and away from the spotlight.

Sean O’Hair

An entirely different character to AK, yet their career paths were eerily similar back in the day. At the end of 2010, the 20-something O’Hair had won 3 times on Tour – like Kim. O’Hair had finished in the top-20 at majors 35% of the time – like Kim. O’Hair had dismantled one of the sport’s greats (Els) at the Presidents Cup 6&4, just like Kim had destroyed Garcia a year earlier at the Ryder Cup.

Yet the Texan was a different beast altogether. There has always been a quiet, philosophical and almost melancholic nature to O’Hair – likely owing to his tough upbringing. By the age of 30, the family man had put family life first – living in his wife’s home state of Pennsylvania where practice during winter months wasn’t possible. Naturally his game suffered.

O’Hair, now ranked 618th in the world, has since relocated and has shown flashes of the supreme talent he possesses since then, such as when he pushed Spieth and Reed all the way in a playoff at the 2015 Valspar.

At just 37, O’Hair has time on his side, and he’s also just about the easiest guy to root for.

Andres Romero

Anthony Kim made 11 birdies in a single round at The Masters, and people still talk about it. Andres Romero fired 10 birdies on a Sunday at Carnoustie at The Open while in contention, and nobody seems to recognize the achievement.

The Argentine stood on the 17th at Carnoustie in 2007 with a 2-shot lead before spectacularly blowing up, playing his last two holes in three over par to toss away the Claret Jug.

In 2015, Romero, who is known for enjoying the finer things in life, teed off with his putter to finish a round at the Barracuda after breaking his hand punching a sign. Then, in 2017, he missed four straight cuts to start the year, turned up to the European Tour’s BMW International Open on a sponsor’s invite ranked 837th in the world and won. A true maverick.

As far as mercurial talents go, Romero is a beauty with a bunch of talent undoubtedly unfulfilled – which probably makes him so interesting a character.

Nick Watney

A man well and truly stuck in golf’s twilight zone.

Everyone knows how talented Nick Watney is; he showed us all pre-2013. At the age of 31, the American had won 5 times on tour, including a WGC, and had threatened at multiple major championships – most notably at the 2010 PGA Championship where he had a three-shot lead after 54 holes.

Post-2012 Watney has never been able to recapture that form. One of the main reasons may be his ill-fated club switch to Nike at the time, followed soon after by his split with coach Butch Harmon after the legendary swing instructor regrettably tweeted: “Wow N Watney +15, didn’t see this coming. Must be having some personal problems.” following Watney’s rounds of 82 and 77 at the 2013 Memorial.

Once ranked as high as ninth in the world, Watney now languishes at 229th – seemingly unable to cash in on his immense talent.

Ryo Ishikawa

A decade ago Ryo Ishikawa was destined to become Japan’s first-ever major champion – now he struggles to get into the events. Ryo is still just 28, the same age as Hideki Matsuyama, but unlike his fellow countryman, he has continuously failed to make any impression stateside.

Matsuyama earned his PGA Tour card in 2014, and by then Hideki had won five times in Japan – half the number of wins Ryo had achieved. Since then it’s been the complete opposite. Matsuyama has recorded five victories on the PGA Tour and is a mainstay at the majors, while Ryo hasn’t qualified for a major in five years and has made one appearance stateside since 2017.

The strangest part about Ishikawa? He still remains prodigious on the Japanese Tour, winning three times last year.

Nicknamed ‘The Bashful Prince’, there’s more than a good chance Ryo’s introversion is stifling his immense ability, which going by his final round 58 to win in Japan in 2010 on the same weekend McIlroy was winning at Quail Hollow, is bordering on a gift.

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19th Hole

Why Ludvig Aberg is my new favorite player – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

17 mins ago

Apr 24, 2024

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been discussing one of the new sensations in the world of golf – Ludvig Aberg. The 24-year-old finished solo second at the Masters a couple of weeks ago, and gained many plaudits, including from several WRXers.

RELATED: ‘There were a number of red flags’ – Ludvig Aberg reveals why he turned down multiple LIV offers

One member, RoyalMustang, took to the forums to explain why Aberg is now their favorite player, saying:

“I loved the way the Ludvig was out there, having a great time, not taking himself or the situation too seriously. Even after the double at 11, he was like “well, that’s golf!” Loose and relaxed: that’s the way to play. It’s obvious he loves what he’s doing, he loves the big moments, and he loves being a part of it all.

Arnold Palmer was viewed that way. Just like Brooks Robinson was forever viewed as not just a great baseball player, but a great human being and friend to Baltimore.”

And our members have been reacting and sharing their positive takes on the young Swede.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

redfirebird08: “Ludvig has a great attitude, a great smile, and a great golf swing.”
otto6457: “I’m very lucky to have talked with Ludde several times at the Rawls Course at Texas Tech. He’s a truly nice guy and very friendly. Always said hello when we passed each other in the club house and was always smiling. Watching him hit balls on the range was a joy. He has “that sound” and trajectory to die for. There were many times he was out on the range in 30+ mph winds just hitting the most beautiful shots that just seemed to ignore the wind. World class ball striker. And yes……..I am a fan boy.”
konklifer: “I like him. In an era of endless waggles and laboring, his swing and pace of play are a joy to watch.

Entire Thread: “Why Ludvig Aberg is my new favorite player – GolfWRXers discuss”

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19th Hole

‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage

Published

2 days ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

Over the past year or so, PGA Tour star Patrick Cantlay has taken a great deal of criticism for his pace of play.

Now, Cantlay is once again under fire for a questionable decision he made on Sunday at the RBC Heritage.

After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, whose ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.

On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.

Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and return to chip and putt on Monday morning.

Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision-making.

Can’t believe my eyes watching Patrick Cantlay why on earth would you hit your second shot then mark your ball absolutely crazy, maybe says a lot ?

— Ian Woosnam (@IWoosnam) April 22, 2024

Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 Monday morning.

Following his round, Cantlay explained his decision to wait to hit his third shot the next morning:

“I really did want to finish last night, so I felt like if I could get the ball up there maybe in an easier spot, maybe I would have finished, but as I got the ball up near the green, I realized it would be easier to finish this morning. That’s what I decided to do.”

GolfWRX has reached out to Patrick Cantlay’s management team for a response to Woosnam’s comments.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

2 days ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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