The Masters Golf Tournament

[Wilber]

It was good enough to win if he didn't look like a 110 handicap for one of the holes. That's a choke job. Sure Willet was solid, but no one cares about Willet. Heck it was good enough if he only hits the water ONCE! The headline is that Speith blew a 5 stroke lead in the back 9.

That's all that anyone will remember from this tournament.

I agree that is what people will remember but it isn't really fair. He only had a one shot lead at the beginning of the day. He had a one hole disaster on 12 and was then one under for the rest of the round. That isn't a melt down in my book. If that 12th hole was spread out over the rest of the round, the final score would be the same and people would just be saying he didn't play that great, no one would be talking about a melt down.

As far as Willett goes, five birdies and no bogies is a lot better than solid in the final round of a major.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Wilber

[Boges]

If that 12th hole was spread out over the rest of the round, the final score would be the same and people would just be saying he didn't play that great, no one would be talking about a melt down.

But that's why it's a choke job.

This dude also had a pretty good round. . . overall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dR1pkCGY80

And that was just a triple bogey.

http://www.foxsports.com/golf/story/jordan-spieth-collapse-masters-score-danny-willett-no-12-water-reaction-041016

His bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 were bad, as was hitting it in the water on the par-3 No. 12. But everybody hits bad shots. Those weren't the chokes. They were tough holes and a bad shot, but barely. If the tee shot on No. 12, for instance, had flown a few feet more Spieth would have had an easy two-putt for a par and an eventual win. No, it was those next two penalty shots - the inexplicable chunk (which Spieth inexplicably didn't take from the drop area) that also found the water, then the overcompensating blading he had on shot No. 5 that flew the green and forced him to complete a solid up-and-down to "save" quad-bogey. The first penalty shot was so bad it almost didn't get to the water, if you can believe that.

[Wilber]

I don't consider it a choke because the rest of his round was sub par, in fact the only day he was better from 13 to 18 was on day 1. Van de Velde choked on 18. If Speith had done that, I would agree.

[Boges]

I don't consider it a choke because the rest of his round was sub par, in fact the only day he was better from 13 to 18 was on day 1. Van de Velde choked on 18. If Speith had done that, I would agree.

So it's only because it didn't happen on the 18th? I think that's already parsing the already subjective thing a choke is. Golf is such voodoo that the best players can do stuff like this. Just like a 4-time Major winner misses several 2-foot putts on Thursday.

I guess we can agree to disagree because there's no objective definition of choke, but my opinion isn't that out of the ordinary. Dude had the tournament won, I actually stopped paying attention and watched something else for a bit because all the drama was gone. I had to wind back my DVR to see what he actually did to be -1 when he was like -7 an hour earlier.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Boges

[Wilber]

So it's only because it didn't happen on the 18th? I think that's already parsing the already subjective thing a choke is. Golf is such voodoo that the best players can do stuff like this. Just like a 4-time Major winner misses several 2-foot putts on Thursday.

I guess we can agree to disagree because there's no objective definition of choke, but my opinion isn't that out of the ordinary. Dude had the tournament won, I actually stopped paying attention and watched something else for a bit because all the drama was gone. I had to wind back my DVR to see what he actually did to be -1 when he was like -7 an hour earlier.

No it's because he had one disaster hole then recovered to play the rest of the round under par, his second best last six holes of the tournament. That is a f**k up, not a choke.

[Boges]

No it's because he had one disaster hole then recovered to play the rest of the round under par, his second best last six holes of the tournament. That is a f**k up, not a choke.

A choke is a single performance that's out of the ordinary. Like an 80% free throw shooter clanking 2 that would have won them the game. Or Bill Bukner letting a routine grounder through his legs. Or the Maple Leafs losing a playoff game after leading 4-1 with 10 minutes left.

That hole was an isolated disaster in an otherwise decent round. I'll give him credit, he didn't completely meltdown like Rory seems to have done. But a quad bogey in the back 9 is a choke, it's the only reason he lost.

[Wilber]

A choke is a single performance that's out of the ordinary. Like an 80% free throw shooter clanking 2 that would have won them the game. Or Bill Bukner letting a routine grounder through his legs. Or the Maple Leafs losing a playoff game after leading 4-1 with 10 minutes left.

That hole was an isolated disaster in an otherwise decent round. I'll give him credit, he didn't completely meltdown like Rory seems to have done. But a quad bogey in the back 9 is a choke, it's the only reason he lost.

It's a matter of perception. This wasn't a last minute collapse. He also had four other bogies in that round, which four shots cost him the tournament, those four or the four at twelve? The tournament wasn't lost at 12, he still had a chance to win. If he had birdied four of the last six instead of one, he would have been in a playoff.

[Boges]

It's a matter of perception. This wasn't a last minute collapse. He also had four other bogies in that round, which four shots cost him the tournament, those four or the four at twelve? The tournament wasn't lost at 12, he still had a chance to win. If he had birdied four of the last six instead of one, he would have been in a playoff.

The choke is the single lapse though. Had he bogey'd ever hole in the back 9 it would have been a collapse but it wouldn't have been so glaring. He actually had to play out of his ass to get back into contention, which also makes the 12 more glaring. he was 4 strokes behind after 12, I believe.

It's all academic though. Objectively Willet didn't win, he lost. And it's a shame because he played very well.

[Wilber]

The choke is the single lapse though. Had he bogey'd ever hole in the back 9 it would have been a collapse but it wouldn't have been so glaring. He actually had to play out of his ass to get back into contention, which also makes the 12 more glaring. he was 4 strokes behind after 12, I believe.

It's all academic though. Objectively Willet didn't win, he lost. And it's a shame because he played very well.

You win when you shoot the lowest combined score, it's not about one hole out of 72. The tournament is 72 holes, Speith didn't lose because he hadn't won anything yet.