PGA Championship: Saturday shortcomings on Moving Day

The third round of the PGA Championship featured jaw-dropping shots from super star talents. But even the pros aren’t perfect, and sometimes it’s the less-than-perfect moments that remind us that we’re all playing the same game.

Watching the best players in the world compete for a golf major title can be an awe-inspiring experience, and Moving Day at Bellerive didn’t disappoint. Some of the biggest names in the sport showcased the mammoth drives and pin point accuracy that leaves us mortals scratching our heads, wondering how they do it.

Scattered among the split fairways and stuck pins were a few moments that looked, well, downright familiar. It’s rare that I find myself watching Tiger Woods and thinking, “I’ve been there.” On Saturday, the pros reminded us that they’re human, too.

Here are a few of the lowlights from Saturday that could just as easily describe my own weekend warrior performance.

No gimmes

Adam Scott has long been known as one of the best ball strikers in golf. His tee-to-green game is unmatched. As my good friend Hawk Harrelson likes to say, “You can tie him, but you can’t beat him.”

In recent years Scott’s putter has let him down. Perhaps nobody in golf has felt more severe repercussions from the rule change surrounding anchoring putters than the Australian Masters Champion. Scott lined up his birdie effort on the 18th green, from a distant barely longer than his putter, knowing that holing it would put him in a tie for the lead and secure a spot in Sunday’s final pairing.

He missed it. On the low side. Just like I would. The ball drifted underneath the cup and with it went the momentum and confidence Scott needed heading into Sunday.

A stifled roar

Tiger Woods walked after his second shot on the par 5 17th with a bravado and confidence we haven’t seen in years. He knew he’d have a good look at carding an eagle to send him into double-digit red figures. The broadcast team put the champagne on ice the moment Tiger twirled his 4 iron.

You saw what happened. From inside 20 feet Tiger sailed one well past the hole, going on to miss the comebacker. The result? A disappointing three-putt par and a wasted bottle of Moet for Sir Nick Faldo to charge to the CBS company card.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a handful of eagle putts in my golfing career. Sure, none of them have been in the PGA Championship, but that’s beside the point. I’m not Tiger Woods, I’m allowed to feel the nerves. Tiger’s not. If he can’t hole a few putts on the back 9 on Sunday, he’ll have a lot on his mind as he waits for the 2019 Majors.

The unadulterated joy of watching Jordan Spieth fail

If you couldn’t tell from the header for this section, I’m not a big Jordan Spieth fan. However, I am empathetic. I felt for the poor guy as he plunked one into the heart of a tree trunk on the 12th hole.

Is there a more familiar sound to an recreational player than that of a golf ball colliding with wood? Spieth knew the ricochet sent his ball out of bounds the moment he heard the thud, and that’s a feeling we can all sympathize with. Spieth’s chances at the career grand slam will have to wait. Triple bogeys make fools of us all.

The inspiration

I wouldn’t have written this piece if not for Gary Woodland. I’m rooting for the guy, so it wasn’t easy watching him bungle the 10th hole.

The world is full of competent tee-to-green players who know their way around a golf course. A lot of those players have no idea what to do when they find themselves faced with a routine bunker shot. Many a great round has been spoiled by the mere idea of losing strokes out of the sand. Maybe that’s why Woodland’s gaffe was so heartbreaking. Of all the mistakes we saw out there today, his was the most relatable for the recreational golfer.

Going bunker to bunker is tough. Going bunker to bunker to bunker is grounds for picking up and moving on to keep pace.

To add salt to the wound, Woodland’s caddie never raked the original bunker, forcing the 36-hole leader to play out of the mess he’d left two shots earlier. This is something that should happen to a friend of mine, not to 44th ranked player in the world. If this did happen to a friend of mine, he’d be reminded of it every time he hit a sand shot for the rest of his life. I hope for Woodland’s sake this debacle doesn’t become his Jean van de Velde moment.

Woodland still has an outside shot of walking away with the Wanamaker Trophy, but he’ll have to steady his heartbeat and keep his ball out of the bunker(s) when he steps up to the 10th tee on Sunday.

A Close Shave for Fowler

Last but not least, there’s Rickie Fowler. Rickie didn’t make any crucial mistakes on Moving Day, but he does have a lot in common with me when it comes to our performance on the golf course. For one thing, we both look a little silly when we attempt to be taken seriously with facial hair.

More importantly, at this time on Sunday we’ll more than likely remain tied for lifetime Major Championship victories.