The pro who 5-putt and lost Sunday? The story got good from there
Paul Goydos hits his tee shot on Sunday on the 12 hole at Warwick Hills.
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Lanny Wadkins? He was stunned.
“I haven’t seen anything like that,” the longtime pro-turned-analyst said on Golf Channel. “… I’m sorry to see that happen to him. Golf is mean. It can be cruel at times. It happens to a lot of good players.”
John Cook? He was stunned.
“I don’t believe what I’ve just heard and seen,” another longtime pro-turned-analyst said on Golf Channel. “It’s crazy.”
And the man in the moment? Maybe the best way to put it is he was not so much stunned, as he was stunning. Read on. Paul Goydos doesn’t disappoint.
To begin here, on the PGA Tour Champions circuit this weekend, they played the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills. After the 52nd of 54 holes, Goydos was leading by a shot. After one stroke on the 53rd hole, the 155-yard, par-3 17th, he was 35 feet away. After two strokes, he was 3 feet away.
Goydos missed his third stroke to the right. It went 3 feet past. That one would keep him tied for the lead. “Oh, my goodness,” Wadkins said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “What was that?” Goydos eventually placed his ball mark down. He realigned his ball. He stepped back for a read. He came back to the ball.
Goydos missed to the left. It went 4 feet past. That one would keep him one shot back with one hole to play. “Groans and gasps from the gallery here,” announcer John Swantek said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “Just a man alone on an island right now.” After this putt, Goydos stepped back and looked. He eventually placed his ball mark down. He realigned his ball. He stepped back for a read. He came back to the ball.
Goydos missed to the right. It finished hole-high and inches away. That one would put two back. “That’s hard to watch,” Swantek said on the Golf Channel broadcast.
Goydos tapped in from there.
No regrets: Paul Goydos revisits the biggest near-miss of his career
Five putts.
Four from a yard away.
He had been up one. Now he was down two.
Goydos grabbed his ball from the cup. He looked away. He took a few steps back, crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the hole. As he started to walk off the green, he shrugged his arms. He twirled his putter in his fingers before giving it to his caddie. His caddie patted him on the back.
On the 54th hole, the 435-yard, par-4 18th, Goydos parred, and he was done. Vijay Singh won.
“It’s going to hurt,” Wadkins said on the broadcast. “This will hurt a lot for Paul. It will hurt tonight especially. I mean, it was his tournament. He makes that little 2-footer at 17, pars 18, and he wins. I’m shocked. Paul’s an experienced player, true veteran, classy man, and I feel for him. It’s tough. But, you know, it’s golf. Happens to all of us at some point in time.
“Just got to get up tomorrow and try and do it again”
Along those lines, Goydos didn’t disappoint, though Wadkins was off by a half-day.
After five-putting, and four-putting from a yard out, and losing his 52-hole lead, did he sign autographs?
Goydos did. This is good.
Tweeted a fan on Sunday: “You stayed and signed every autograph for the fans even after that happened…respect To you!”
Tweeted Goydos: “I’m not great at signing autographs but I try.”
Did he tweet out a song? Or a meme?
Goydos did both. This is good. First, the song. It was Harvey Danger’s Flagpole Sitta. There’s a line in there that goes: “I’m not sick, but I’m not well. And I’m so hot, ’cause I’m in hell.” You get the point. The meme was of Jason Alexander’s character, George Costanza, from the sitcom Seinfeld, where he shouted, “Serenity now.” You get the point.
Did he offer quick perspective? And joke about himself? All in one tweet.
That, too. This is good.
Tweeted a fan on Sunday: “Was Watching it. That’s Unbelievable. Feel bad for @PaulGoydosPGA Get Em Next time. Golf is hard”
Tweeted Goydos: “Don’t feel bad. It’s a game.
“Good news though, Ping said they will pay me to stop using their putters.”
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