Pro golfers are the pinnacle of skill and expertise on the course, and those that are new to the game will be tempted to imagine that the pros very seldom make mistakes, especially mistakes that might cost them an entire tournament. But even the very best at the game can mess up, and sometimes they’re such calamitous mistakes that it ends up costing them everything.
Here we will be looking at some of the biggest mistakes ever made in pro golf tournaments, and what it cost the golfers that made them.
Dustin Johnson
As one of the biggest names in the sport, Johnson has a long and successful career as a pro golfer, and has proven time and time again that he deserves to be remembered among golf’s greats. But Johnson also has his fair share of mishaps and foul-ups.
Most think of 2015 as being one of Johnson’s worst years, but it was the 2011 US Open that was home to one of his worst. This was due to an 11 over during the first round of the event, which included both a triple bogey as well as a double bogey in consecutive holes, making it one of the biggest blunders in recent memory.
Greg Norman
During his time playing the masters in 1996, Greg Norman was far in the lead with six shots, but the 11th hole proved to be his undoing. By the time that the day came to an end, the golfer had achieved five bogeys combined with two double bogeys, ending in 78. He later went on to say that he was attempting to fix his swing mid-game, and that it was enough to get him out of the funk he had fallen in to.
Ed Sneed
For the 1979 Masters, Ed Sneed showed his remarkable skill on the course, and would eventually emerge as the leader of the group for the event. But that success that he worked on over the course of the Masters would come to an end after he earned a three-shot lead.
The final three holes were more than a match for the seasoned player, however, after he lost his lead in a series of mistakes. His lead would be taken over by Fuzzy Zoeller, who was the ultimate winner of the event, in a twist that only online Roulette NZ players would be accustomed to.
Jean Van De Velde
Considered by many as one of the worst collapses in golfing history, this took place at the 1999 British Open, and has entered into the annals of golf as truly memorable. Jean Van De Velde had played well for most of the event and had begun to play for the final hole with a three shot lead. It didn’t take long for his success to come an end after a triple bogey into the hole, forcing him to lose the Open in a play off, but not before he jumped into a lake out of frustration.