Why Tom Watson Did Not Choke at The British Open

Tom Watson did not choke at the 2009 British Open.

Tom Watson is 53 days shy of his 60th birthday.

Tom Watson is 30 years past his best playing days.

Tom Watson shouldn't have been leading the Open Championship after 71 holes in the first place (he was given 1,000 to 1 odds to win entering the tournament).

So why wasn't Tom Watson's overshot of the green and subsequent misses considered a choke?

I've thought long and hard about this after witnessing Tom Watson's stirring performance at Turnberry, one of his favorite courses.

Because the deeper question becomes: What makes Tom Watson's not-winning different from, say, Kenny Perry's meltdown in this year's Masters?

I think the best answer is another question: When someone isn't supposed to win in the first place, can it be considered a choke when he doesn't?

Sports are truly satisfying to the psyche because they are a microcosm of life. There are good guys and bad guys (Stewart Cink was thrust into the latter role through no fault of his own); heroes and villains; winners and losers; and a beginning, middle and an end.

In the 2009 British Open, Tom Watson gave us a brilliant beginning and a stirring middle. He missed giving the world a storybook ending by a surge of adrenalin and a matter of inches.

My hat's off to Tom Watson. Thank you, Tom, for showing us the meaning of true grit and grace under pressure.

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." - Arnold Palmer

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Noah St. John is the author of The Secret Code of Success: 7 Hidden Steps to More Wealth and Happiness (HarperCollins).

He helps people get rid of their head trash and enjoy more wealth, freedom and abundance. Free book excerpt at SuccessClinic.com

Follow Noah St. John on Twitter: www.twitter.com/noahstjohn

Comments

[Littleguylobby]

Everybody can have their opinion but any golfer will tell you that the stroke Watson put on that put was horrid! Call it what you will, but to me it looked like a yip, choke, mindfart, or whatever. But the putting stroke sucked.

[progpro1]

This is why golf can be such a cruel sport. It was heartbreaking watching Tom lose the Open on the eighteenth hole. He was so close to achieving what would have been the greatest triumph in the history of sports. What most people don't understand is that in the severe form of the yips, the person actually loses consciousness - "blackout" - for a fraction of a second, and during the blackout there is a very quick spasm of one of more muscles, which of course totally disrupts the proper mechanics of the stroke or swing. I am convinced that Tom blacked out during that one putt. The expression on his face was so familiar to me from working with students - "What did I just do??" The yips is partly mental and partly emotional and in the severe cases, partly neurological. The medical term is "focal dystonia".

[progpro1]

I make a living teaching golfers how not to choke, among other skills. I can assure you that Watson did in fact "choke" - or succumb to the intense emotional stress and pressure of the situation - during his forward stroke on his eight foot putt for par to win the Open. His forward stroke was at least 30% slower clubhead speed than his backstroke, the most common flaw in putting - a total decel. The ball stopped about two feet short of the hole and almost a foot to the right of the hole - not even close to being a good putt. I have never witnessed such a poor putt by a tour professional in over 50 years of watching golf tournaments.

This was the only shot that he "yipped" or flinched on during regulation play over four days and 72 holes of golf - a remarkable achievement for a golfer of any age, let alone a 60 year old. His eight iron second shot was "pured" by his own admission and just travelled about five feet too far in the air, hit a hard spot on the green (bad luck) and so a very good shot ended up trickling off the green. His next shot was not really a flinch, just mis-judgment of distance and a difficult shot given the poor lie. No choke there either. Tom has suffered off and on - mostly on, from the putting yips on putts from about three to ten feet

[xmontreal]

With Tiger and Mickelson out, the only reason I watched the British Open was because of Tom Watson's heroic effort. He lost nothing and gained the respect of the golfing world for an effort that is not likely to ever be repeated.

[MayoGalway]

OK he didn't choke. He just missed a 22' shot at the buzzer and lost in overtime.
OK he didn't choke . He just missed a 45 yd FGA(stiff wind) at the buzzer and lost in OT.
OK he didn't choke. He just grounded to short with a runner at third and 2 outs bottom 9th. Lost in xtra inns.
OK he didn't choke. After being brought down on a breakaway at the end of a tie game, the goalie stuffed his penalty shot. Team lost in OT.
After leading a MAJOR golf tourney for most of 71 holes, he misses a difficult short put to win and losses in OT.
OK HE DIDN'T CHOKE! He just didn't deliver at the ultimate CRUNCH time.