"COMEBACK" SUNDAY...

It was a "comeback" Sunday in golf with rather pleasant results, except of course, for those who came behind (yes, it was "Comeback Sunday"in football too, since the Giants were 8 down and came from behind to win Super Bowl XLVI)

Anyway, last week I was hoping that Kyle Stanley recovered after his first win was delayed when he scored a triple bogey in the par-5 number 18 at Torrey Pines. I have seen and felt the pain.

In the former Andy Williams San Diego Open, Stanley, starting eight ahead and coming to the last hole four ahead, Brandt Snedeker birdied, Stanley tripled and then lost the playoff withj a trhee putt (he had three-putter the 72nd hole also). The thing is that Stanley didn't really hit horrible shots, he just hit so-so shots that turned worse than what he deserved. But the golf gods are cruel, and test the character of the best. That is why we say, "the mark of a champion is not that he wins, but what he overcomes in winning". That is why we say that "golf does not build character as much as it reveals it". Stanley did just fine. Stanley has a lot of character in that fighting spirit and a lot to be proud of.

The future of golf is good... and good for everyone.

Golfing Family of Paul Gunkel
(minus son Dustin) gathered with
other friends to watch golf & football
on Super Bowl Sunday.

Kyle overcame his internal demons, his insecurity, his fear of failure, his nervousness, the fear of a last minute bad shot, and the fear of someone doing the impossible; and, the fear of an untimely three putt that would put him in yet, another playoff that he could end up losing, again. Only this time, with a slim lead of one and not four, instead of playing "safe" as he did in Torrey Pines, he took the driver out on the last hole, flew it past the water where he could have a short and easier approach, hit a wedge in the middle of the green and two putted for victory.

New England's Tom Brady Fans

He went from starting eight ahead on Sunday, to starting seven behind Spencer Levin, who like Stanley, played over par the last round and lost. What a story! Levin, if the trend continues, by all practical purposes, becomes one of the favorites this week in Pebble Beach. In his interview, Levin was nothing less than a great sportsman, acknowledging his mistakes and praising his winning rival. No excuses, only facts. It is not how, but how many that counts. As with Stanley, I hope that Levin recovers from his collapse, which was actually the same hole for three rounds, the reachable Par-5 #15. He never birdied, and on Sunday, he took a double boegy seven.

Not many recover from a collapse as big as shown in the last two weeks. But that is sports. That is why Kyle Stanley's is a great story.

N.Y. Giants Fan

Bruce Crampton came in second in several majors to... Jack Nicklaus and never won one; on the other hand, Tom Watson, who in the early 70's was known as a "choker" (which started by his weekend collapse in the 1974 U.S. Open, where he closed with a 9 over par 79, and lost by five), ended up winning 8 majors, three of which he won, down the stretch, from the King of Majors, Jack Nicklaus.

Okay, plural: make it "Fans"

Kyle Stanley fan
Elk City's "Big Ron" is from
Washington, as is Stanley.

Watson forever erased his image of a choker. Then you have Jean Van De Velde who never recovered from his triple bogey 7 in the 1999 British Open, which in his case, was a bunch of bad decisions and bad shots; and for you football fans -particularly young ones-, the Vikings went to four Super Bowls and never won (by the way, only once in their four trips, did they score more than 7 points); so did the Buffalo Bills, who  won their conference four straight years, something no other team has ever done (I don't know a thing about football, but I do read a little). The stories about failures are more frequent that of overcoming champions.

Kyle Stanley is one of a kind (if you read about him, you'll see that he is on the way up), and I predict that he will be in the Ryder Cup (*) this year... We want him there!

In a lesser, but encouraging note, 7,000 miles away from his homeland, John Daly shot a 67 and came in 4th in the Qatar Masters. This is the highest finish in 5 years for the troubled golfer who must start thinking about golf and not his failures... he still has some good years ahead of him.

(*) I wish they would go back to the old way of the top 12 qualifiers, instead of having 4 captain choices, but that is another topic for another time.