Capelle On Golf

The Broadmoor course in Colorado was hardly impossible on Sunday considering that 10 players broke its par of 70 in the final. But it must have seemed like a monster to the top three going into the final round of the US Senior Open. Fifty-four hole leader Eduardo Romero from Argentina “closed” with a four bogeys on the final eight holes for a 73, but still managed to win by four shots over Fred Funk.

Funk, normally as reliable as a T-bill, closed with a five over 39 on the back nine, making a big fat triple bogey on the 13th hole. He shot a 75 on a day when 10 players in the top 22 shot 70 or better, scores that would have given him the victory outright. Think Open pressure had anything to do with his performance?

The same could be said for John Cook, who began the final round three back of Romero. Cook stumbled home with a 77, dropping him from third to fifth. His round consisted of seven bogeys, ten pars, and not one birdie. Cook is good buddies with Tiger Woods, so it would seem that some of Tiger’s closing skills would have rubbed off on Cook – but apparently not because he missed all of the short putts Tiger almost always makes on Sundays.

The top 10 was populated by players that were so far back at the beginning of the day that none must have felt the suffocating Open pressure the leaders obviously did. As a result, they all felt free to play their best game. The freewheelers included Mark McNulty (3rd - 68), Greg Norman (4th -70), Joey Sindelar (6t – 69), David Edwards (6t – 67), and Bernhard Langer (6t – 66).

So here’s the lesson for Funk and Cook going forward: the next time you’re in contention going into the final round of a senior major pretend you’re so far behind going that there is no way you can win. Then just go out and play great golf. I know, it’s far easier said than done. But anything is better than caring so much that you systematically grind your way right out of a championship.