The Written Word
for August 18, 1999

As I sit here in Scotland, contemplating the brown trout and the catching therefor, my mind turns to another part of Scotland and I reflect back on the Open which finished last July 18. And I'm wrestling with my feelings on Jean Vander Velde's unbelievable collapse at Carnoustie – a course I know fairly well having been throttled by the golf course myself in my playing days as a 2 handicapper. I wasn't pulling for Vander Velde throughout the tournament - I'm a Tiger fan - but when he seemed to have disposed of his closest rival, Craig Parry who had briefly taken the lead, I started to pull for him. Though he had been incredibly lucky - especially in his favourable

ruling on Saturday - he had made some remarkable clutch putts and looked to me as if he had the kind of jam it took to win the championship. But when Vander Velde took a driver out on the 72d hole I said to my houseguest who was watching with me - I think he's gone to the well too often ...

remembering as I did the number of times he used a driver on Saturday. But he got away with it ... but them I saw him take a long iron out of the bag and I had to ask aloud "what the hell is he doing?"

I've played Carnoustie several times and remember that last hole with some particularity as I always seemed to find Barrie Burn somewhere along the way.

We all know what happened. At the end of the whole Vander Velde had made 7 where 6 would have won the tournament. It was the most colossal choke-up in recorded golf history and at the end of the day Paul Lawrie, who along with Justin Leonard had no business being in the playoff only had to get down in two from three feet to win - he made the putt.

But what to say about poor Jean. It's true that he had never been in this spot before but he is a professional golfer and no kid either. I think he wanted to finish in grand style - he wasn't prepared to simply take the claret jug and run. He had a gallery to please and I think he wanted to make that walk up the last fairway with his ball on the green, the cup clearly won, and bask in the applause of the gallery. Even then, after he hit his second he knew that par was not a realistic option but still he tried to carry the burn instead of knocking it out onto the fairway and pitch and putt for a sure six maybe five and thus win. No .. he had to try some more

heroics and he pitched it into the burn.

There were other damned fools that day including Tiger who knew that he would only win if he let the leaders back up to him. Instead he panicked, took a double bogie and put himself out of the tournament. A par 71 would have had him in the playoff.

Moments before Vander Velde's gigantic errors, Justin Leonard, thinking he needed a birdie to win, hit s three wood from the rough right into Barrie Burn taking a stroke penalty. Had he pitches short and manufactured a par he would have won outright.

Golf, it's been said, is a game of inches - the inches between the golfer's ears. Only Paul Lawrie used his noggin all day and had the patience it takes to make a champion. Colin Montgomerie, with his constant pessimism, talked himself out of a tournament he was still in reach of winning. Tiger panicked as did Craig Parry. All but the winner somewhere along the way let the golf course beat them. And this was indeed a formidable course - certainly the toughest I've ever seen.

So while one has to feel a bit for Jean Vander Velde, who after all will have to bear this incredible case of the chokes for the rest of his life, the bottom line is that you have to use your head in golf. It is a lot more than just hitting shots, Vander Velde was not a victim of bad luck - he had much more than his share during the four days - but of incredible stupidity unbecoming any champion.

When all was said and done, the best man ... the man who thought as well as struck the ball ... was the winner.