The Putt Heard Round the World

No player wants a downhill, left-to-right slider putt on a green stimped at over 13’. But that’s exactly what Rory McIlroy had on the final hole of the national championship. He missed it and the word “choke” popped up all over golfdom.

It’s true that a professional (and one of the top five professionals in the world) missed a three-foot putt. One that he should make, right? I’ll agree, but honestly, I’ve never had one. Have you? Oh, we have all had three-footers, they’re a big part of the game. But have any of us ever faced one to win the US Open with a chance to win four million bucks with millions watching around the world? Of course not! 

The putt that Rory missed was undoubtedly one of the most difficult putts in golf. Those of you who play know that matching the line and speed on downhill left-to-righter is the most delicate of all shots; add to that the green speed of 13+ feet, and you get some idea what he faced. This is what has been lost in the uproar that has ensued. If he had missed a straight-in three-footer, even on that speed of green, yes, we have a far different scenario, one where the word “choke” (never fair, in my opinion) might be a more accurate assessment. But not necessarily the putt he missed.

Another contributing factor was the miss on the 16th hole. It might have psychologically damaged Rory and contributed to the miss on the final green, who knows? Even a little doubt in any putter’s mind is just enough to open the door for a mountain of negative thoughts and self-doubts to come streaming in. This, I believe, is likely what happened to Rory. To approach a putt as tough as the one on the final green with any “I might miss this” thinking is a recipe for disaster. This is the mental side of golf, which, at the highest level of the game, is often the single defining difference. Great athletes can summon positive thoughts and the needed focus to perform in the heat of battle. Volumes have been written about that enviable distinction. On that day, Rory did not cross that fine line.

As for the putt, who knows? I believe it’s possible the putt was hit ever so slightly off-center, maybe a bit low on the putter face, just enough to lose the speed needed to hold the line. That putt had a lot of break in it for a three-footer and needed just the right speed to hold its line. It came off soft and broke hard to the right. I think Rory had the read; it just lacked a bit of pace. In the 1970 British Open, Doug Sanders missed a similar putt on the 72nd hole. Shockingly, Henry Longhurst, the colorful and iconic BBC commentator uttered the immortal words: “There but for the grace of God”…Golf is such a metaphor for life.