Stanley: "I could probably play it a thousand times and never make an 8."

Unfortunately, Kyle Stanley did make an 8 on the last hole and as Doug Ferguson opens his game story, "Brandt Snedeker won the Farmers Insurance Open in a playoff not even he thought was possible."

Kyle Stanley led by seven shots early in the final round Sunday, and he still had a four-shot lead as he stood on the 18th tee at Torrey Pines. Just like that, he went from being anointed a rising star to a meltdown that ranks among the most shocking in golf.

Snedeker, in the group ahead of him, hit wedge to a foot for birdie and a 67, then drove up to the media tent for an interview as the runner-up. He arrived in time to watch Stanley spin a wedge into the water, then three-putt from 45 feet for a triple-bogey 8 and a 74.

Two playoff holes later, both were in shock.

The final day review from the PGA Tour:

Comments

[Troy]

That's golf.

[lloydcole]

Exactly. No shocking. Many of the greats choked repeatedly until they figured out how not to. Rock did his best to blow it with driver, and if not for excellent caddying who can say what he might have done?

[highside]

It's hard not to feel sorry for Stanley, but why couldn't he have finessed that wedge shot? Hit a skanky-cut-across-low-Trevino-spin-out-in-it's-own-divot?

[NRH]

It was nice of CBS to show a graphic that Stanley was the first wire to wire winner at San Diego since Johnny Miller in 1982 as he was walking off the 18th tee.

[ScanNow]

I didn't think it was really possible for Kyle to even bogey a par 5, much less triple it. Wonder why he laid it up the first time? In regulation anywhere on the back right of 18 green and he has 4 putts to win. I feel bad for the guy.

[Ardmoreari]

You got that right NRH... so nice!

[A3]

Stanley hits the ball like 340 yards off the tee. Guess he should play a better ball around the green.

[elf]

Feel bad for Stanley. He made a bunch of clutch puts leading up to 18, but at the end he couldn't get it done. He has a ton of talent, I'm sure we'll see him up there again.

[Mr Columbia]

Faldo was right about what an unlucky result his third shot received, but also he definitely didn't need to drive it in there so hard; needed to hit a softer, more floating approach from 80 yds out. Regardless, I think the right call was to lay up there on 18.

What drama the billabong has produced. Last year's Phil's pin tending antics, a few years back Chuck Three Sticks ricochet off the flag and hole back into the water. Boring course with frustrating greens somewhat redeemed by the location, views, and theater on the 18th.

[Jim S]

On a side note, I think that Torrey Pines might be the poster child for a course that could be improved simply by changing the mowing lines--imagine if all of those fairway bunkers were at the edges of the fairway rather than 10 yards into the rough. The course would look better, perhaps balls would start rolling into the bunkers, and the players would get more options, especially around the greens, which could have some great (and large) chipping areas surrounding them.

[No Longer Used to be Former S&T Convert]

He shoulda blasted it over the green on his second shot on 18. When you lay-up water is still in play. I always said Van de Velde was wrongly vilified: he hit the shot to take the burn out of play and received the worst bounce in the history of golf.

[M]

Extra special thanks to CBS for leaving us East coasters hanging. Well done....

[bjturk]

I find it very hard to feel badly for a man who just earned several times my annual salary for less than a week's worth of playing golf. Instead of bemoaning the loss, he should be congratulated on winning nearly $650,000 in his best-ever PGA TOUR finish.

Having said that, the way Stanley played 18 was poor course management, and he knows it. When you don't have to fire at flags, don't. His at-the-flag approach on 18 enabled backspin to draw it back to the pond. If he had hung his approach out right, it might never have had the spin to get all the way to the water. And from what we saw, putting from the right would have been much easier than from the back. A player should always consider worst-case scenarios. He cost himself over $350,000 because he was needlessly aggressive.

[d.b.cooper]

@S&T

You are right about Van de Velde having terrible luck on that 2nd shot at 18.

OTOH, by playing a full shot into 18 green, he did take the chance of OB left, which at Carnoustie isn't that far left of 18 green.

[Kevin]

Stanley should of definitely hit it over the green in regulation. Both he and Rollins had less than 240 in. What about Rollins? If he makes eagle he's in the playoff, probably not on his mind but maybe should of been. Also, didn't hear anybody on TV talk about it but I bet the golf shrinks like Dr. Bob Rotella noticed. Stanley was serious as can be for 16 holes, never smiled, no emotion. He just misses the birdie on 17 and immediately has a big smile on his face and is joking with the caddie. He definitely lost focus and thought he had it won. Very sad to see but I think he'll recover.

[NC Phyllis]

Did anyone pick up on some of the comments that McCord and Feherty were directing toward IBF? I don't have any inside knowledge of how a telecast works but I got the sense that Finchy may have given him the check too and split.

[GolfFan]

Re: The 1000?

My money's on "Under"

And ... he won't have 1000 more chances like that.

[No longer Used to be Former S & T Convert]

@db true, but he shelled it high right and took OB out of play as well. If it had hit the grandstand and gone in the burn he would have won, but it hit grandstand, then wall and bounces back over the burn....

The only way Stanley could lose tournament was to lay up. If he hits it in the pond in 2, he can hit a bad wedge and 3 putt for 7.

[Kevin]

Anybody pick up also that CBS could not talk about Stanley's caddie enough, how he looped for Camilo and played on the Nationwide. Kept saying he was a veteran caddie. If you listen to the sound on the fifth shot, after the drop, Stanley takes out a club, the caddie looks real quick in the bag and says "no-no, take the other one". I realize he's gotta hit it deep to avoid the same thing happening but we're talking 76 yards with a tour pro. Forty feet down hill with nerves shattered proved to be too long for Stanley. I still agree with NLUTBFS&TC, gotta take the water out of play and blow it over the green or blow it right.