Who is the most disappointing winner of a tournament ever?

[vamosjackets]

This is kind of a biggest *spoiler* question.  What winner of a PGA tournament were you most disappointed to see win?  Maybe because they beat your guy or because they were a no-name, one-hit-wonder or something?  

 

So, for me the two off the top of my head are:

1. Billy Horschel winning Puntacana (2024) over Wesley Bryan - the inspiration for this thread.

2. Nick Faldo over Greg Norman at the Masters (1996).  Greg deserved to win a Masters and had dominated so much until the last round, and it was so painful to watch him fall apart.  And, Nick had already won 2, so it was pretty anticlimactic. I was 15-yrs old and Norman seemed like a hero to me at the time. 

3. Tiger over Duval at the Masters (2001). This will be sacrilege to some, but I loved Duval and really wanted to see him win a Masters - He had the most dominant short-time-period run ever - more dominant than Tiger and Scheffler - He still holds the record for lowest number of starts to 10 wins (33 starts) by a significant margin while Scheffler is now second at 51, and I think Tiger is third at maybe 59?  He missed a 5-footer on 18 to send it to a playoff.  To my memory that seemed like the beginning of his decline from the top of the mountain into oblivion. Duval deserved a Masters at the height of his brightly burning, though short-lived star. Imagine Scheffler's run of dominance but somehow failing to win the Masters. 

4. Speith over Kuchar at The Open (2017). Why? Only because I've always liked Kuchar and hated to see him lose it, as he is considered at the top of the conversation of best players to have never won a Major (although Jim Furyk probably takes that title). He led it and seemed like he deserved it.  He was sitting in the fairway and had to just a knee while waiting so long for Speith to find his ball and get a ruling for relief from the grandstands and all that just to see Jordan hit his second shot close (which seemed undeserved - he kind of lucked out to get relief and a free drop to a good lie which would've been a terrible lie had it been simply the result of his shot).  

 

Someone's gonna say (and should say) Stewart Cink over 59-yr-old Tom Watson at the British Open (2009), but not me. I actually was disappointed at the time but am totally the opposite now because Stewart Cink has become one of my favorite players.  

[MattyO1984]

6 minutes ago, vamosjackets said:

Someone's gonna say (and should say) Stewart Cink over 59-yr-old Tom Watson at the British Open (2009), but not me. I actually was disappointed at the time but am totally the opposite now because Stewart Cink has become one of my favorite players.  

 

"Someone", is I think, underplaying it! 

Edited April 23 by MattyO1984

[mosesgolf]

8 minutes ago, vamosjackets said:

This is kind of a biggest *spoiler* question.  What winner of a PGA tournament were you most disappointed to see win?  Maybe because they beat your guy or because they were a no-name, one-hit-wonder or something?  

 

So, for me the two off the top of my head are:

1. Billy Horschel winning Puntacana (2024) over Wesley Bryan - the inspiration for this thread.

2. Nick Faldo over Greg Norman at the Masters (1996).  Greg deserved to win a Masters and had dominated so much until the last round, and it was so painful to watch him fall apart.  And, Nick had already won 2, so it was pretty anticlimactic. I was 15-yrs old and Norman seemed like a hero to me at the time. 

3. Tiger over Duval at the Masters (2001). This will be sacrilege to some, but I loved Duval and really wanted to see him win a Masters - He had the most dominant short-time-period run ever - more dominant than Tiger and Scheffler - He still holds the record for lowest number of starts to 10 wins (33 starts) by a significant margin while Scheffler is now second at 51, and I think Tiger is third at maybe 59?  He missed a 5-footer on 18 to send it to a playoff.  To my memory that seemed like the beginning of his decline from the top of the mountain into oblivion. Duval deserved a Masters at the height of his brightly burning, though short-lived star. Imagine Scheffler's run of dominance but somehow failing to win the Masters. 

4. Speith over Kuchar at The Open (2017). Why? Only because I've always liked Kuchar and hated to see him lose it, as he is considered at the top of the conversation of best players to have never won a Major (although Jim Furyk probably takes that title). He led it and seemed like he deserved it.  He was sitting in the fairway and had to just a knee while waiting so long for Speith to find his ball and get a ruling for relief from the grandstands and all that just to see Jordan hit his second shot close (which seemed undeserved - he kind of lucked out to get relief and a free drop to a good lie which would've been a terrible lie had it been simply the result of his shot).  

 

Someone's gonna say (and should say) Stewart Cink over 59-yr-old Tom Watson at the British Open (2009), but not me. I actually was disappointed at the time but am totally the opposite now because Stewart Cink has become one of my favorite players.  

I only agree with #1.  #2 was an epic triumph of good over evil 🤣   #3 coin toss but I like Tiger more.  #4 Spieth>Kuch 24/7 imo.

 

Biggest heartbreak for me was the 2009 Open.

[jonsnow]

15 minutes ago, vamosjackets said:

This is kind of a biggest *spoiler* question.  What winner of a PGA tournament were you most disappointed to see win?  Maybe because they beat your guy or because they were a no-name, one-hit-wonder or something?  

 

So, for me the two off the top of my head are:

1. Billy Horschel winning Puntacana (2024) over Wesley Bryan - the inspiration for this thread.

2. Nick Faldo over Greg Norman at the Masters (1996).  Greg deserved to win a Masters and had dominated so much until the last round, and it was so painful to watch him fall apart.  And, Nick had already won 2, so it was pretty anticlimactic. I was 15-yrs old and Norman seemed like a hero to me at the time. 

3. Tiger over Duval at the Masters (2001). This will be sacrilege to some, but I loved Duval and really wanted to see him win a Masters - He had the most dominant short-time-period run ever - more dominant than Tiger and Scheffler - He still holds the record for lowest number of starts to 10 wins (33 starts) by a significant margin while Scheffler is now second at 51, and I think Tiger is third at maybe 59?  He missed a 5-footer on 18 to send it to a playoff.  To my memory that seemed like the beginning of his decline from the top of the mountain into oblivion. Duval deserved a Masters at the height of his brightly burning, though short-lived star. Imagine Scheffler's run of dominance but somehow failing to win the Masters. 

4. Speith over Kuchar at The Open (2017). Why? Only because I've always liked Kuchar and hated to see him lose it, as he is considered at the top of the conversation of best players to have never won a Major (although Jim Furyk probably takes that title). He led it and seemed like he deserved it.  He was sitting in the fairway and had to just a knee while waiting so long for Speith to find his ball and get a ruling for relief from the grandstands and all that just to see Jordan hit his second shot close (which seemed undeserved - he kind of lucked out to get relief and a free drop to a good lie which would've been a terrible lie had it been simply the result of his shot).  

 

Someone's gonna say (and should say) Stewart Cink over 59-yr-old Tom Watson at the British Open (2009), but not me. I actually was disappointed at the time but am totally the opposite now because Stewart Cink has become one of my favorite players.  

Jim Furyk won the 2003 U S Open.

 

And for someone who's such a David Duval fan (I'm one too), surprised you didn't include Lucas Glover winning the 2009 U S Open at Bethpage...

[barnes44]

Y.E. Yang over Tiger. Willett over Speith. 

[farmer]

I'm the same age as Tom Watson, so Stewart Cink for me.

[bscinstnct]

Obviously 

 

 

[Ty_Webb]

15 minutes ago, MattyO1984 said:

 

"Someone", is I think, underplaying it! 

 

Right? I really like Stewart Cink and did then, but I didn't want him to win that. I'm not sure even his mother wanted him to win that event. Watson winning that would have been one of the biggest stories in the history of the game. As it was, one hard bounce and it was gone. Even Cink himself seemed apologetic at the end of that. Woof.

[cdnglf]

Nothing against Stewart Cink, but he spoiled the story.

[Hammer_Hands]

Michael Campbell US Open at Pinehurst.  That one stunk.

[gvogel]

Zach Johnson 2015 Open Championship.  I would have preferred Louis Oosthuizen for his second Champion Golfer of the Year.

Todd Hamilton 2004 Open Championship.  I would have preferred Ernie Els.

[Maine Golfer]

Overall Duval surging to be a top player and fading was very disappointing. Was about the time I was getting into watching golf. 

[jonsnow]

A lot of "deserved" in OP. I think most people are damn lucky they don't get what they deserve.

[vamosjackets]

14 minutes ago, jonsnow said:

Jim Furyk won the 2003 U S Open.

 

And for someone who's such a David Duval fan (I'm one too), surprised you didn't include Lucas Glover winning the 2009 U S Open at Bethpage...

Thank you for the education.  Oh, what I thought I "knew".  Granted, I didn't follow golf as consistently then as I have the last few years.

Edited April 23 by vamosjackets

[Valtiel]

2018 Masters Patrick Reed over Fowler for me, easily. 

[Ferguson]

Tom Kite's "questionable win" at the 1992 US Open.  It broke my heart Jay Don Blake had that tournament in reach and finished T6.  

 

 

[gvogel]

John Mahaffey 1978 PGA Championship - won in a playoff, denying Tom Watson his best opportunity (looking back) for a Grand Slam.

[BigBlue7]

Danny Willett - 2016 Masters.  Wasn't his fault that Jordan rinsed his ball twice, but man, that one stunk

[jonsnow]

2 minutes ago, gvogel said:

John Mahaffey 1978 PGA Championship - won in a playoff, denying Tom Watson his best opportunity (looking back) for a Grand Slam.

Wow, I had totally forgotten about that one.

[Ferguson]

2 minutes ago, gvogel said:

John Mahaffey 1978 PGA Championship - won in a playoff, denying Tom Watson his best opportunity (looking back) for a Grand Slam.

 

Tom Watson lost to Mike Reid in a playoff at the 1988 NEC World Series of Golf.  

 

Surprised that Watson doesn't have a drinking problem to go along with the marital issues.  

[jonsnow]

Nobody has mentioned Larry Mize holing out to beat Norman in the 1987 Masters? I happened to love that one, not that I disliked Norman back then, I was actually a big fan. But I knew Mize from playing junior golf with him & was ecstatic when he won. Plus,  got to go that year on Sunday & followed Larry all 18 holes plus the playoff.

Edited April 23 by jonsnow

[jonsnow]

4 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

Tom Watson lost to Mike Reid in a playoff at the 1988 NEC World Series of Golf.  

 

Surprised that Watson doesn't have a drinking problem to go along with the marital issues.  

I think he did at one time but overcame it. Curious how those two problems seem to go hand in hand...

[Pastit]

14 minutes ago, BigBlue7 said:

Danny Willett - 2016 Masters.  Wasn't his fault that Jordan rinsed his ball twice, but man, that one stunk

Why, DW a former World amateur no 1 ?

[CCTxGolf]

Willet over Spieth for me hands down.

 

 

[MD_]

29 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

2018 Masters Patrick Reed over Fowler for me, easily. 

This^ 💯

[bcflyguy1]

Me watching Mr. Watson bogey the last knowing there was only going to be one winner in the playoff with Cink.

 

Reed over Fowler at the Masters is also a great shout. The reaction from the patrons at 18 said it all.

 

Edited April 23 by bcflyguy1

[King_Slender]

50 minutes ago, farmer said:

I'm the same age as Tom Watson, so Stewart Cink for me.

 

This is the correct answer and it's not even close.

[TiScape]

Mainly bcs I was there, it was quite recent and doubt anyone else will say it. Clark winning the last US Open after Rickie was in the lead going into Sunday. Then after it was clear Rickie wasn’t winning, you could feel/hear ppl pulling for Rory. Wyndham winning felt like the oxygen was sucked out of the “room”. 

Edited April 23 by TiScape

[Tyrus Webb]

43 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

2018 Masters Patrick Reed over Fowler for me, easily. 

 

By a nose over

 

[Chunkitgood]

If anybody deserved to win a golf tournament, they would win it.  Even if it’s the guy I’m pulling for who chokes and throws away the win, I know the other guy who won is the who should have won and deserved to win.

 

Difference between golf and life, not to mention explicitly and particularly that part of life which cannot be discussed.

 

I personally think that in every pro tournament Woods played in he had an advantage of having $40 million in the bank from the start.  Nice confidence booster and nerve cure, that.  Does that mean he did not deserve his victories?

 

All that being said watching Mickelson (try to) jump up in the air like a girl was hard to watch.