Whose career crash has been the most disappointing?

[NormanFan]

11 hours ago, Rob G 89 said:

This might be the way golf is now your prime is 20s then downhill in 30s

 

This is an interesting theory.  Kind of tracks with younger golfers like Rory, Spieth, and others winning majors in the 2010s and then hitting a wall.

Edited June 8, 2024 by NormanFan

[BogeyLJA]

Tiger. It’s hard to watch 

[Golfnutgalen]

2 hours ago, Shilgy said:

DJ

 

And it started before LIV.  He has more missed cuts than top 10’s in majors in the last 3 1/2 years and in none of the top 10’s was he ever in contention.

 

Monumental drop off.

 

And he was just coming off a dominant performance at the November Masters. He was only 35, same age as Rory now.

 

If I didn't know better I would say his desire is no longer there anymore. I mean it's hard to blame him 24 wins including 2 majors and 6 WGCs is a phenomenal career relative to his peers. 

[ALIF]

12 minutes ago, Golfnutgalen said:

 

And he was just coming off a dominant performance at the November Masters. He was only 35, same age as Rory now.

 

If I didn't know better I would say his desire is no longer there anymore. I mean it's hard to blame him 24 wins including 2 majors and 6 WGCs is a phenomenal career relative to his peers. 

Yeah he’s publicly stated several times that when he gets to his mid 40s he wants to just be hanging out with his kids, coaching their baseball team and not playing professional golf for a living. I think he’s got the attitude of I’ve been there done that. Now I’m going to enjoy my life and my family. Totally nothing wrong with that. He has earned it and deserves it.

[Nard_S]

Vote JT because his decline is most mysterious given his talent.

 

But #1 to me, and not listed is Rory. By a mile too.

[Golferpaul]

2 hours ago, Nard_S said:

Vote JT because his decline is most mysterious given his talent.

 

But #1 to me, and not listed is Rory. By a mile too.

Rory?  He fell from #1 all the way to #3.  

[Shilgy]

6 hours ago, Nard_S said:

Vote JT because his decline is most mysterious given his talent.

 

But #1 to me, and not listed is Rory. By a mile too.

Yeah,winning 6 times in the last two and a half seasons on the PGA Tour and two other big DP tour events in that time really sucks.🤯

 

 No, he hasn’t won a major but he’s doing fine.

[NormanFan]

9 hours ago, BogeyLJA said:

Tiger. It’s hard to watch 

 

I agree.  I feel like I'm seeing a guy self-destruct before our eyes like a rock star.  He's fortunate a few years ago that car crash didn't kill him, which would've been awful.  I was never a huge fan of the guy when he was dominant because of his attitude but I miss what he brought to the table.  His presence is missed in the golf world as a competitive player.

[baitdragger]

I’d toss Sergio’s hat in the ring 

 

But if limited to the poll only, has to be JT.   

[mosesgolf]

Bill Rogers & David Duval because they made it to the summit.  Ironic it happened after they won the Open.

 

Ian Baker Finch - heard he hit ob on #1 at St Andrews (after he lost his swing)which is near impossible to do.  

[StoutKing]

2 minutes ago, mosesgolf said:

Bill Rogers & David Duval because they made it to the summit.  Ironic it happened after they won the Open.

 

Ian Baker Finch - heard he hit ob on #1 at St Andrews (after he lost his swing)which is near impossible to do.  

Definitely hard to do, but not impossible.  Ashamed that I know this LOL

[m d g]

On 6/7/2024 at 12:33 PM, Archimedes65 said:

I think it’s hard to call someone ranked in the top 25 as ‘crashed and burned’.

 

 

 

I'm shocked that he's 25.

 

Seems that he can't hit the broad side of a barn with any of his clubs, let alone putt.

 

But I love watching him scramble and always root for him : )

[Nard_S]

2 hours ago, Shilgy said:

Yeah,winning 6 times in the last two and a half seasons on the PGA Tour and two other big DP tour events in that time really sucks.🤯

 

 No, he hasn’t won a major but he’s doing fine.

Considering how good he is off the tee with driver, he's been a huge letdown over last 10 years. Driving defines rankings and wins. He's been right there on those stats and money. But remarkable the disparity between tee & short iron/wedge game. He's great, big earner, but really has underperformed. He hasn't even threatened a win at a major, never mind win one in 10 years all while being near best long baller walking in that time. 

[Shilgy]

8 minutes ago, Nard_S said:

Considering how good he is off the tee with driver, he's been a huge letdown over last 10 years. Driving defines rankings and wins. He's been right there on those stats and money. But remarkable the disparity between tee & short iron/wedge game. He's great, big earner, but really has underperformed. He hasn't even threatened a win at a major, never mind win one in 10 years all while being near best long baller walking in that time. 

Which, at least in my opinion, shows that the many many threads here about “underachievers” are completely misguided.  Great driving may be a large contributing factor to great play but it’s a far cry from being the only deciding factor. Without a great short game and approach game-through the bag- a player will have difficulty winning.

 

Which is why the so called underachievers are always the players that leave us so in awe at their long game that we think they should win every time out in spite of their other shortcomings.

 

No one seems to say “gee, that player is such a great putter he should win all the time” or “he’s so good with the wedges he should win more” but folks tend to do that with the guys whose long game awe us.

[ashortgame]

I wouldn't call any of these players career a crash. All have had pretty decent career's.

It really depends on each individual's expectations. Not everyone is going to be the dominant player of their era.

Someone said Tiger. You have to be joking...Either the best or 2nd best player of all time depending how you view it.

Next they'll be saying Hogan, Snead, Demaret and Player.

I would agree with David Duval who was No. 1 and then dropped from the sky. That was disappointing.

I see he's finding a little form on the Champions Tour recently, good on him. I wish him well.

[mgoblue83]

Martin Kaymer falling off surprised me. Jason Day as well.

Rory is an enigma. His game statistically is just about as good as it’s ever been but he’s just an absolute no show in majors for 10 years. The only explanation is some kind of mental block. 

 

Jordan Speith isn’t much of a surprise tbh. Putting and short game can only cover for average ball striking for so long.

 

JT is also not much of a surprise. His swing relies so much on timing and hand eye coordination (steep and flips at the bottom as he’s basically jumping) that as he’s gotten older it’s not sustainable.

 

Hot take: In 5 years we are going to be saying the same things about Rahm and Koepka (and most of the LIV guys except maybe Bryson).

[MikeW2]

17 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

Which, at least in my opinion, shows that the many many threads here about “underachievers” are completely misguided.  Great driving may be a large contributing factor to great play but it’s a far cry from being the only deciding factor. Without a great short game and approach game-through the bag- a player will have difficulty winning.

 

Which is why the so called underachievers are always the players that leave us so in awe at their long game that we think they should win every time out in spite of their other shortcomings.

 

No one seems to say “gee, that player is such a great putter he should win all the time” or “he’s so good with the wedges he should win more” but folks tend to do that with the guys whose long game awe us.

Do you think this is because we project our own thoughts onto those players? I know that I’ve personally thought to myself if I could hit it just a bit further I’d score better. The entire equipment industry is pretty much based off chasing distance. So when we see guys like Rory that hit it miles we think he is longer and thusly should be winning. And to answer the question the thread is about, I don’t consider any of them as disappointing. Three guys with majors, all with multiple career wins really don’t see how that’s not considered successful especially considering just how hard it is to win at that level.

[Shilgy]

18 minutes ago, mgoblue83 said:

Martin Kaymer falling off surprised me. Jason Day as well.

Rory is an enigma. His game statistically is just about as good as it’s ever been but he’s just an absolute no show in majors for 10 years. The only explanation is some kind of mental block. 

 

Jordan Speith isn’t much of a surprise tbh. Putting and short game can only cover for average ball striking for so long.

 

JT is also not much of a surprise. His swing relies so much on timing and hand eye coordination (steep and flips at the bottom as he’s basically jumping) that as he’s gotten older it’s not sustainable.

 

Hot take: In 5 years we are going to be saying the same things about Rahm and Koepka (and most of the LIV guys except maybe Bryson).

And you make my point….Rory is the flip side of Spieth.  A great tee and long approach game can only cover for a lack of converting the shorter approaches into birdies for so long.

[mgoblue83]

Just now, Shilgy said:

And you make my point….Rory is the flip side of Spieth.  A great tee and long approach game can only cover for a lack of converting the shorter approaches into birdies for so long.

Disagree. I don’t think they are even comparable.

 

1. Rory has not fallen off in a statistically significant way in any category while Spieth has plummeted in multiple categories.

 

2. Rory is still winning a lot of golf tournaments and has been competitive in at least one major every year. Jordan is not.

 

3. While wedges and putting have always been the worst part of Rory’s game they are nowhere near as bad as Jordan’s ball striking issues. 

[Shilgy]

Just now, mgoblue83 said:

Disagree. I don’t think they are even comparable.

 

1. Rory has not fallen off in a statistically significant way in any category while Spieth has plummeted in multiple categories.

 

2. Rory is still winning a lot of golf tournaments and has been competitive in at least one major every year. Jordan is not.

 

3. While wedges and putting have always been the worst part of Rory’s game they are nowhere near as bad as Jordan’s ball striking issues. 

You’re correct!  Which is why I stated Rory has not fallen off as he’s won 8 times in the last 2 1/2 seasons! If you read mu other posts I was using him as an example of how many seem to think great ballstriking correlates automatically to wins…particularly majors.

 

There are tons of talented players out there.  A player cannot be deficient in any part of his game and still win with regularity.

[grm24]

23 hours ago, philly2kuk said:

Didn’t he win last year after going back to butch? Wasn’t part of his collapse because he left butch? I’m not the biggest fowler follower so could be wrong.

He did and since that win in Detroit last year his game has fallen off a cliff again. Hasn't sniffed a top 10 since then and two of his best finishes were in events with 20 and 30 player fields. One top 25 this year. Seems all the WRX experts say when any player is slumping they should go see Butch. Since Fowler is now playing poorly under Butch who should he see now LOL?

[Nard_S]

1 hour ago, Shilgy said:

Great driving may be a large contributing factor to great play but it’s a far cry from being the only deciding factor. Without a great short game and approach game-through the bag- a player will have difficulty winning.

 

Right and he's so accomplished at tee game. arguably best of his era and he cannot stick a #9I for a bird? I'm not one to be consumed by power game but power rules all else equal. He's not even average on closing out. How's that not "disappointing"?  Koepka has power and he can close out, not shocking he owns best major record of last 10 years. 

 

 

[grm24]

2 hours ago, mgoblue83 said:

Rory is an enigma. His game statistically is just about as good as it’s ever been but he’s just an absolute no show in majors for 10 years.

20 top 10's in majors since 2015 is not "no showing". Yes he hasn't won but it's not like he's play poorly in them since he last won one in 2014. To read WRX you would think that Rory shot 63 in every final round of those majors to make the top 10.

[philly2kuk]

30 minutes ago, grm24 said:

20 top 10's in majors since 2015 is not "no showing". Yes he hasn't won but it's not like he's play poorly in them since he last won one in 2014. To read WRX you would think that Rory shot 63 in every final round of those majors to make the top 10.

Whilst I agree the stats are good, many of the more recent ones  are “back door” results where he’s charged to that finish once he’s well out of contention. Last time I remember Rory being in contention was St Andrews and I can’t remember a time before or since for a long time. He puts too much pressure on himself in my opinion.

[Carbrook_Will]

Dustin Johnson.
 

Looks like he doesn’t care about playing professional golf anymore. 

[scotee]

17 hours ago, fowlerscousin said:

I think fowler had the potential to be a top 5 player, and sustain that for awhile.  Maybe not butch's teachings, but fowlers work ethic.

 

Speaking of a top 5 player, what happened to Patrick Reed?  Now 100 and dropping like a rock.

[grm24]

35 minutes ago, philly2kuk said:

Whilst I agree the stats are good, many of the more recent ones  are “back door” results where he’s charged to that finish once he’s well out of contention. Last time I remember Rory being in contention was St Andrews and I can’t remember a time before or since for a long time. He puts too much pressure on himself in my opinion.

A valid and fair response. However that said players play 4 rounds and add them up at the end. Whether "back door" finish or not Rory still has finished in the top 10 in 20 of the last 36 majors he's played. Likely no other current tour player in professional golf can claim that. People act like he's shooting in the 80's, W/D and missing every cut.

 

I love the continual claim that people say it's easier to shoot low rounds when a player is out of contention.  Yet week after week, event after event, shows that players that make the halfway cut do not accomplish that "easy" feat. 

 

Rory should have won a major in the last 10 years w/o a doubt. However the narrative amongst some is that he's playing so poorly all the time in majors which isn't truthful. Outside of Tiger and Jack most players have a very small time window of winning majors. Rory could have had his as have some others. 

Edited June 9, 2024 by grm24

[philly2kuk]

21 minutes ago, grm24 said:

A valid and fair response. However that said players play 4 rounds and add them up at the end. Whether "back door" finish or not Rory still has finished in the top 10 in 20 of the last 36 majors he's played. Likely no other play in professional golf can claim that. People act like he's shooting in the 80's, W/D and missing every cut.

 

I love the continual claim that people say it's easier to shoot low rounds when a player is out of contention.  Yet week after week, event after event, shows that players that make the halfway cut do not accomplish that "easy" feat. 

 

Rory should have won a major in the last 10 years w/o a doubt. However the narrative amongst some is that he's playing so poorly all the time in majors which isn't truthful. Outside of Tiger and Jack most players have a very small time window of winning majors. Rory could have had his as have some others. 

Oh I’m not saying that good round is any easier - it’s a major so any good round is hard. Rory just seems to either put himself too far back to win early on OR throw an awful round in later on. He just cannot seem to get over the line and at this point I have to assume it’s a mental game issue, as he has won plenty of tournaments since his last major.

Edited June 9, 2024 by philly2kuk

[golferdude54]

If you want a literal answer, Tiger's car crash and resulting scandal in November 2009 totally messed up his career. Definitely disappointing.

[grm24]

7 minutes ago, golferdude54 said:

If you want a literal answer, Tiger's car crash and resulting scandal in November 2009 totally messed up his career. Definitely disappointing.

Outside of Tiger winning 8 times on tour in 2012 and 2013 in around 30 events and returning to world number 1 before his back injuries kicked in you might be on to something. 🤣

Edited June 9, 2024 by grm24