Where Are The Golf Meltdowns?
Hello. Many sports have had a lot of meltdowns recently. Dennis Green of the Arizona Cardinals had one at a press conference after his team blew a 20-point lead to the Chicago Bears. The University of Miami-Florida International University football game brawl. Todd Bertuzzi attacking Steve Moore in hockey. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in tennis. Hal McRae and Earl Weaver (and other managers) in baseball. Mike Tyson giving Evander Holyfield an 'earless' in boxing. Dennis Rodman in basketball.
Yet golf has relatively few meltdowns. John Daly of course comes to mind as someone who has had some substance induced ones. I played with a guy in a club championship once who I was very concerned about. He ended up walking off after 4 holes with what is now known as a panic attack.
For all the individual pressure there is in pro golf, it's very rare someone loses it completely and starts irrationally throwing clubs or swearing uncontrollably. Why is that so?
When pondering the answer, I read a Time article today about Clint Eastwood's upcoming movie Flags Of Our Fathers, the story of the 3 survivors who raised the US flag at Iwo Jima. These men suffered from shell shock, which is now called post-traumatic syndrome. They could not function normally after that moment because of survivor guilt and the press attention. To me this sounds familiar to what pro golfers go through especially in the big tourneys. As mentioned here before, Phil Mickelson joins golfing greats Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead as men who should've won a US Open and didn't. In Palmer's and Snead's cases they newer won a US Open again.
Will the same thing happen to Phil Mickelson? Will he become another David Duval? And what of others such as Michelle Wie? Are they suffering from the same thing as the war vets?
Winning big would take care of many of these issues. If nothing else, a win for Wie would shed her of the "Best Female Golfer to Never Win a Tournament" label, similar to Mickelson's claim of "Best Player Never To Win A Major" prior to his first Masters title.
For all golfers who have had a setback, they should seek trauma counselling. While they aren't having meltdowns such as the ones mentioned above, they may have some damage needing repair.
Regards,
Steve
Yet golf has relatively few meltdowns. John Daly of course comes to mind as someone who has had some substance induced ones. I played with a guy in a club championship once who I was very concerned about. He ended up walking off after 4 holes with what is now known as a panic attack.
For all the individual pressure there is in pro golf, it's very rare someone loses it completely and starts irrationally throwing clubs or swearing uncontrollably. Why is that so?
When pondering the answer, I read a Time article today about Clint Eastwood's upcoming movie Flags Of Our Fathers, the story of the 3 survivors who raised the US flag at Iwo Jima. These men suffered from shell shock, which is now called post-traumatic syndrome. They could not function normally after that moment because of survivor guilt and the press attention. To me this sounds familiar to what pro golfers go through especially in the big tourneys. As mentioned here before, Phil Mickelson joins golfing greats Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead as men who should've won a US Open and didn't. In Palmer's and Snead's cases they newer won a US Open again.
Will the same thing happen to Phil Mickelson? Will he become another David Duval? And what of others such as Michelle Wie? Are they suffering from the same thing as the war vets?
Winning big would take care of many of these issues. If nothing else, a win for Wie would shed her of the "Best Female Golfer to Never Win a Tournament" label, similar to Mickelson's claim of "Best Player Never To Win A Major" prior to his first Masters title.
For all golfers who have had a setback, they should seek trauma counselling. While they aren't having meltdowns such as the ones mentioned above, they may have some damage needing repair.
Regards,
Steve
posted by Irrelevant at 5:04 PM
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