Rory's Glory by Justin Doyle Read Free Book Online Page B

Whistling Straits, he could only think of how close he came to victory.
    Similar to Hazeltine the previous year, he opened with a pretty ordinary 71. He followed that with a -4, 68 in the second round to lie on five under par at the halfway mark. It was also a case of two cuts made from two in the USPGA.
    Leader Matt Kuchar on eight under par led by a shot from Nick Watney so Rory was in a nice position with two days to go. Watney, though, had other ideas. On ‘moving day’, he put space between himself and the rest of the field by shooting a magnificent 66 to go to -13.
    Not to be outdone, and keeping himself very much in the hunt, Rory shot 67 and was only three shots back on -10. He was level with Dustin Johnson and both would play in the second-to-last pairing on the final day.
    Alas, and for the second year running, things just did not swing Rory’s way. Although he got the better of Watney, who fell apart with a final round 81, Bubba Watson shot a final round 68 to join Martin Kaymer in a playoff at -11.
    Agonisingly, Rory had finished just a single shot adrift. Although he had tied third yet again, it was hard for him to stomach the fact that he had failed to break par in the last round. Had he managed to do so, he would have gone close to winning. He said:
    I’m ok. I had a few bad swings the first few holes and I managed to recover well. After those escapes, I had a few chances that went by on the back nine. It was just one of those days when I felt I hit good putts but nothing went in. I’m pleased overall as I played nicely all week and I just needed to find one more shot in there on any of the four days, which is disappointing.
    I was very proud at how I ground it out. It wasn’t the start that I would have wanted. I made a great up and down at the first hole and another great up and down at the third and I held it together on the front nine.
    There was however one worrying aspect concerning something else he said. In light of what would eventually happen to him in the last round of his ‘Masters Meltdown’, it was very significant that he admitted to feeling the heat as he went out for the final round:
    It was my first time being in contention in the last round of a major and in the second-to-last group. I was feeling it on the first tee and it was a new experience for me. Hopefully it will stand me in good stead for the future.
    Tying third in his first two USPGA’s, one could see the reasons why Rory now fancied himself to win it in future. He stated as such before the 2011 event but the drama that would unfold there was something that no-one, least of all Rory, could see coming.
    Going into the event at the Atlanta Athletic Club course, he must have been quietly confident. The omens also looked good when he was paired with fellow countryman Darren Clarke. Very quickly, it turned into an event full of controversy.
    On the third hole, Rory hit his tee shot into the semi rough. But unknown to him, to the television crews and to the watching millions, an amazing thing happened. A small boy walked over to his ball and picked it up!
    Before Rory arrived on the scene, the child’s parents told the toddler to put it back where he had found it. The drama was only beginning. The young child placed the ball at the foot of a tree.
    Although the ball was in a very tricky position nestled directly behind a tree, Rory saw no great cause for alarm. Like almost every golfer on the planet who has at some stage encountered this scenario – amateur and professional – he knew he had a few options.
    Normally it boils down to two – have a good firm go at it or take the safe choice and play it out gently onto the fairway. There is a third – taking a penalty drop – but Rory, after surveying the ball, and feeling it was sitting up nicely, decided to have a go.
    After giving the ball a good strong strike, it ricocheted up into the air and came to rest just a few feet away