Round 4: THE PLAYERS
May 15 2011
7:52 pm
Goydos comes close again at PLAYERS
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — It was a different par-3 — the 13th — that cost Paul Goydos this time at THE PLAYERS Championship.
Goydos bogeyed the 149-yard hole, three-putting from 45 1/2 feet on his way to a 3-under 69 Sunday to finish third in a tournament he nearly won three years ago until dumping his tee shot on the par-3 17th in the water during a playoff with Sergio Garcia.
If it’s any consolation, Goydos didn’t lose this tournament, K.J. Choi won it. The 40-year-old Korean finished regulation two strokes ahead of Goydos before beating David Toms in a playoff.
“I’m actually quite pleased with the way I played today,” Goydos said. “Quite frankly, it’s a tough course.
“The 13th hole really was a good number. I hit a perfect distance, and just, you know, maybe gunned it a little right to avoid the water, and it just didn’t catch the wind there.”
Goydos bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 16th and it looked like he might get some revenge on the diabolical 17th when he hit his tee shot to just inside 12 feet. The ball never took the slope, however, and Goydos missed the birdie putt.
“Has any ball ever stopped on that hill? Ever, ever?,” Goydos said. “I only nudged the ball and it rolled right down into the hole. So it was pretty funky.”
Goydos had little else to be disappointed with this week.
He tied for first in fairways hit and was second in greens in regulation and recorded his best finish of the season.
Goydos also felt a lot more comfortable coming down the stretch this time around. In 2008, he mis-clubbed, using a wedge on the 17th hole, and came up short to lose to Garcia. This time he hit a near-perfect 9-iron.
That experience in 2008 also aided him here this week.
“It did [feel similar to 2008] from a how‑I‑hit‑it standpoint, absolutely,” Goydos said. “I really drove the ball well this week. I hit the ball well. I was really happy with how I hit it. I made a couple of putts, which is something I haven’t been doing all year.”
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Goydos is a crybaby…. and he tends to choke…how can you shoot a 59 and still lose?
You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.
Hey Ben,
Have you made 12 million plus in your job? Didn’t think so.
Shooter No….but last year I gave 25% of 60k to the gospel mission for the homeless ….a-hole
Livy…. have some guts and tell me specifically why Im wrong…The guy IS a choke ….hes been in position to win many big tournaments and never been able to close the deal…thats a choker….also …he shot 59 in the opening round of a recent tournament and still found a way to lose ….your an emotional mental midget
Well, let’s see, there was the year (maybe ’95) that he had to shoot 32 on the final 9 in the last event of the year at Las Colinas to keep his card and he shot 31. There was I think ’06 where he had to finish 3rd in the last event in Tampa to keep his card and finished 2nd then won Hawaii the first full event of the next year. There are on average 44 events per year on Tour, and 125 fully exempt players, several of whom are good enough (Tiger, Phil, etc.) to win multiple times, so there aren’t a whole bunch of guys who have won multiple Tour events, and Paul has 2 wins! The guy has been on Tour for over 15 years, and yeah, he lost by a shot to a guy who shot SIXTY, and was ranked about #6 in the world at the time. I think you need to redefine choke, my friend. Also, would Christ approve of you calling people names while boasting about your charitable giving? In which book of the New Testament is that humble tenant found exactly?
Its just a blog ivey…what I do is entertainment and nothing more…I’ll bet anything you listen to rush limbaugh….See,im not a hypocrite like you …Ive never claimed to be any better than anyone,and I only reference charity to make the point that theres more important things in life than golf tournaments…never read that your”good works” are filthy rags? Go out tonight and give a sandwich to a homeless person.But Im proud that you bucked up and came with some stats….good for you!!
Livy, thank you for defending Paul. Those of us who know him are aware of his personal problems. He left his unfaithful wife, but supported her until she died due to medical problems. He has also had custody of his 2 daughters and does nothing without their knowledge and consent. He is a down-to-earth guy and shows up at his Long Beach municipal course often to play a casual round with friends and has never cried to anyone.
Ben , for a religious person you seem very angry and rude, do you not think u ought to think before posting your comments . This is a golf blog, let’s keep some perspective.
Started playing golf seven years ago,started watching at the same time.
Big fan of Pauls, I think he is one of the best out there, not a big hitter,cannot get to some of the par five’s in two as a lot can but still get’s the job done.
I would love to see him play live one day.
Rooting for him in my bar today and so were my customers, wish him the best for the future.
One of my highlighted favorites. I’ll always root for Paul, great personal story.
ANOTHER STRONG PERFORMANCE BY GOYDOS. GREAT JOB MY FRIEND!
Hey Ben,
I’ve played golf and worked with Paul back in the 80′s. Every time I go out to Colonial to watch the pro’s all these years later he call me by name and recalls old times even when he in middle of a round. He’s a great guy and you would be hard pressed to fined a nicer one. Sure he’s fustrated when his ball doesn’t do what 99% of the others have done, but crybaby is just a bad choice of words from one who doesn’t know him. If you did you never would of said it.
This guy should give up the game, as he’d be even better in the booth! Paul could make the telecasts both fun and informative, as he obviously knows the “ins and outs” of current tour life but also has the personality to make a slow, robotic sport more interesting. With guys like Furyk, Stricker, Z Johnson, Woodland, etc…, great players but with zero personality on the course, a guy like Paul would be super in maintaining the level of interest. Great guy, great playing, great future….