Round 4: FedEx St. Jude Classic
June 12 2011
7:40 pm
Heartbreak again for Karlsson
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
Another year, same result for Robert Karlsson.
In a finish eerily similar to last year’s tournament, the Swede watched someone collapse on the 18th hole only to find himself come up short in a playoff again.
In 2010, it was Robert Garrigus who blew a three-shot lead that led to a three-man playoff that also included Karlsson and eventual winner Lee Westwood. This time it was Harrison Frazar hitting it in the water on the 18th — only he outlasted Karlsson in the head-to-head battle, beating him on the third extra hole.
“I cannot say I could have done much more,” Karlsson said. “It was a great match, and someone has got to win and someone has got to lose.”
Karlsson had a chance to extend the playoff to a fourth hole, but his chip shot on No. 12 settled nearly 12 feet away to leave him a difficult par putt.
The Swede missed and Frazar got his first career victory, something Karlsson, who has 11 wins on the European Tour, will have to wait for on the PGA TOUR.
”Chipping here is quite difficult in general,” Karlsson said. “The ball wasn’t lying that great. I thought I had the right club and just came at it a bit too low and landed in the down grain and just released too much.”
Still, Karlsson tried to keep his head high after another runner-up in Memphis.
“It was good fun,” he said. “That’s why were here. That’s why we play. That’s the challenge of the game to be here and to play.
“He played great and I played good as well. It’s one of those days where I think most of us had a lot of fun out there.”
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Some of these tough playoff matches ending in a loss tend to be good teaching experiences. Maybe Robert needed two lessons in order to win next time ;)
Nuttin to be ashamed of .. he dominated and played great all week!
I don’t know what everyones talking about with Rickie Fowler having a better chance to win than Karlsson. Fowler is unproven but Karlsson has won 11 times on the European Tour and won events much bigger than this one. He’s also played in two Ryder Cups so he knows how to handle the pressure. He won the European Tour Race to Dubai and has come close in a few majors. He was also 6th in the world and was in the top ten for 25 weeks. He does not need to learn how to win.
Done. :)
I was really surprised how weak a finish to his round and playoff Karlsson played, the nerves really showed and he didn’t handle the pressure on this occasion. Given Frazar was 0 for 354 he played like the proven winner and not Karlsson. Who was RK trying to kid when he said he wasn’t disappointed it was a good week.
Winning 11 times on the Euro Tour is like winning the 3rd flight of a Member-Guest. Now don’t get me wrong…Karlsson would probably win the Club Championship at my track, but to win on the PGA Tour you need heart. Amazing how many big leads these guys from across the pond are blowing, even before McIlroy at Augusta. Maybe there’s something in the water……
“Winning 11 times on the Euro Tour is like winning the 3rd flight of a Member-Guest.”
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A slight exaggeration, I would say the win in the last 5 years are more notable than anytime before that as most of the fields are much stronger in recent times but Karlsson did win two of the biggest tournaments on the ET last season.
“Amazing how many big leads these guys from across the pond are blowing, even before McIlroy at Augusta.”
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apart from mcilroy at masters(4 shots) and mcdoweel at players (2 shots) i can think of who you are referring to
Justin Rose…
Blowing big leads across the pond a bit harsh. What about Dustin and Nick, even Tiger in his own competition. Seems it happens everywhere, that’s golf.
Gail, your comments were ridiculous and you are obviously someone who hasn’t/doesnt play the game at any sort of decent level. Next time you are over in Europe try and catch a tour event. i think you’ll be plesantly surprised It would also be interesting to see how the PGA tour players would perform if they came to europe, but sadly this very really happens. They appear at the scottish open but i dont see them beating our 3rd division players out of site! Atleast our players are prepared to travel and play in different enviroments to improve their games. and obviously this is working as 6 of our players are now sitting in the world top 10!!!
Lack heart, 2 words – Ryder Cup
Rob…the game is about winning. One thing that Jack and Tiger had in common was that anything other than winning is losing. The guys on the top of the WR, Donald and Westwood, haven’t won a big event between them, but use the top ten finishes to get WR points. Ever heard of a sport where you’re #1 but haven’t won a big event? Michael Phelps without an Olympic medal, Jordan without a championship? Europe does well in the Ryder Cup because it’s a team event, and in Fourball and Foursomes they rely on a partner. Make it all singles and see who wins. Bottom line, the Euros gag. Even the South Americans, with Cabrera, Villegas, and even Johnny Vegas, win when they get close to the lead. Euros fold like a wet rag. You can get more Americans to play in Europe, but considering it’s a second rate tour, they’ll need appearance money….
justin rose is a fulltime PGA tour player and has been based in the states for close to 10 years but gail i do agree with you. i think the performances of the european players have been good but overstated at the same time.
in terms of the ryder cup i dont place much weight on that at all as it not a proper golf tournament, people who go on about ryder cup records generally have no majors. i actually think europe/monty were extremely luck in this ryder cup. they had home advantage and the best european team ever but they still lost 3 of the 4 session and only one by half a point.
gail as a fellow american, your comments are not only nieve but just plain ignorent.No wonder we have such a bad reputation around the world when people such as you talk such garbage. If our tour is so much better why do we not carry any of the majors? answer tiger carried the americans for the last decade.Take a look at the world rankins. Maybe you should broaden your horizons, spend a $100, get yourself a passport and stop been so insular.No wonder we get laughed at!
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