Kyle Stanley was having a heck of a week at the Farmers Insurance Open and in a way, it was still a heck of a week after it was all said and done. The reasons, however, were different: Stanley's first three rounds earned him a five-shot lead and 18-under par score while Sunday earned him a spot in golf tournament lore -- and not in a good way.
Stanley's day actually started out pretty well on Sunday as he played in the final group. He made the turn at three-under for the day and 21-under for the tournament, maintaining his big lead and only carding one bogey on the front nine. But his birdie on No. 9 would be his last of the day, and terrible things were ahead.
Stanley bogeyed the 11th and then the 12th, but still had a three-shot lead heading into the final hole. All was well, and all he had to do was get down in seven or less -- not a huge problem on a par five. He left himself a wedge into the green for his third shot, then promptly spun said wedge off the green and into the water. It was more bad luck than it seems, but still...
Video of Stanley's 18th hole can be found in the highlight package here.
The leader who looked calm and poised all week ended up recording an eight, turning a sure win into a not-so-sure playoff with Brandt Snedeker. On the second hole, Stanley had a relatively straight-forward putt for par to halve the hole and keep the sudden death playoff going. He missed it, capping one of the more painful meltdowns in recent memory.
The total damage for the day was $432,000, the difference between the first and second place winnings. He still made off well -- $648,000 is nothing to shake a stick at -- but one really bad hole cost him a whole lot of money.
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