College golfer botches tournament on purpose

[JackReacher]

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/When-losing-a-golf-tournament-really-makes-you-a?urn=golf,238912

Pretty cool story. Would you do the same?

 

[Flying Headbutt]

Hello?!?!

 

[goalmouth]

No. And I sure as hell wouldn't want to win that way, especially in a playoff. The further pussification of America.

 

[trifectarich]

He didn't botch or throw the tournament at all. He and his teammates already had secured a spot in the national championship. What he did was give a spot in the national final to the other co-medalist.

 

[JackReacher]

Dude threw the competition for individual medalist. Lost on purpose. Call it what you will.

 

[Tarheel316]

No. And I sure as hell wouldn't want to win that way, especially in a playoff. The further pussification of America.

I agree 100 percent. If I were the other golfer, I wouldn't want the spot.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

What happened next is the type of stuff movies are made about. :oWhybark stood over his tee shot on the first playoff hole, looked down the fairway and back at his ball, and hit it 40 yards right of the fairway, out of bounds by a mile. He made double bogey, Doran made par, and Olivet Nazarene had a man in nationals.

Do ya think the writer built this up a bit more than it was worth? Seriously? OK, it was a nice gesture, but as I'm reading, and I get to that line, then I read what he did, I was a bit let down. Ok, big deal, he did a nice thing. I hope it comes back to bite him in the ass, and the kid he let in beats him in a playoff hole in the finals.

 

[Colin Dunlap]

Goes against what the whole premise of the sport of golf was founded, and then has been advanced, on.
This is not a "nice thing." This is intentionally skewing the outcome of competition --- something that should never be celebrated.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

Was it for a medal spot or just simply the 19th qualifier or whatever?
If it was for a medal, absolutely no way.
If it was merely for the qualifying cutoff, I might - might - be willing to withdraw before it got to the tee knowing I was already in. Once it got to the tee and throw it, nope.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

What happened next is the type of stuff movies are made about. :oWhybark stood over his tee shot on the first playoff hole, looked down the fairway and back at his ball, and hit it 40 yards right of the fairway, out of bounds by a mile. He made double bogey, Doran made par, and Olivet Nazarene had a man in nationals.

Do ya think the writer built this up a bit more than it was worth? Seriously? OK, it was a nice gesture, but as I'm reading, and I get to that line, then I read what he did, I was a bit let down. Ok, big deal, he did a nice thing. I hope it comes back to bite him in the ass, and the kid he let in beats him in a playoff hole in the finals.

That would be awesome.

 

[Central-KY-Kid]

Was it for a medal spot or just simply the 19th qualifier or whatever?
If it was for a medal, absolutely no way.
If it was merely for the qualifying cutoff, I might - might - be willing to withdraw before it got to the tee knowing I was already in. Once it got to the tee and throw it, nope.

Something similar happened in Kentucky earlier this decade at the state track meet.

Louisville St. Xavier's Bobby Curtis, arguably the top boys' runner to come out of Kentucky, had already won the 4x8 relay, 1,600 run and 800 run. He was scheduled to run the 3,200 late in the meet, but having already won 3 individual golds and St. Xavier having the team title locked up, sat out the 3,200 to let a local kid have a shot at it. The local kid had always pushed Curtis in cross country and track and Curtis - who was considered by some to be a prima donna - told the local kid, "You're too good not to be a state champ at least once."

The local kid, had he been in 1-A or 2-A, would have been a state champ several times over, but he just happened to be in 3-A with one of the state's elite.

I thought it was a classy gesture at the time and even though his main competition had been removed, the local kid broke down in tears after finally winning a gold.

 

[zebracoy]

Why doesn't the kid just putt around the hole and not make it seem so obvious?

 

[playthrough]

To me, that would have been the way to go. Maybe intentionally overclub or underclub on the approach and mis-hit one putt.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

If he does that then he doesn't get any attention.

 

[SixToe]

Louisville St. Xavier's Bobby Curtis, arguably the top boys' runner to come out of Kentucky, had already won the 4x8 relay, 1,600 run and 800 run. He was scheduled to run the 3,200 late in the meet, but having already won 3 individual golds and St. Xavier having the team title locked up, sat out the 3,200 to let a local kid have a shot at it. The local kid had always pushed Curtis in cross country and track and Curtis - who was considered by some to be a prima donna - told the local kid, "You're too good not to be a state champ at least once."

The local kid, had he been in 1-A or 2-A, would have been a state champ several times over, but he just happened to be in 3-A with one of the state's elite.

I don't mind this as much because Curtis didn't run, instead of stopping halfway through the 3,200 to tie his shoe or something.

Most competitors want to race against all of the best, though.

 

[Ace]

If he does that then he doesn't get any attention.

This. You want the guy to win, you can easily do it without making it so obvious. The dude shot par on the hole. Not like you had to hit six balls OB just to bag it.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

That's what I'm thinking. Although the end result is the same, withdrawing is not the same as intentionally throwing an event.

 

[Twoback]

Dude threw the competition for individual medalist. Lost on purpose. Call it what you will.

Don't see the sportsmanship here. Don't see the honor.

 

[Alma]

I think we'll all survive the indignity of a kid not playing to win. Leave it to journalists to crap on kindness for the sake of - ha! - integrity.

 

[mustangj17]

No. And I sure as hell wouldn't want to win that way, especially in a playoff. The further pussification of America.

I agree 100 percent. If I were the other golfer, I wouldn't want the spot.

Maybe he would have won anyway.