If you haven't seen the movie Tin Cup yet (and if you like golf movies you should see it), then be aware I'll be discussing the climactic scene forthwith so let this function as the official --SPOILER ALERT--
Ok, now that that's out of the way, I want to talk about Tin Cup which was on the Golf Channel the other night ("movies that make the cut") so I had to watch. If you recall (assuming you've seen it), the movie features Kevin Costner nicknamed "Tin Cup" as the washed up pro of a run down driving range, and Rene Russo as the love interest, not to mention Don Johnson as the PGA tour player and Cheech Marin as Costner's side kick and caddie.
Let me get to the point, "Tin Cup" blew it. Sure he got the girl in the end, sure maybe he'll go down in history as the only person to try to hit the same shot like 6 times and eventually hole out with a score of 12 on the last hole of the US Open. But let's face it, he had a chance to win and he let himself get in the way.
The climatic scene has Costner, who qualified (on a whim pretty much), at the US Open on the 18th hole tied for the lead with Peter Jacobson. He hits his drive in the fairway and has like 250+ to the hole for his second shot, with water in front of the green. He's been in the same situation for each of the 3 preceding days of the tournament, and each day he's hit it into the water from about that position.
So what does he do? He goes for it, he goes for the green. Now that I can live with actually. I mean its stupid, but I can live with it. Even "Molly" (Rene Russo) told him to go for it. He needs birdie to win the US open, but he wants eagle or a chance at it. So he hits the shot, ball makes it to the green but then rolls back and falls into the water.
Ok, good try, he made a bad choice, but he can still win the US Open for gods sake. How? By just dropping a ball right near the green (since the ball landed on the green and rolled back, he'll be able to drop right near the water on the side closest to the green), and either chipping it in for the win, or chipping it and 1 putting to tie, which would force a playoff (18 hole playoff). Worst case he probably finishes second in the US Open.
But he doesn't take that option, instead he elects to hit the same shot over and over because he's convinced its a shot he can make. He finally hits the shot perfectly (I think on his 6th try) and it goes in the hole from 250 yards.
Look, sometimes you have to go for it, because that's just the way you do things. Phil Mickleson made similar mistakes in the 2006 Open where he blew a 1 shot lead by using driver off the tee (which was giving him trouble all week) and then trying to hit the miracle shot to the green around trees after his tee shot went way way left. He lost the US Open, but at least tied for second.
If your nature is to take a chance, well by all means, who am I to stop you. But if it doesn't work out, and you want to try try again, do it in the next tournament or in a practice round. The point is, we can all do amazing things, we just don't always do them when we want to or need to. Hitting it perfectly after 6 tries doesn't prove much. Practice so that you can hit it right that first time.
Rules clarification: In my post I said he could have dropped a ball on the side of the water closest to the green. I'm not sure if that is technically correct. Maybe if its a lateral water hazard you could do that. Worst case though he could have dropped a ball just on the other side of the water and had a short pitch onto the green. If anyone can clarify the rule for me please do so. -PG
ReplyDeletethis is why i ended up on this post, PG.
ReplyDeletei've seen this movie several times, but it just occurred to me today, catching the last scene, that since the ball landed on the green, THEN rolled back into the water.....wouldn't he be able to drop, ON THE GREEN SIDE OF THE WATER, for his 3rd shot?
it's been nearly 5 years since your original post PG, so i'm not holding my breath to know the answer (at least not on this thread).....but i would like to know, nonetheless.
@pjgoggin, yes see my comment above yours, from Sept 2009 :) where I talk about that.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a red staked hazard he should have been able to drop on the green side of the water as long as he could find a place no closer to the hole within 2 club lengths of where it crossed.
If it was a yellow staked hazard, even then he might have been able to drop on the green side if he could find a place to stand that was on the extension of the line from where it crossed the hazard on the green side, to the flag.
But it doesn't matter, in the movie he wants to prove he can hit the shot, he doesn't care about winning or coming in second. So that is the lesson to remember, don't be like that, take 2nd place in the US Open if you have to, or at least give yourself a chance to win or tie and then do a playoff.
Actually amending my answer above, I just read that if it was a Yellow staked hazard, then you would have to drop behind the water hazard (on the line between where it last crossed and the hole). So if it was a yellow hazard, Tin Cup could not have dropped on the Green side of the hazard, but still could have dropped just on the other side of the water.
ReplyDeleteYeah.....after I sent my message, I thought about it, and knew that the point was that he wanted to prove that he could make THAT shot, but I still thought that he should've been able to drop green-side, considering the ball was established on that side. If he had to chip from the green-side, overshot, and wound up on the water, he wouldn't have had to drop on the other side of the water, so why would he in the film's situation?
ReplyDeleteIt didn't seem that you were stating an answer on the comment above mine. I thought that you too were trying to find what the rule would've been in that case. Either way, I agree. He wanted to make the shot that nobody thought he could. He's the driving range instructor that needs to prove himself.
I definitely HAVE to tape the movie if I want to watch it, so I can fast-forward through the first 5 shots.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. As someone that has played a lot of golf.....badly, I still know enough about the action that clubs put on the balls, to know that his initial shot into the 18th green on the final round would NEVER have rolled back into the water.