Paul Dunne can eventually take place amongst world’s best
Although they got off to contrasting starts with Pádraig Harrington getting off to a flier and Paul Dunne looking decidedly nervous and error prone, it wasn’t long before both were out of contention.
Sport can be very cruel indeed and golf on the highest stage offers the players no respite – no hiding place.
Harrington, of course, has experienced both sides of this emotional roller coaster, but you had to feel for Dunne. For all of his amateur excellence no one could have prepared him for this past week’s emotions. That it ended flat just summed up his struggles to cope with an almost unreal level of expectation but he only has to look at Dustin Johnson’s and Jason Day’s struggles to “close the deal” in major championships over the years to realise that his task yesterday was very difficult indeed.
What Dunne, hopefully, will take out of this experience is that his game does belong amongst the games best players – if he is composed. Yesterday in particular he struggled with his wedge play and it set the tone for several damaging loose shots throughout his round.
Good players find ways to stay competitive and Dunne would do himself no harm at all to look at the way Jordan Spieth and Jason Day kept their composure down the stretch despite the fact that both weren’t at their best. Most importantly I hope he takes the positives out of his performance. He gave himself an opportunity to win yesterday – something that far more esteemed players couldn’t do.
Frustrating day but what a week! I will learn so much from this incredible experience! Can't thank you enough for all the support! #dreambig
— Paul Dunne (@dunners11) July 20, 2015
No doubt there will be many leaving St Andrew’s today feeling they could have won. St Andrews looked like a course that would be rendered obsolete by the world’s best players who bombarded the front nine with 300 plus yard drives and accurate approach shots but if anything the front nine had only lured them into a false sense of security only for the back nine to almost routinely dismantle their challenge by demanding bravery with mid irons to challenging pin positions.
The week of course was all about Spieth’s quest and you sensed he carried the weight of history lightly all week. For sure he was tetchy at times but it never affected his composure especially when it mattered most. Refreshingly he was prone to making mistakes but he retaliated in a manner that continually demonstrates his flexibility in terms of changing his game plan. Over the coming days he will rue his four putt and his missed opportunities on the 17th and the 18th holes but the fact that he gave himself a chance to win bodes well and will guarantee his championship winning credentials for many years to come.
In the end you had to admire the way the veterans Oosthuizen and Johnson seized their opportunity to get into a play-off with birdie putts on the 18th green. Trusting their own ability – they grasped their moment and once there you felt that Leishman would be little more than a spectator in the three way playoff and so it proved to be with Oosthuizen and more particularly Johnson seizing the initiative that would eventually prove decisive.
In the end Johnson’s victory was deserved because it came from a man who possesses none of the power of the modern greats but is someone who understands how to get the best out of his game. With two major championships now to his name – the US Masters and the Open Championship he has once again demonstrated in abundance the ability to get the most out of his game.
For sure, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy wont be looking over their shoulders quaking in their boots with Johnson’s victory but they will be the first to shake his hand recognising his feat at the home of golf.
In an era of Goliaths – it was a victory for David.
