Rory McIlroy did his best to throw The Masters away last weekend before eventually overcoming Justin Rose in a playoff to win in dramatic fashion.
McIlroy was leading by four shots with six holes to play before a dramatic double bogey and a birdie for Rose brought things level.
In the end, McIlroy had a putt to win on 18 but pulled it left, leading to the dreaded playoff which he eventually came out on top in.
For McIlroy, the thought of losing when so far in front would surely have destroyed his confidence for years to come.
And speaking about McIlroy’s inability to hold the lead, golf analyst Brandel Chamblee has suggested only two players could ever deal with the pressure.
Rory McIlroy told he’s not the same as Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus when leading tournaments
Speaking on the Favourite Chamblee podcast, Chamblee was speaking about the pressure of leading in majors after McIlroy had dropped back at The Masters.
And in doing so, he believes there’s only two golfers who have ever embraced that pressure.
“The only person, I mean, it’s the Mount Rushmore of golfers that are unaffected by the lead. I mean, by the lead. It’s literally the Mount Rushmore. It’s Tiger [Woods] and Jack [Nicklaus] and, you know, I mean, but especially Tiger,” Chamblee said.
“Everybody else is impoverished by the lead over the course of their career. And so for Rory to go out there and battle history and the demons and pull it out was, I think, the most compelling event I’ve ever seen.
“Yes, Tiger 2019, but Tiger’s place in the world of golf was already established. Tiger was, in my estimation, still the greatest player that’s ever lived. I mean, it gets nuanced.
“Jack had the greatest career, but Tiger’s the greatest golfer that’s ever lived. So whether he wanted or didn’t, he’s still the greatest golfer that’s ever lived. Rory, on the other hand, you know, if he never won another major championship, I think people would go, well, you know, he really underperformed.
“You know, he really, he didn’t fulfil his potential because people thought he was going to win 10 to 15 major championships. And maybe he will now. Maybe he will now go on to do that.”
The biggest leads ever blown in golf
There have been some big meltdowns over the years and Rory McIlroy is no stranger to it, having lost the 2011 Masters in dramatic fashion after leading by four going into Sunday.
However, he is not alone either.
Arnold Palmer was famously seven clear with just nine to play at the 1966 US Open before Billy Casper overturned the deficit to win.
In more recent times, both Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa have seen six shot leads evaporated, while in terms of The Masters, Greg Norman had a nightmare in 1996 as he also blew a six shot lead.
With such big names on this list, it’s little wonder golf is so hard and the sport continues to show that on any given day, anything can happen.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
