This is why golf is a four-letter word, one that can be rearranged to spell flog. Franklin Langham had the week of his life. He became only the third to break 20-under at the Doral-Ryder Open. He earned $324,000. He shot a career-low 63 on Friday.
But he’ll be remembered as the guy who blew the six-stroke lead with seven to play.
Now he goes down as just another choking dog, even though he was really a devoured dog, playing the helpless poodle to Jim Furyk’s Doberman.
Now he knows how Matt Gogel felt after getting flattened by Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach last month, how Greg Norman felt after letting the 1996 Masters slip away to Nick Faldo. “Sort of like a train wreck,” Langham said after staggering off the Blue Monster’s 18th green Sunday. “I asked my caddie what happened. Your guess is as good as mine.” When Langham stepped to the 12th tee, he could do no wrong. He had just chipped in for birdie to go to 24-under. He was six shots ahead of Furyk. He was 5 under for his round, the course rendered defenseless by another windless day. The only suspense left looked to be whether he would devour Norman’s tournament record (23-under 265) or flirt with John Huston’s all-time PGA Tour record (28 under).
But then it all unraveled. A missed green here, a hooked drive there. And then Furyk, a top-10 machine with that funky mini-series swing (it comes in three parts), suddenly turned into a Tiger. Every shot was straight. Every putt fell. He must have felt like he was in Las Vegas, where three of his previous four wins had come.
Next thing you know, Langham’s lead was five, then three, then two, then one. And then, after another two-shot swing at 17, there was no lead at all. Langham went to the 18th tee trailing by one.
“No, no, no,” Langham plaintively wailed after his approach hit gallery instead of green at 17. And then, in almost a whisper, came one last, “No-o-o-o.”
“It’s almost brutal to watch this,” NBC analyst Johnny Miller said.
Langham acquitted himself well on the final hole, matching Furyk good shot for good shot. But he missed the 10-foot birdie putt that was his last chance, then doubled over his putter in what looked like pain. Furyk made his last putt. The final margin was two shots. The final swing was eight shots over the last seven holes, five Furyk birdies to three Langham bogeys.
Furyk consoled Langham with a hug and the assurance that his time would come.
Then Langham tried to assure himself that his time hadn’t passed.
“I don’t feel I folded,” Langham said. “I didn’t do anything crazy or dumb. I hit a couple of shots I’d like to have back, but I’m not going to argue about 21 under.”
He is 31, having struggled for years on the tour’s minor league circuit.
While he was carving up the course and spectators scratched their heads, he called himself “a nobody.” He has flirted with victory only a handful of times, winning something called the Permian Basin Open on the Nike Tour in 1993, coming close at the Disney Classic against Tiger Woods last year and at the Deposit Guaranty Classic the year before that. But he’s never had a chance like this.
“Not right now,” wife Ashley said, waving away the questions as he signed his scorecard. “Give me a minute.”
When Langham came outside, he gathered son Parker, almost 3, into his arms, then smiled and cooed at 8-month old Henry. He didn’t look like a loser at all.
“I gave him an opening,” Langham said. “But this has been a great time. This has been the best tournament of my career. I feel good about it. A lot of guys don’t win their first time through. I’m just paying my dues. It’s not like I’ve been in this position 20 times. If you ask me in eight years and I still haven’t won and did something like this, then I’d be bitter. Then it would be devastating. But it’s not devastating yet.”
He smiled, again more like a devoured dog than a choking dog. He doesn’t really care how we all see it. He’ll show up for Honda next week, ready to take his next shot. And ready for whatever shot the game dishes back. “If you don’t have a tough chin, you won’t be out here for long,” Langham said.
Michael Mayo can be reached at .
