Scott Hoch pulled the plug on the playoff at Doral because he couldn't commit to his putt, a controversial decision that led to a belated victory

Courtesy of NBC

By Brad Redding
One of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers

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No tour player thrives on adversity quite like Scott Hoch. Sometimes it seems as if he courts controversy just because he plays better amid the uproar. Hoch's iconoclastic attitude doesn't win him a lot of fans, but it earned him a victory at last week's Ford Championship -- the 11th win of his career -- and his ability to focus despite distractions is why he is sixth on the Tour's alltime money list, with $17.1 million. On Sunday evening Hoch displayed his mental toughness by opting to put off until Monday his nine-foot birdie attempt on the second hole of a playoff against Jim Furyk. Hoch didn't care that fans were heckling him, NBC's Johnny Miller was criticizing the decision and Furyk was willing to play on. Hoch had one goal, to make a putt to win the title and $900,000, and he wasn't going to let anything compromise his chances. Hoch's putting routine never wavers, and much of it is devoted to gauging the line. It was so dark on Sunday evening that he knew he had little chance of seeing the correct break. On Monday morning Hoch read his putt perfectly and rattled it in, then he ended the playoff on the next hole with a birdie set up by a brilliant approach to seven feet. Hoch didn't win any popularity contests last week, but his commitment to his putting routine led to an unforgettable victory.

Brad Reddinge, 40, the director of instruction at Hartefeild National in Avondale, Pa., and is one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.

Issue date: March 17, 2003