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Feeling the Hurst
LOS ANGELES -- While Annika Sorenstam was understandably flabbergasted after coming from 10 shots behind to win The Office Depot, Pat Hurst's emotions were at the other end of the spectrum. As Sorenstam celebrated her fourth consecutive LPGA victory, a shocked Hurst could only hold her son, Jackson, and suck on a lollipop after suffering one the biggest collapses in tour history. For Hurst, there were no tears over bogeying the final three holes. There was no head-shaking over the two three-putts. For that matter, there weren't too many words about losing a five-shot lead with 10 holes to go.
In her post-tournament press conference, Hurst wouldn't talk about anything that happened after she birdied the sixth hole. And who could blame her? While Sorenstam was basking in the historical limelight of winning four consecutive tournaments, Hurst probably wanted to find a dark hole to climb into. It's going to take some time for Hurst's wounds to heal. The agony of defeat is always tough to swallow, but losing such a big lead is something that Hurst wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. "It's awful, nobody wants this," Hurst said. If anyone could relate to Hurst's disastrous downfall, it's tournament hostess Amy Alcott. While she has 29 victories to her credit, Alcott's quest for win No. 30, which used to be the requirement for Hall of Fame entry, caused her much grief and pain. After winning the 1991 Nabisco Championship, it was almost inevitable that the woman who captured her first LPGA title in just her third event at the age of 19 would put that final feather in her cap. But in her chase for No. 30, Alcott suffered setback after setback. In 1992 at the Rochester International, the champagne was on ice as she held a three-shot lead with four holes remaining. But that all changed with one swing on a 120-yard par 3. One of the best ball strikers in the history of the game would severely shank a shot dead right of the 15th tee. Since then, Alcott hasn't been the same. In 1999, the LGPA changed its Hall requirements and Alcott finally got her entry pass. So Sunday, after Hurst flubbed a bunker shot on her way to bogeying the final hole to miss the playoff all together, it seemed appropriate that Alcott was the first to console her. "Losing like this is more painful than anyone can imagine," said Alcott. "It's something that can destroy a career. I know first hand. But I know Pat is strong and hopefully she can bounce back." Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section,
is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here
to send him a question or comment.
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