The "Horrible Horseshoe" at the Crowne Plaza Invitational was partly responsible for Graham DeLaet finishing tied for 22nd, despite being among the top leaders during the first three rounds of the tournament.
The "Horrible Horseshoe" at the Crowne Plaza Invitational was partly responsible for Graham DeLaet finishing tied for 22nd, despite being among the top leaders during the first three rounds of the tournament.
There is a stretch of holes at the Colonial, the par-four third, par-three fourth and par-four fifth that are nicknamed the "Horrible Horseshoe" because of how difficult they are.
During two different rounds DeLaet, a former Weyburn golfer, bogeyed all three holes. He first hit the "Horrible Horseshoe" during the second round, then again in the fourth round.
After his fourth round, DeLaet tweeted "tough day, but this will not get me down. Another chance begins next week."
After placing 22nd at the tournament, DeLaet earned a payday of $64,000. This was his 15th event of the 2013 Professional Golf Association season.
DeLaet had his strongest round at the Crowne Plaza during the first round, when he shot a 64, six-under-par. It was a bogey-less round for DeLaet too, who shot a total of six birdies and stayed on par for 12 holes.
Starting on the back nine, DeLaet shot back-to-back birdies on holes one and two, then hit another birdie on hole four, and another back-to-back pair on holes seven and eight. He only had one more birdie on the back nine, shooting it on hole 12.
The strong start for DeLaet also meant that he immediately jumped up the leaderboard, and was only one shot behind the leader after round one.
For the second round, DeLaet started off the 10th tee, and shot a bogey on hole 11 and birdies on holes 14 and 18. He had back-to-back birdies on holes one and two, but then gave all those strokes away after hitting the "Horrible Horseshoe".
"Those are tough, strong holes," DeLaet said. "They will probably be the difference in the golf tournament."
Later in the front nine, DeLaet rolled in a birdie putt of 28 feet, seven inches for birdie at the eighth, then followed with another birdie from just inside 12 feet on his final hole, the par-four ninth to claim the clubhouse lead midway through the day.
"I got myself right back in it," DeLaet said of his two late birdies. He finished at 67, three-under par for round two.
With a total of nine-under-par after two rounds, DeLaet was among the top golfers of the tournament and was safe from being cut, set at one-under-par.
Then during the third round, DeLaet started on the front nine, where he stayed mostly on par, with birdies shot on holes four and seven. Then during the back nine, Delaet had a birdie on hole 11, then back-to-back bogeys on holes 13 and 14.
He finished the round with a bogey on hole 17 and a birdie on hole 18.
DeLaet's total score for round three was 69, one-under-par. He was still ranked among the top golfers on the course, after three rounds.
It was during round four, and another run at the "Horrible Horseshoe" when DeLaet lost his run at a trophy championship.
He shot a birdie right off the bat at hole one, but then scored three hole bogeys on the infamous holes three, four and five.
DeLaet then hit another bogey on hole seven and then during the back nine on hole 13. He was able to score a birdie on hole 14, but then lost the advantage with another bogey on hole 16. His final score for round four was 74, four-over-par.
The next tournament for DeLaet will be the Memorial Tournament from Thursday to Sunday, May 30 to June 2.
DeLaet's current FedExCup standings is 48th, which means that DeLaet is still in good placing to make the PGA finals again this year, when the season comes to an end in August and September. Only the top 125 in the FedExCup standings will qualify for the playoffs. Playoff qualification also ensures a competitor his PGA Tour card for the 2013-14 season.
Despite not claiming his first PGA championship yet, DeLaet still ranks high in a variety of other golfing statistics on the PGA Tour. He is second overall in hitting greens during regulation percentage and total driving. He is also ranked sixth overall in driving distance, with his average distance at 302.3 yards.
