May 21, 2019
BY JOHN PERRY
Harold Varner III was devastated and overwhelmed on Sunday, during the final round and final pairing of the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. Varner found himself in unfamiliar and unchartered waters, as he teed off Sunday at 2:35 pm in only his second major during the weekend, and his first in a final pairing.
IN THE HEAT WITH BROOKS KOEPKA
Brooks Koepka, as we all know has been there, done that. The only advantage this time for him was that he was starting this one with an undeniable 7 shot lead. More than the 3-time major champion has ever had the luxury of.
For poor Harold Varner, he couldn’t have been more in over his head, let alone thrown in the bright lights, cameras, New York spectators, and the notorious Bethpage Black rough—a sure recipe for failure. This sudden spotlight had disaster written all over it.
Varner’s 3rd round (67) and his 4th round (81), is absolute proof of the pressures of golf on it’s biggest stage. But on behalf of Varner’s self-destructive fourth-round collapse, he’s not the first— and he certainly won’t be the last. Yes, of course, it’s nerves associated with all this action in contention, but it’s also what we purist call GOLF. You don’t have to beat yourself up, if you play this game long enough, it’ll take care of that part for you.
There isn’t a soul (living or dead) who hasn’t been humbled and humiliated by this great game that we all love so well. We’re all like a bunch of crackheads, whose addition has the best of us.
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I’m sure no one expected Harold to win the PGA on Sunday any more than they expected anyone else not named “Koepka” to be in the winner’s circle at the end of the day. So Harold’s disappointment probably wasn’t that he didn’t win, but the fact that he flat out choked and missed a great opportunity to get some respect from his peers, golfing fans, media, and even an automatic invite to Augusta and the 2020 Masters, with a top 10 finish.
Just that simple, not to mention gaining thousands of dollars more on the money list; being one of only three African American golfers on the PGA Tour (along with Tiger Woods and Cameroon Champ). And, I’m sure Harold felt that he let a great moment get away. This was his time to shine. Did preparation miss opportunity? Or, did opportunity miss preparation?
A definitely durable top 10 finish was there for the taking and Harold let it slip through his fingers. To Harold I say keep your head up, the road to success is always under construction. Now that you’ve had a glimpse of Tiger’s world, create Harold’s world and go from there.
John Perry is a freelance writer, poet and active golfer with a passion for calling shots like he sees them and, then, telling it like it is. He resides in Vauxhall, NJ.
