If you thought that Jean van de Velde played Carnoustie's 18th hole badly during the Frenchman's farcical finale to the 1999 Open Championship, then think again.
Nick Dougherty recorded an eye-watering 12 on the Angus links' fearsome closing hole during his opening round yesterday. It made Van de Velde's seven look like a text book finish. Suffice to say, Dougherty ended a torrid day propping up the leaderboard after a crippling 14-over 86.
The highly likeable Liverpudlian's slide down the golfing order has been difficult to watch and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the 2007 Dunhill Links champion. Having dropped off the main tour in 2011 after making just one cut in 32 events, the 31-year-old is now set to lose his Challenge Tour status having made just three cuts all year.
Scroll back up the standings and you'll see the name of Oliver Wilson, another Englishman who seemed set for a career of unbridled success.
His 64 over the Old Course left him in a five-way tie for the lead yesterday and hinted that maybe, just maybe, his recovery could be gathering pace.
With nine runners-up finishes on the European Tour and a Ryder Cup appearance in 2008, Wilson has slithered back down among the rank and file and has provided yet another high-profile example of the damage that the fickle golfing gods can inflict.
Things are looking up, though. A runners-up finish on the Challenge Tour in Northern Ireland at the start of the month and a share of fifth in last week's Kazakhstan Open has lifted the morale as he looks to reclaim his place at the top table.
A superbly assembled eight-under card in St Andrews yesterday, a round which was illuminated by four birdies and an eagle on his closing nine hole, has bolstered the growing feel good factor for the Englishman.
"For the first time in probably over a year actually, I have some control over my shots I'm able to hit the shots and trust my swing under pressure as well," he said.
"I just have to keep playing well. Wherever I play, if I play well, it's only a matter of time before I get to where I want to get to, so that's the most important thing. But the game is improving all the time and everything has settled down and is moving in the right direction. It's nice. It's been a while."
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