During yesterday’s third round of the the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, on the 8th hole of the famed and picturesque Pebble Beach Golf Links, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth played a dangerous second shot to the green below. That hole is a par four in which you hit a lay-up club uphill to a blind fairway that ends abruptly with a 70-foot drop-off into the Pacific Ocean. Yes, the cliff actually descends inward somewhat, so that if a person fell off, he or she likely would land in the ocean.
I used to usually hit about a four-wood or 1 iron off that tee. My ball would come to rest about 20 yards from going over the cliff. I then had about a five or six iron shot to the green below. Then we would have to walk around to the left and downhill in a wide arc that goes around an inlet of ocean in order to get to the green.
When Jordan Spieth took his stance on that second shot on the 8th hole, his lead foot was only inches from the edge of cliff. However, he had a somewhat downhill stance that made the shot even more dangerous. If he did lose his balance and fall one way or the other, since it was a downhill stance he likely would have fallen forward and therefore descended into Big Blue below. Therefore, Jordan took an extra wide stance to help him not lose his balance. When he hit the shot, he purposely jumped backwards, even running, to make sure he wouldn’t fall forward. Spieth’s ball barely went over the green, but he still made a par four. Not only that, he shot a nine-under par 63. WOW!
On that second shot, there was a red line nearby, signifying that Spieth’s ball was inside the confines of a water hazard. I have to say–that is the biggest water hazard on a golf course that I have ever played! Indeed, the Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean in the world! Now, the Rules of Golf permitted Spieth to take a drop from out of that danger. But if he did he would have incurred a one-stroke penalty for doing so. That shows you how crazy golfers can be, that they might choose to live or die over only one stroke!
Many would say it was a “gutsy shot” to play. However, others would say it was a “stupid shot” to play. It definitely had the television commentators chirping. Before Spieth hit the shot, six-time major champion Nick Faldo chimed in, as if he was talking to Spieth, by saying, “Are you going to go for that? No way you’d stand there and play that.” As Spieth was considering hitting the shot, Sir Nick added, “Oh my goodness.” Ian Baker-Finch, also a major winner, exclaimed, “Let’s hope he’s not suffering from vertigo or anything when he gets close to that cliff.” Faldo added again, “I don’t think I could do that.”
But in 1961, I saw someone take a chance on dying by falling off that cliff right there about where Spieth was, but it was ONLY TO RETRIEVE HIS GOLF BALL! You’d have thought it was the last ball he had left.
It was the great JACK NICKLAUS at age 21 and me at age 19. Jack went on and won the tournament–the U.S. Amateur.
But before the tournament started, I was playing a practice round and Jack Nicklaus was playing right behind me. As I was standing on the 8th green, I just happened to look back at that majestic cliff with the ocean below. Then I saw Jack standing at the very edge of the cliff. He had hit his drive too far, and the ball rolled over the edge of the cliff. Yet somehow, the ball had hung up on something. I estimated that his ball was between one and two feet over the edge of that cliff. Jack laid down on the fairway on his belly, crawled forward a little, reached down with one arm, and grasped the ball with his hand. He then crawled back, stood up, held the ball and was smiling at how proud he was that he had retrieved his ball! As it was happening, I gasped, alerted my playing partners, and we watched what we couldn’t hardly believe we were seeing.
Years later, as a pro on the Tour, I was playing there at Pebble Beach in the PGA Tour’s Bing Crosby Pro-Am (same tournament now, just a different name and sponsor). I was playing with my friend the famous Gary Player, and we were standing on the 8th green. I then told Gary this story about Jack, and Gary said, “If someone would pay me $5,000 dollars to jump off that cliff into the ocean, I’d do it.” I have to say, folks, we’ve got some CRAZY golfers, even really good ones!
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