Stanley's grace after Torrey flop sign of true (and future) winner
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| Kyle Stanley says he learned to be prepared for whatever the game throws at him. (Getty Images) |
Talk about defanging the monster.
He eyed the hardened, poison-pen-toting types in the media center at TPC Scottsdale as his pre-tournament press session ended, then smiled and actually said "thank you."
Maybe the soul-venting session will prove to be a cathartic experience, but it's clear that Stanley, the 24-year-old who famously blew a four-shot lead on the 72nd hole at Torrey Pines on Sunday, has already begun to morph from perceived gagger to sympathetic figure to butt-chewing veteran.
Without a doubt, Stanley, a promising second-year pro with a thick college pedigree, experienced one of the biggest pants-pulldowns in recent tour annals. After leading by as many as seven shots Sunday, he held a four-stroke margin as he played the 18th, his first tour win all but in his pocket.
Ten minutes later, and from the middle of the fairway, he knocked a ball in the water to make a triple-bogey 8, then ultimately lost the title to Brandt Snedeker in a playoff. Snedeker had birdied the hole just ahead of Stanley, making for a tectonic-sized, four-shot swing at the famed Southern California venue.
"One of the things I learned is, I think you need to really be prepared for whatever this game can throw at you," Stanley exhaled Tuesday. "It's a crazy game. It can love you; it can hate you."
Often in a span of, oh, minutes.
Stanley, a former all-everything at Clemson who nearly won the John Deere Classic last season as a rookie, had matched the 54-hole tournament record at Torrey Pines, seemingly rendering his final round as little more than a victory procession. The good walk was spoiled on the 18th when he hit a 56-degree wedge shot into the green that spun violently backward into a greenside pond.
Another mediocre wedge shot and three putts later, Stanley faced a playoff with Snedeker, who was already in the Torrey media center, talking about the details of his runner-up finish.
It wasn't quite as ugly as the watery triple-bogey that Robert Garrigus made on the last hole of regulation in Memphis two years ago to blow a three-shot lead -- he would eventually lose to Lee Westwood in a playoff -- but it was close. Garrigus didn't wait around for anybody to ask him about the symmetry, either.
"If anyone knows how Kyle Stanley feels, it's me and he will win more than one tourney before his time is up," Garrigus quickly Tweeted after Stanley's chances drowned at Torrey. "If I could give any advice, don't watch TV for about five days."
Instead, to his credit, Flat Stanley got up, dusted himself off and took his case to the media in person. Unlike with the watery wedge at the 18th, he's controlling the spin on this one.
Probably a great idea that will endear him to fans everywhere. Especially since most of us lowly civilian hacks have melted down under duress plenty of times ourselves.
"I'm still the same guy," Stanley said in his low-key, low-decibel voice. "Unfortunate circumstances there, but we'll get back in the saddle, and I think I'll be better for it."
There's a good chance that he's not whistling in the graveyard here, too. Last summer, he had a title basically stolen from him by veteran Steve Stricker, who hit one of the greatest final-hole recovery shots in years to win the Deere event.
So, in other words, after a mere 31 tour starts, Stanley's already had one title wrested from his grip and then generously given another away, which should indicate that he's got the requisite skills to finish the deal eventually.
The Washington native spent Sunday night with friends and family, which probably helped in terms of providing a distraction and a sympathetic ear. But it will be up to him to redeem himself.
"Yeah, there were tears, there was disappointment," he said. "I think there was a little bit of shock, too. I don't think you can really prepare somebody to maybe digest or handle what happened."
Well, other than perhaps kicking him in the gut, but most parents tend not to do that.
"It was just nice to have my family and some people around close to me, close to me there," he said. "Yeah, I did eat dinner and got a couple hours of sleep."
Though he said he'd probably handle the 72nd-hole wedge shot differently, he's otherwise finished with the second-guessing and self-immolation.
"Right now I'm pretty much at peace with everything," he said. "You have a couple ways you can take that [ending]. You can either let it get you down, I think, or you can focus on the positive. I did way too many good things last week to dwell on one shot or one hole or one putt."
It has generated an unusual form of celebrity, if not notoriety, for Stanley, who started a Twitter account a few weeks ago.
"I think I picked up probably like 6,000 followers or something in the past 48 hours," he laughed.
Stanley's not one for gabbing, electronically or otherwise, but for those who pay attention going forward, the Twitter numbers could see a continued spike. Other than a below-average putting stroke that needs shoring up, Stanley is one of the best prospects in the game. He ranked 11th in the tour's "all-around" statistic, a composite measure of the eight major metrics through the bag.
With another tee time set for Thursday, the title sponsor of this week's event is Waste Management, which seems fitting in Stanley's case. He wasted a big one last week with some debatable course management. Diving back in the water, so to speak, is probably the best course of action.
After handling his setback with aplomb Tuesday, Stanley still faces at least one more mea culpa moment this week. The 16th hole at Phoenix is a major party spot where fans chant and rant, cheer and jeer, and prepare actual personalized material for individual players as they step onto the famous par-3's tee box. Stanley is a marked man.
Like with his media session Tuesday, it would be a darned good idea to embrace the gallery blowback, own it, play along, and smile. It tends to disarm people in an age when nobody takes accountability for much of anything.
Then he can get back to fulfilling his seemingly inevitable future --inning on the best tour in the world.
"I know I may not have believed it on Sunday night or even Monday morning, but everybody just kept telling me I'll be a lot stronger for it," Stanley said. "I agree with that, that I will."
