In our forums, our members have been having a great discussion on overachievers in the sport. As a flip to my piece on golf’s 5 biggest underachievers, WRXer ‘Forged4ever’ has kicked off a quality debate regarding players who have maxed out their game to achieve significant success in the sport.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- golfandfishing: “Corey Pavin. He has ALL of the things you don’t want to make the show. Small, skinny, weak, low ball flight, short, questionable ball striker. The guy just wanted it more than anyone else and willed himself to the tour. Just a smidge short of HoF. Shot freaking 26 once. Got himself into a playoff with Bubba Watson who is a full set of clubs longer than him. 185 is rescue club for him, hard wedge for Bubba. Corey was one of the best for a while; he absolutely overachieved. Got 500% out of his game.”
- oldpalchamp: “I look at this as the players who made the most out of limited natural physical abilities. Corey Pavin definitely comes to mind. Also these players: Paul Azinger, Zach Johnson, Mike Weir, Kevin Na.”
- iBanesto: “Padraig Harrington. He said he would have settled for a journeyman career.”
- No_Catchy_Nickname: “Lots of good comments here. From a European perspective, I’ll back up those who said Langer, and I think doublehans’s mention of Faldo is good. He went from being called “Foldo” to a six-time major champion. What about Francis Ouimet? Came from a modest background (caddy) to win the US Open in 1913, and 2 US Amateur titles, and later became captain of the R&A.”
- BNGL: “Zach Johnson has got to be in here, I think. To me he’s won at Augusta and St. Andrew’s, something not a lot of people have done. He’s a terrific putter accurate off the tee. But he predominantly draws it, doesn’t hit it the highest, isn’t long, but won and had a stretch there where he was there seemingly every week. I always thought he does the most with the least. Jim Furyk. One major, a FedEx Cup Champion, PGA Tour Player of the Year. Shot 58…and 59. We all know his unorthodox swing, but not great length solid iron player solid putter great wedges but dang who’d have thought he’d be the one to have the lowest score in history.”
- smashdn: “Webb Simpson. Not sure what list though. He either greatly overachieved with the one major or underachieved and is not getting the most out of his talent with only 6 wins. Davis Love III. Same deal though I lean more heavily to underachieved. He had tremendous length but only one major, cut 38 times out of 100 major starts and only 21 PGA wins. Martin Kaymer. I’d say he has overachieved. Three majors. Wish he could turn his career back on as well. Did Ben Crenshaw overachieve?”