The colorful yet controversial Golf Channel analyst that is Brandel Chamblee, decided to stir the pot following Dustin Johnson’s romp in the Sentry.
And if you thought DJ couldn’t produce a more memorable moment than his hole out from the fairway in Round 2 on the par-4 12th, he went ahead and nearly made an ace on Sunday.
DJ laced his drive up the left side on the 433-yard, downhill par-4 that doglegs right. His ball caught the slope and bounded down the hill for nearly 100 yards, tracking toward the flag, stopping just four inches from the cup. A couple more revolutions and we would have seen perhaps the greatest albatross in history.
But Chamblee, a self proclaimed sucker for the power drive (possibly because he didn’t have one), went off his rocker and said:
‘Hardest thing to do in golf is hit it long and straight, I think DJ’s shot is the greatest shot ever hit in the game.’
Bold call Brandel, but let’s pump the brakes a little.
DJ’s prodigious power is not unaccompanied on Tour. He is not the only player that could’ve hit that shot. Several other players can carry it out there 330 yards or so and get a football field of roll. Rory, J-Day, Bubba just to name a few. How about big Tony Finau, who leads the Tour this season in driving distance at 336 yards per smack?
It may have been the best drive of all time, but here are four reasons why it could never be considered the greatest shot in history.
1. No one was breathing down his neck.
DJ was in control when he reached the 12th. If he sprayed one, the consequences would’ve been minimal, and he knew it.
2. It wasn’t a major.
Historically great shots don’t have to come strictly from major championships, but the constant pressure of every shot in the majors contributes to the difficulty, and thus, the shot’s final ranking in history.
3. Wide fairways at Kapalua.
Kapalua is a bomber’s paradise, with fairways as wide as they have on Tour. Knowing you can miss a little left or right puts a player at ease and calms the nerves. And unlike iron shots, chips, and putts, drives inherently don’t require exact precision.
4. It was like hitting it down a ski slope.
If he hit his drive on a level, narrow, tree-lined hole, with little to no wind, Brandel may have a case. But as it stands, it was a typical DJ blast that caught a downhill speed slot, with a perfect carom that sent it racing down the hill toward the cup. I won’t say it was all luck, but there was undoubtedly some good fortune involved.
So what is the best full shot in history?
That is still up for debate. Was it Jack’s 1-iron at the famed 17th in the ’72 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach? Or perhaps Phil’s 6-iron from the pine straw on 13 at Augusta in 2010? Or how about Tiger’s 6-iron from the fairway bunker in the 2000 Canadian Open? So many classics from which to choose.
And a case could certainly be made that Dustin’s laser-like 6-iron on 18 at Oakmont to set up his lone major victory at the 2016 U.S. Open, a victory he so desperately needed to rid the growing monkey from his back, was a greater shot than the drive he hit last week.
I wonder which shot DJ feels presented the greatest challenge?
My money is on the former.
(Featured photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)