2013s Unexpectedly Bad Performers

Nick takes a look at the 10 players he's most be disappointed with this season in 2013.

We’ve seen our fair share of great performances this season. From Justin Rose’s magnificent accomplishment at Merion to Europe’s Solheim Cup destruction and Phil Mickelson’s sensational Open Championship success, it’s been another enthralling year in the golfing world. Still, there were some players that have been largely ineffective this season; players who’ve been confined to the golfing sidelines as another drama-fuelled season has played out. Below, I’ve listed the 10 players I’ve been most disappointed with in 2013. In no particular order…

Padraig Harrington

The truth is that Padraig Harrington is a shell of his former self. The Irishman is a three-time major champion and fourth on the all-time European Tour money list, but he’s been poor in recent times. Harrington has only recorded two European Tour 10s this season – one of them in an event with a 30-man field – and he failed once again to make any meaningful strides in the FedEx Cup. It’s now been more than three years since his last professional victory, and, in truth, it’s hard to see where his next victory is going to come from.

Luke Donald

For a player like Luke Donald, someone who reached the summit of the world game in 2011, any winless season is viewed as a disappointment. His best finish on either tour is a tie for fourth at the Tampa Bay Championship, and since then, his form has been average at best. He may have recorded a couple of obligatory top 10s in regular tour events, but someone like Donald should be judged on his performances in career-defining tournaments. He missed the cut in the Open and the PGA Championship, failed to contend at the Masters and panicked at the US Open, where he has a great chance to break his major duck. At 55th in the FedEx Cup, he’s also struggling to make the Tour Championship – not something you’d have envisaged at the start of the season.

Nicolas Colsaerts

Much like Hanson, big things were expected from The Belgian Bomber after his stirring performance on debut at the Ryder Cup and subsequent switch to the PGA Tour. Many felt American golf would suit Colsaerts’s game, but he’s really struggled for any sort of momentum on the other side of the Atlantic. In fact, he ranks 172nd in Driving Accuracy, 175th in Strokes Gained: Putting and 132nd in the All-Around Ranking, not statistics that represent a successful transition.

Geoff Ogilvy

I’ve been extremely disappointed with Geoff Ogilvy for the last few years. The Australian is a major and WGC champion and someone with one of the most beautifully languid swings in the game, but he so often flatters to deceive. This season, Ogilvy has missed ten cuts and only finished inside the top 25 on one occasion. As such, he’s 99th in the FedEx Cup standings, and, for the fourth consecutive season, he’s failed to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship.

Rory McIlroy

It’s been a thoroughly lackluster season for Rory McIlroy, who has failed spectacularly to get anywhere near the lofty heights he set in 2012. In truth, I can understand why. His high-profile equipment switch to Nike, his celebrity girlfriend, his tender years and the huge expectation levels that have been placed on his shoulders are all contributing factors, but that doesn’t hide the fact he’s looked completely out of sorts this year. Yes, he’s showed some signs of improvement of late, but, like Donald, he’s in danger of missing the Tour Championship. Someone with such ability failing to qualify for a tournament of such magnitude would represent a truly poor season.

Tom Lewis

When Tom Lewis burst onto the scene as the silver medal-winning amateur at the 2011 Open Championship, everyone predicted the rosiest of futures for the young Englishman. Those assertions were vindicated some three months later, when Lewis claimed the Portugal Open in just his fifth start as a professional. Since then, though, it’s been a huge struggle. Lewis finished way outside the top 100 on the Race to Dubai in 2012, and he’s currently languishing in 176th position. Lewis’s story is a reminder that success at the top level requires skill, mental strength and a dose of luck. It seems as if the last two have been missing in recent times.

Peter Hanson

Peter Hanson established himself as one of Europe’s elite golfers with victory at the 2012 BMW Invitational, which banished memories of an inauspicious Ryder Cup debut. This season, he made the decision to take up PGA Tour membership, and given his performance at the 2012 Masters, many expected it to be a seamless transition. But he’s struggled with form and injury this season, and only managed one top 10 in America. He’s just about managed to retain his PGA Tour card and he needs a solid end of season on the European Tour to ensure qualification for the DP World Tour Championship – not what he’d have been expecting when he started 2013 with a top 10 in Abu Dhabi.

Tiger Woods

Yes, Woods has claimed five PGA Tour titles this season, but when you reach his level, major championships are all that matter. It’s been a bizarre season in the big four tournaments for Woods, who has looked completely out of sorts and showed a staggering inability to replicate his rest-of-season form in the majors. Many feel this is a product of the pressure he puts on himself, but it’s strange to see someone with such strong mental pedigree failing so consistently in the events that matter.

Nick Dougherty

It’s been a heart-rendering few years for the Dougherty, who was once one of England, and indeed Europe’s, hottest prospects. I thought a switch to the second-tier Challenge Tour might have been a blessing in disguise, and an opportunity to rebuild away from the spotlight. That said, looking at his recent results makes for harrowing reading. This season, he’s won just over 1,000 Euros in 11 events and he currently sits 225th on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

Oliver Wilson

Oliver Wilson has fared slightly better than Dougherty, but it’s still been a monumental dip in form for a player who represented Europe in the 2008 Ryder Cup. Wilson has missed 15 of 18 cuts this season and narrowly averted a trip to Challenge Tour Q-School with a strong showing at last week’s Northern Irish Open – his first top 10 in a year. 

Photo Credit: TourProGolfClubs.com

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