Thursday, Jul. 16, 2009
Sanders Falls Short
Doug Sanders, the "Peacock of the Fairways," won an impressive 20 PGA Tour titles and notched 13 Top 10 finishes in majors. But he never finished first when it truly mattered. He never came closer than at St. Andrews in 1970, when he muffed a 3-ft. putt that would have won the title. Instead, he had to settle for an 18-hole playoff the following day against ... Jack Nicklaus. Sanders competed gamely but was trailing by one at the final hole. And just as it looked as if he would have the opportunity to win the stroke back — Nicklaus' putt for the championship seemed on the short side — Sanders would yet again be denied, as his rival's ball dropped in off the lip of the cup.