This wasn't Greg Norman. But it was close. And it was just as difficult to watch.
I have never been under par on a golf course. Which obviously means I have never birdied the first hole. And while I have shot some low rounds, the fact is I'm a bogey golfer at best.
In fact, I have quite a bit of experience with the dreaded quadruple bogey. Which now gives me something in common with Masters champion Jordan Spieth.
The young Texan superstar appeared to be on his way to a wire-to-wire win at the Masters, becoming that very rare golfer who has won back-to-back green jackets.
At one point yesterday Spieth rattled off four consecutive birdies to get to 7 under par and a five-shot lead.
But you could tell he was struggling with his swing, that things weren't quite right. That's the kind of game golf is.
Maddening.
As he stood on the 12th tee, Spieth was clinging to a one-shot lead. That's how quickly golf can change. And nowhere is that more evident than at Augusta.
Even still, I was not prepared for what happened next.
As he lined up over the ball, it struck me that it appeared as if Spieth was aiming for the flag, perilously perched on the right side of the green, just a few feet from Rae's Creek and disaster, instead of taking the safe play over the bunker to the center of the green.
"What is he thinking?" I said to myself. As soon as the ball left his club, I said only one thing: "Water." The ball hit on the bank and then caromed into the creek. With the wheels now off, Spieth compounded his problems by hitting a classic fat pitch, sending it to watery grave, along with his plans to defend his Masters title.
Quadruple bogey and looking up at the leaders for the first time all week.
Actually, Spieth still could have tied the new leader, Danny Willett, with two birdies, but he just could not muster the shots.
Exactly 20 years ago, Greg Norman surrendered a six-shot lead in one of the most agonizing scenes ever recorded in sports. That opened the door for Nick Faldo, ironically the only other Brit to win the the Masters title.
Spieth looked genuinely shellshocked, first in an interview after his round, and then in the traditional ceremony in the Butler Cabin. Instead of donning another green jacket, he was helping Willett put on his first.
Spieth clearly was struggling with his emotions.
That's when it hit me.
Jordan Spieth is 22 years old.
22. I know what I was like at 22. Hell, I know what I'm like now. Let's just say I doubt I would have reacted the same way.
The fact that he could keep his composure at all, and that he did not duck any interviews or the post-round ceremony tells you pretty much all you need to know about the young man.
I think I respect Jordan Spieth more now than I would if he had won.
He had the misfortune of suffering an epic collapse on national TV in one of the biggest tournaments of the year.
That's what golf can do to you. And, in an odd way, it's why we chase that white ball around.
Maybe I'll remember that the next time I hit one of those wicked snap hooks off the tee. Or plunk one in the water.
I'll try not to slam my club into the ground and let out a verbal fusillade of cursing invective.
I learned that form Jordan Spieth yesterday.
How to be a winner when you're suffering one of the most ignominious losses of your young life.
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