Kyle Stanley Wins Waste Management Phoenix Open, Redefines the Word Moxie

The golfing gods have a strange sense of humor. Just in the past 10 months, Rory McIlroy melted on Sunday at Augusta only to bounce back and dominate at the U.S. Open at Congressional for his first major victory, sandwiched around David Toms collapsing at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass only to rebound and win at revered Colonial the very next week to revitalize his career. What we witnessed today may have been the ultimate, as Kyle Stanley pulled the unthinkable in winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open just one week after melting down the stretch at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines the prior week.

We all would feel for any player in Kyle’s position last week at Torrey Pines, as he needed just a double bogey on the 72nd hole and did the unthinkable and made a triple to go into a playoff, which he ultimately would lose to Brandt Snedeker. But, what makes Kyle’s situation different than Toms’, McIlroy’s, and others before him is that Kyle is just 24 years old, and previously had never won before on Tour. Kyle’s game was red hot all week at Torrey, and he led the tournament nearly from wire to wire, except when it mattered most. Imagine the hit to the psyche that Kyle took after that loss, and despite countless words of encouragement from media members and fellow Tour players, there’s no doubt about it, it hurt bad. Just one week later, Kyle is now a champion on Tour.

It’s easy to label young players with potential and “the next big thing” for the Tour, as flashes of brilliance with jaw dropping shots and impressive victories make us set the sky as the limit for certain up-and-comers. But, after watching the ultimate display of resilience by Kyle Stanley this past weekend, you get the feeling that he is different. That level of moxie and fight can’t just be taught, it is earned with dedication and grit. Had Kyle won last week at Torrey Pines his confidence without question would’ve been padded. With the win this week, his game has changed forever for the better. Kyle Stanley will be around for the long haul.

Joel Harrington