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Major misery
Steven LynchApril 10, 2014
Which man has been involved in the most play-offs for a golf major without ever winning one? asked Neil Rawlinson
Only two golfers have been unfortunate enough to reach two major play-offs and lose them both, and never win another major elsewhere.
Colin Montgomerie lost a three-way play-off in the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1994, which was won by Ernie Els (Loren Roberts also made the play-off). And Monty was on the receiving end again the following year in the PGA at Riviera, when he lost a sudden-death play-off to Steve Elkington.
The American Chris DiMarco missed out to Vijay Singh in a play-off (which also included Jason Leonard) for the 2004 PGA at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. And at the start of the following year DiMarco (and Chad Campbell) were pipped by Tiger Woods at the first extra hole in the Masters: "Twelve under is usually good enough to win," said DiMarco about Augusta, "it was just that I was playing against Tiger Woods." DiMarco thus reached play-offs in two successive majors, but lost them both.
Greg Norman and Craig Wood hold the unenviable record of being defeated in play-offs for all four majors, although they did at least both have the consolation of winning two majors elsewhere. In Wood's case this calculation includes the US PGA Championship of 1934, when he lost in the final of what was then still a matchplay event.
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