We all know the feeling of sitting in the clubhouse and reflecting on one shot that turned a potentially great scoring day into an average one. Most golfers long for a breakfast ball or mulligan after watching a drive sail into a lake or pushing an approach shot out of bounds.
But for us amateurs, these mistakes don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Yes, it's highly irritating when you mess up your opening drive or plant one into the middle of a forest when you're en route to your best ever score, but it's just a hobby – there are no career or monetary repercussions.
But that isn't the case in the professional game. One poor shot at the wrong time can be the difference between a top-ten and a career-altering victory, which comes with long-term job security. As a professional, the stakes are high, especially when the finish line is in sight.
Below, we asked 15 professional golfers on the DP World and LPGA Tours to reveal their one career mulligan...
Where would you take a career mulligan?
Erik van Rooyen: “In the 2019 Turkish Open, I was in a six-man play-off. I hit my tee shot on the first extra hole straight into a bush.”
Michael Stewart: “I had a four-foot putt to win last year’s EuroPro Tour event at Spey Valley that didn’t even sniff the hole!”
Gemma Dryburgh: “Honestly, I wouldn’t take one. I have learned from all my mistakes and I wouldn’t be the golfer I am today without them.”
Marcus Armitage: “My second shot into 18 at the 2020 Cyprus Open” [he made double-bogey to fall to a tie for 12th].
Dan Bradbury: “I missed a two-foot putt on the last in Gainesville, Georgia at the UNG Fall Invitational, which should have been my 10th college win.”
Ross Fisher: “My third shot into the last at the 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions, or my tee shot on the 5th hole during the final round of the 2009 Open at Turnberry” [he made a quadruple-bogey and missed out on a play-off by four shots].
Fisher looks for his ball on the 5th hole at the 2009 Open
Richard Mansell: “My second shot on the 2nd hole in the final round of the 2022 Dunhill Links. I should have read the lie better to avoid a flyer” [he made double-bogey and ended up finishing four back].
Tony Johnstone: “I wouldn’t use one. I gave every shot my best. Que sera, sera.”
Ryan Fox: “In 2018, I just missed an eight-footer to win the Irish Open. I wouldn’t mind that one back”
Mike Lorenzo-Vera: “My second shot on 18 during the last round of the Qatar Masters in 2017. I hit a hard 3-iron and pulled it in the water on the left to miss a play-off by one shot.”
Oli Wilson: “The BMW PGA Championship in 2008. I pushed my drive on 17 and lost in a play-off.”
Jordan Smith: “My second shot to the last at the 2018 Irish Open. I made a double and it cost me a lot of money!”
Mel Reid: “Only one? There have been too many to pick just one!”
Joost Luiten: “A drive I put into the water on the last hole at the 2011 Singapore Open. I was three shots clear with three to play and finished two behind.”
George Coetzee: “I don’t regret much. The bad is sometimes just as helpful, if not more helpful, than the good.”
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