Stanley keen to put collapse in the past
Kyle Stanley is doing his best to move on after a triple-bogey at the final hole of regulation cost him a three-shot lead at Torrey Pines on Sunday and, eventually, a first US PGA Tour title.
"I'm just going to continue to work hard and do what I can do each day to get better, and as long as I continue to do that, I'll be back," Stanley said on Tuesday in Phoenix, adding that he never seriously considered pulling out of this week's Phoenix Open to nurse his psychic wounds.
"If anything probably the opposite," he said. "Nothing has changed and nothing is changing."
Stanley played superbly throughout the week at Torrey Pines. He led by as many as seven strokes in the final round on Sunday, and arrived at the par-five finishing hole with a three-shot lead.
But a conservative wedge into the green spun into the water and he soon saw that lead evaporate. Brandt Snedeker won the tournament at the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
"It's a crazy game. It can love you, it can hate you," said Stanley, who said he had been "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support he had received from fellow pros and fans.
That included words of support from golfers Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson, and a host of new followers on Twitter.
Just as he couldn't find a lot to fault with his game on Sunday, Stanley wasn't sorry that after displaying composure on the course, he let his emotions seep through in a post-tournament press conference.
"I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve a little bit, it just kind of came out," he said. "It was very tough to swallow. But that's one of the things I learned is, I think you need to really be prepared for whatever this game can throw at you."