In the 1996 classic Tin Cup amateur golfer Roy McAvoy finds himself playing in one of golf's most historic, and most democratic, golf tournaments… The U.S. Open.
He experiences many ups and downs throughout the four day event, finding himself in serious contention on the 18th hole on the final day. Pretty cool, right?
The thing about that 18th hole is that every day that he plays it… he comes up short. It takes a strong 453 yards to get on the green in two, crossing some serious water in the process, and Roy McAvoy is a go-for-it type of guy. He doesn't play to punt.
All three times that he plays 18 before the final day he comes up short and lands in the water. Each day he comes a little bit closer… ultimately going swimming every time.
On the final day of the tournament Roy is on 18 with a chance to play it safe and win the tournament… The U.S. Freaking Open! He decides to go for the green in two anyway. He crosses the water and it seems like he's done it! Unfortunately the 18th green is a particularly slopey one, and Roy's ball rolls back off of it into the water.
Roy, his family, the broadcasters, and fans everywhere are all devastated… but there's hope! Roy can still save par, tie this thing up, and force a playoff for a chance to still win.
He goes for it. Again.
Splash.
At this point Roy has now lost the U.S. Open. Everyone around him is questioning his ignorance, begging him to just lay up so he can finish this thing and save some of his dignity.
Roy goes for it again.
And again.
And again.
All wet.
Complete and utter humiliation starts to set in.
Roy asks his caddie for another ball so that he can go for it again, and he's informed that this is the last one that he has in the bag. If he sinks this one he won't be able to finish the hole and will be disqualified. The pressure is on this swing more than any other.
Thanks to all of the shots that he's put in the water and subsequent drops… Roy is dropping 11 and hitting his 12th shot at this point. Twelfth.
Roy sinks it for one of the greatest moments in golf, more specifically movie, history! The crowd is equally stunned and jubilant as Roy raises his club in victory.
The beautiful sound of the ball falling into the cup gives him a 12 on the hole. A 12!
Roy gets to the green, pulls the ball out of the hole, and tosses it in the water. Victory.
He finds his girlfriend Molly in the frenzy and starts to realize how idiotic what he just did is. He's in a daze as she throws her arms around him. He grits his teeth and says, “I just made a 12 on the last hole of the U.S. Open!” Molly responds with the attitude that every golfer has at heart.
“You sure did. It was the greatest 12 of all time. No one's going to remember the Open 10 years from now, who won… but they'll remember your 12! My God, Roy… Well, it's immortal!”
Roy embraces the epic-ness of it all as his bitter rival walks by, shakes his hand, and gives us the inspiration for today's 5 Bold Predictions.
“I gotta hand it to you. When you go down, you go down in flames.”
Welcome to the season finale of my Bold Predictions. We've just dropped our own 11 and are on our way to a potential 12 just like Roy. Let's go down in flames.
Darren McFadden Will Throw A Touchdown
The pomp and circumstance surrounding Darren McFadden is that he's three yards away from 1,000 on the season. Who would have thought?
Run DMC has been running all over opposing defenses since late October, but in the 2015 swan song he's going to throw a touchdown!
I've called for McFadden to throw a pass in these Bold Predictions before, but I'm adding some spice to it with the touchdown element.
Darren has thrown passes before during his time as both an Arkansas Razorback and Oakland Raider. He'll add “Dallas Cowboys thrower” to his resume Sunday afternoon.
The Dallas Cowboys Will Run A Surprise Onside Kick
The flames are getting going good and high!
It's the last game of the season and that means you've gotta pull out all of the stops, right Coach Garrett?
Week 17 is always weird for teams officially eliminated from the playoffs, thankfully a feeling Cowboys fans are unfamiliar with, and typically we see some crazy stuff.
I can see it now. Dan Bailey runs out, in all his glory, and gives the perfect (shocker) surprise onside kick. Devin Street recovers, everyone celebrates, and Coach Garrett hugs everyone around him. Bliss.
Byron Jones Will Return An Interception For A Touchdown
The greatest thing that 2015 gave us was undeniably Byron Jones.
This dude is a real deal and the total package when it comes to playing, almost any position really, in the secondary.
Sure he had moments where he got burnt, but we can attribute those to rookie growing pains. Byron has been one of the most consistent and versatile players at Rod Marinelli's disposal.
I've boldly, and ultimately incorrectly, predicted that he'd get an interception before. We're kicking things up a gear for the finale.
Byron is going to not only get the pick this week, but he's going to show off his athleticism when he takes it all the way back to the house! He'll probably have the most polite celebration ever as Byron Jones can do no wrong.
Cole Beasley Will Cause A Fumble
You read that right!
Imagine a world where Kellen Moore is quarterback. This is a place filled with interception after interception. It's a scary world.
The odds are pretty high that Kellen Moore will throw it to someone wearing a different jersey than his tomorrow. It's what happens after that that's going to shock folks.
A random Redskin is going to be bringing this thing back, trying to cut his way back and forth, and then BAM! He's going to get blown up by Cole Beasley… jarring the ball loose.
Cole Beasley can do anything. Even cause fumbles. Believe it.
Randy Gregory Will Get His First, Second, And Third Sacks
Every Dallas Cowboys fan has their minds already locked and loaded on 2016. This season was never meant to be and this final game is just a formality that we have to go through.
There are a lot of exciting things about this team looking towards next season, and Randy Gregory is one of them. He has yet to record a sack, but to be fair rookie pass rushers don't exactly set the world on fire.
Randy is going to be a big part of what the Cowboys want to do defensively in the future, and he's going to have a game that proves it.
Considering that Washington will likely be resting a lot of their starters and that the Cowboys will be giving some deeper members of the roster more playing time… Gregory is going to get some opportunities. He's also going to get them against some inferior competition.
Look for Randy to lasso in a hat trick of sacks as we set sail towards 2016 on Sunday.
It's been my absolute privilege to write these Bold Predictions every week throughout the 2015 season. I hope that you've enjoyed them even a fraction as much as I have.
Onward to 2016!
[signoff author=”rjochoa” source=”fancred”]
What are your BOLD Predictions for the season finale? Let me know! Comment below, Email me at Roel.Ochoa.Jr@Gmail.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
