There’s not a golfer alive, from the best in the world to the hapless duffer, who hasn’t carelessly missed a short putt or made a needless double bogey from the middle of the fairway.

But it remains one of the game’s enduring appeals that as quickly as a momentary lapse in concentration can cost a stroke, a good shot or lucky break can hand it right back. Sometimes with interest.

Case in point this past weekend was Jordan Spieth in winning his 13th PGA Tour title.

Watching Spieth play golf always feels like riding a roller coaster, every moment filled with a gnawing trepidation mixed with nervous excitement at what might be about to happen.

On Saturday, the roller coaster looked to have spectacularly crashed off the tracks when Spieth inexplicably missed an 18-inch par putt on the final green.

RIGHT: Spieth would eventually win the title, but his road to the play-off was a great example of the ups and downs of golf. PHOTO: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

It came at the end of a fabulous round of golf where the birdie putt which narrowly missed the hole would have seen him head into Sunday one behind the leaders instead of two.

But in the blink of an eye that deficit became three and everybody watching – likely including Spieth himself – must have wondered just how costly that lapse might prove to be.

Of course, the history books will show it wasn’t costly at all, Spieth going on to beat Patrick Cantlay in a play-off the next day.

In fact, the history books might not even remember it happened because by the time he defends next year, pretty much all that will be shown is his bunker shot to tap in range in the play-off. (There may be some recollection of Cantlay’s brutal fried egg lie in the same bunker in extra time, but it’s not guaranteed).

Which only proves the point: looking only at results ignores so much of what makes golf intriguing.

It is the nuances, the hole-to-hole and day-to-day accumulation of those good and bad bounces and shots, the games within the game and the small moments which mean a tournament can remain engrossing over four days.

"People often say we watch sport to witness the unexpected and there may be no sport which throws up as much of the unexpected as golf." - Rod Morri.

Outsiders see things moving at a glacial place but those that understand enjoy the brick-by-brick nature of the way a tournament builds and is decided.

Proof? As groan inducing as Spieth’s missed par putt was Saturday, it was erased by the roars for his holed bunker shot for eagle at the 2nd in the final round.

People often say we watch sport to witness the unexpected and there may be no sport which throws up as much of the unexpected as golf.

At the turn, South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen looked the man most likely after a five birdie-one bogey front nine put him two ahead. He was firing.

So how does a professional golfer – playing that well – somehow conspire to miss the 10th green from a little over 140 metres in the fairway, blade a straightforward pitch through the green and make five?

For the same reason he then went on to add three more bogies on his way to the clubhouse to eventually finish T10.

The same reason Shane Lowry, owner of one of the finest short games on earth, chipped into water at the par-3 14th.

And Patrick Cantlay, needing only to hit his ball anywhere on the 18th green to all but guarantee victory in the play-off, came up short and buried his 9-iron in the front bunker.

Because golf.

No matter who you are or how well – or how badly – you are playing, it is only ever one swing away from turning around.

Which makes it precisely as maddening as it is exciting and explains why every one of us continues to play.