Arena The PGA Thread

Not really, for the U.S. Open. It's usually played on particularly tough courses, and they also make them even tougher for the Open (let the rough grow longer than normal, for example, making the course less forgiving).

2006 and 2007 saw winning scores of +5, for example. Go back in the history and you can find some really high winning scores (+17 in 1919... I know its almost a century ago, but still... +17 won. That's not the only double digit over par score in there, either)

 

I think one person at par to win is pretty much what the USGA wants out of the US Open. As R...J said, they try to toughen the course a bit. It's not like Augusta, where they want to set up some great opportunities for birdie on the back nine on Sunday.

not that either is better than the other, they are just different strategies.

For my money, I love the British open most among majors. Especially when it's at St. Andrew's.

It's the best of both worlds. If you play well, the course sets up well for good shots. If you play poorly, the bad parts are REALLY bad and punish you tenfold.

 

Sometimes they go overboard with the US Open toughness though, and it turns into some pretty ugly golf.

 

Very ugly. Was that what the audience wished to see?

 

Actually, I think a lot of people do. The nice thing about the Open, is that it really makes a player think their way around the course. Its not just, bomb a 320 drive, hit a wedge to within ten feet and hit a putt. Plus, its nice to see golfers struggle like and hit shots like I might every once and awhile.

 

John Daly had a good day at St Andrews today. -6 and three off the lead.

There's just something about this idiot, redneck, drunk, that just has me pulling for him in The Open this year.

 

I got tired of Daly's antics a while ago. Doesn't mean I wish him ill or want him to play poorly or anything... I just don't care.

McIlroy in the lead at -9; Woods at -5. At this point, it looks like if Tiger still wants to make a run at Jack's mark of 18 majors, he really needs this one - the courses chosen in the next few years aren't one's he's had much success on, generally (with the obvious and blatant exception of Augusta National)

 

I'm sure the creepy Brit tabloids are having a field day with El Tigre.

 

It seems like pretty much every year there's a player at the Open who makes a run and we all say "I thought he was done making runs like this".

Very glad to be able to watch some of it today. I love St. Andrew's. I think it's the best course in the world.

edit: they should blur out John Daly's pants today when showing on HD.

 

That wind is brutal.

 

A change! The wind has gone from gale force from the front to gale force from the back!

 

Well, depending on the hole, the wind is always going to vary.

 

Well, good for Louis Unpronounceable from points south. Won enough to pay for some dental work, I'm guessing.

 

I hate to think of what Rory McIlroy could have done had he not shot that 80 in the second round.

 

The weather's the same for everybody, which someone should have said to Tiger when he started complaining about the greens.

 

What was he complaining about?
Too much growth around the holes?
I heard he doesn't like a lot of growth around the holes.
Slows his balls down.
Or something...
Yeah.

 

Just saw that insane shot by Jimenez. Not sure which day he did it on but man was it awesome.

 

If you mean the shot he had on the 17th yesterday, yeah, that was definitely the shot of the tournament.

 

The melt-downs were equally striking...

 

Generally it does balance out, but technically that isn't true. Look at Thursday, for example - those who got to play in the morning had very little wind and we saw a bunch of great scores posted early... but by the time the later rounds got to tee off, the winds had really picked up and made the course play much more difficult.

 

Joe Posnanski thinks Tiger is done ... at least as a dominant force. He thinks the real upset would be him returning to his old form.

I don't fully agree with him. I think if you watch Tiger, there's one major thing wrong with him: putting. He's not putting in the putts he used to. But, I don't think that's a matter of him being done, as much as he just needs to get his groove back. I think it's 100% mental and 85% confidence.

I do agree with this, though: Here?s why: I?ve long thought that Tiger Woods (unlike many great athletes) does not feed off of being UNDERESTIMATED, but quite the opposite ? he feeds off of being OVERESTIMATED. He has spent his entire golfing life building up an aura of invincibility ? see his name come up on the leaderboard and cower in fear. When Woods is in the lead, golfers try too hard to pull off shots that are not in their bags because they know ? they KNOW ? that he won?t give it up. That?s his game. Rattle them. Intimidate them. Make them fear him. I have no idea how Woods would handle being underestimated, and nobody else does, either, but I don?t think it fits him at all. Tiger Woods is a frontrunner, the best in the history of golf. Every major championship he has ever won ? all 14 of them ? he won from the lead. He is Goliath. He has never shown even the slightest inclination for becoming David or, anyway, I haven?t seen it. I don?t think he?s suited for a slingshot.

And that's why I think he just needs to get his groove and confidence back, and start to steam roll.

I still think he's likely to break Jack's record. I just don't know if it's probably any more.

 

Tiger plays his worst 72 holes since playing in the PGA...

and I love it.

He hope he sustains this so that he doesn't beat the Golden Bear's record.

 

I think he also loses his #1 ranking to Mickelson. Not that I care for Mickelson either.

 

It's not his fault, he doesn't have time to practice nowadays, since he has to spend so much time with his kids ...

 

He's still no 1 because Mickelson collapsed on the last day.