Golf Thread

[15fan]

As mentioned in another thread, Tiger looking to tee it up this week in Masters.

Made my first trip to Augusta National for the Monday practice round. Saw Tiger hammer a drive down the middle on 7, then knock his approach pin high. His legs are definitely not 100%.

All the guys spent a lot of time putting around the greens in anticipation of pin placements this week. Now that I’ve seen the course in person, I can describe the greens in one word: diabolical. Tv simply can’t do justice to the contouring and steep slopes on/around the greens.

FWIW, we have more big storms coming through north GA again tomorrow, the. The weather really cools off through the weekend. That won’t make it easy for the guys with medical issues, like balky backs or rods, pins, plates and screws in a leg.

[Boston Red]

Woods is 45-1 to win, which is just a license for books to print money.

[Redhook]

As mentioned in another thread, Tiger looking to tee it up this week in Masters.

Made my first trip to Augusta National for the Monday practice round. Saw Tiger hammer a drive down the middle on 7, then knock his approach pin high. His legs are definitely not 100%.

All the guys spent a lot of time putting around the greens in anticipation of pin placements this week. Now that I’ve seen the course in person, I can describe the greens in one word: diabolical. Tv simply can’t do justice to the contouring and steep slopes on/around the greens.

FWIW, we have more big storms coming through north GA again tomorrow, the. The weather really cools off through the weekend. That won’t make it easy for the guys with medical issues, like balky backs or rods, pins, plates and screws in a leg.

Wow, thanks for sharing. That had to be quite the experience. The first two days should see some lower scores with the soft conditions, but it could get super crispy and fast over the weekend.

[Redhook]

My Top 11+ OWGR predictions:

Scheffler - 20th
Rahm - 12th
Morikawa - 15th
Hovland - 10th
Cantlay - 3rd
Smith - 6th
JT - 2nd
DJ - 8th
Rory - 32nd
Xander - 14th
Burns - 19th
Koepka - 1st
Tiger - 7th

[Boston Red]

I'm taking a small play on Tiger to miss the cut -120. It seems impossible that anyone in his position would make the cut, but it's Tiger, so I'll only bet small dollars against him.

[Redhook]

I'm taking a small play on Tiger to miss the cut -120. It seems impossible that anyone in his position would make the cut, but it's Tiger, so I'll only bet small dollars against him.

I did the opposite ��. I bet $2 on him to win. I’ll never bet against him. If he can walk 36 holes, I believe he’s making the cut.

[Stray]

I did the opposite ��. I bet $2 on him to win. I’ll never bet against him. If he can walk 36 holes, I believe he’s making the cut.

I don't think Tiger would walk 36 holes if he didn't think his game was good enough to contend for a win. If his game was borderline making the cut I don't think he'd bother. I expect him to play well, because it's gonna be painful for him to do it.

[Stray]

And while I do think Tiger will play well. This week feels like Cameron Smith's week. His game is so freaking good right now and he rolls his putts like Spieth did in his prime.

My 3 picks would be: Cameron Smith, JT, and my longshot Brian Harman.

[Redhook]

And while I do think Tiger will play well. This week feels like Cameron Smith's week. His game is so freaking good right now and he rolls his putts like Spieth did in his prime.

My 3 picks would be: Cameron Smith, JT, and my longshot Brian Harman.

I love his game, but winning the The Players and The Masters in the same year would be an incredible feat. He is the best putter I’ve ever seen though. He’s better than Spieth at his best. I’d take Jack and Tiger over Smith in the final round of a major, but Smith is one of the best putters ever.

Harman is really good. With the soft conditions, I think it’ll be tough for players like him and Kisner to be there come the weekend.

[Stray]

Time to be a couch potato for four straight days. This is by far my favorite golf tournament of the year.

[Redhook]

Time to be a couch potato for four straight days. This is by far my favorite sporting event of the year.

Fixed it for you :D. I’m so giddy, like a kid on Christmas Eve. Can’t wait to watch as much as I can.

[Stray]

Fixed it for you :D. I’m so giddy, like a kid on Christmas Eve. Can’t wait to watch as much as I can.

The Bengals were in the Super Bowl this year so the Masters is gonna be a 2nd for me in 2022. But every other year of my life you're absolutely right. I love everything about this tournament. I love watching golf in general, but no tournament clears my schedule like the Masters.

[Boston Red]

Woods is 45-1 to win, which is just a license for books to print money.

As I was saying...

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/33684199/betting-money-pouring-tiger-woods-win-masters-longshot

[Stray]

Forecast looks good. Tomorrow should be the best scoring day. It gets windy and cooler Friday-Sat. It should be lightning fast on Sunday with those pins.

[Boston Red]

Mike Weir 1 over through 6 after a double-bogey on 1. This might be his greatest stretch of golf in a decade!

[15fan]

In a work meeting but just saw update that Tiger with a bird on 6.

I bet you could hear the crowd roar for miles.

[texasdave]

Is Phil hurt? I understand that he is not playing well, but one wouldn't think that he would pass up The Masters. Seems odd to me.

[Boston Red]

Is Phil hurt? I understand that he is not playing well, but one wouldn't think that he would pass up The Masters. Seems odd to me.

His feelings are.

[Boston Red]

Jason Kokrak has three birdies in a row to get into a tie for second. Im has come out smoking with three straight birdies.

[Redhook]

And while I do think Tiger will play well. This week feels like Cameron Smith's week. His game is so freaking good right now and he rolls his putts like Spieth did in his prime.

My 3 picks would be: Cameron Smith, JT, and my longshot Brian Harman.

Your boy is looking great especially after doubling the first. He’s the best putter I’ve ever seen. No doubt about it. He doesn’t miss the short ones like Jordan does and did a little bit even at his best.

[Boston Red]

Pretty sweet round for Smith sandwiched between two double bogeys!

[Redhook]

Pretty sweet round for Smith sandwiched between two double bogeys!

Yeah, how about that? Crazy. He’s very resilient, calm and confident. I doubt he wins because it’s nearly impossible to win The Players and The Masters in the same year, but maybe he proves me wrong.

Personally, I had a great day. Watched 5 hours nonstop including seeing Tiger back in action, then taught golf for 3 hours and now watching the replay. Perfect day. Tomorrow = rinse and repeat.

[Stray]

Yeah this still feels like Cam Smith's week, tho the wind is gonna be up tomorrow and who knows what'll happen. He's just so good around and on the greens he's on a different level than other players right now.

I thought Tiger scored well today. It wasn't pretty and he had some pretty terrible shots in there, but managed a -1 round.

[Redhook]

Yeah this still feels like Cam Smith's week, tho the wind is gonna be up tomorrow and who knows what'll happen. He's just so good around and on the greens he's on a different level than other players right now.

I thought Tiger scored well today. It wasn't pretty and he had some pretty terrible shots in there, but managed a -1 round.

Yes, the wind could be a huge factor. Not exactly the same as The Players where nearly half of the field was eliminated, but it could be a huge advantage for the morning wave to get half or more than half their rounds in before the major winds hit.

[texasdave]

If they offered you par for the tournament, would you take it?

[texasdave]

Tiger bogeys four of the first five holes, and currently stands at +3. The projected cut is +4.

[texasdave]

Tiger is back on the prowl with 2 birdies and 3 pars over his last five holes.

[Boston Red]

He needs to make up his mind and either blow up so I win my bet on him missing the cut or put together a rally to make the weekend more interesting (and the books sweat!).

[texasdave]

Tiger ends up at +1. Scottie Scheffler threatening to run away with the Green Jacket. He has a five-stroke lead at -8.

[Redhook]

If they offered you par for the tournament, would you take it?

YES! I’d be rich.

[Redhook]

Boring day. Who would’ve thought when the season started that Scheffler and Smith would be the best two players by a wide margin this year.

[texasdave]

The book can be closed on Tiger after today's round - 5 bogeys and 2 double bogeys. Maybe, physically, he is wearing down. He certainly looked like an old 46 coming down the stretch.

[SomeCallMeTim]

The cold weather or his leg finally got to Tiger today. He 4 putted #5.

Scheffler’s lead was cut to 3, but is now back to 5. This guy is amazing. Could have 4 wins including a major in a 2+ month span.

[Redhook]

Yeah this still feels like Cam Smith's week

Whatever you’re feeling must feel really good :laugh:

[texasdave]

Rory McIlroy is up from the depths of hell. 7 under par today through 13. That moves him into 3rd place, just one shot behind Cameron Smith for second. Long way to go to get to Scottie Scheffler, who is toting a 5-stroke advantage over Rory, presently.

[Redhook]

Rory McIlroy is up from the depths of hell. 7 under par today through 13. That moves him into 3rd place, just one shot behind Cameron Smith for second. Long way to go to get to Scottie Scheffler, who is toting a 5-stroke advantage over Rory, presently.

I put $2 on him to win $1,100. I started getting a little nervous. Rory did too. Rope hooked his last 4 drives. He hit some atrocious shots after the eagle. Then holed it on 18. Oh my God!

[BuckeyeRed27]

Feel bad for Smith. Just totally mentally checked out after he splashed it on 12.

[texasdave]

Rory with an adventurous 18. Bunker, bunker and birdie. His 64 is one off of the Master's record.

[texasdave]

Scottie Scheffler earns himself a green jacket. #1 with a bullet.

[Stray]

The book can be closed on Tiger after today's round - 5 bogeys and 2 double bogeys. Maybe, physically, he is wearing down. He certainly looked like an old 46 coming down the stretch.

Maybe you're right, but I wouldn't close the book just yet. We have no idea what 100% for him is, but he certainly isn't there yet. In time his leg will get better, whether that's enough for him to compete in tournaments is another story. He still has enough power to play at this level. It's walking well enough to properly practice to prepare and not wear down over 72 holes that remains to be seen.

I mean he had a 360+ yard drive yesterday. There were glimpses, but also a lot of terrible approach shots.

[Stray]

Happy for Scheffler, he seems like a genuinely good dude who gets it. Cam had his chances, he had Schef on the ropes after 2 but Scheffler's chip in on 3 flipped it and settled Scottie down. And idk what that 9 iron was on 12, maybe the worst 9 iron I've ever seen Cam hit, but he'll get his green jacket sooner than later. He's way too good around Augusta to not win one.

[Redhook]

Maybe you're right, but I wouldn't close the book just yet. We have no idea what 100% for him is, but he certainly isn't there yet. In time his leg will get better, whether that's enough for him to compete in tournaments is another story. He still has enough power to play at this level. It's walking well enough to properly practice to prepare and not wear down over 72 holes that remains to be seen.

I mean he had a 360+ yard drive yesterday. There were glimpses, but also a lot of terrible approach shots.

Tiger can and will win again. I don’t think he’ll catch Jack, but he’s he’s looking pretty solid after nearly 18 months off and a leg with medal rods in it. Pretty impressive, but expected for him. I doubt he wins this year, but next year looks promising.

[Redhook]

Happy for Scheffler, he seems like a genuinely good dude who gets it. Cam had his chances, he had Schef on the ropes after 2 but Scheffler's chip in on 3 flipped it and settled Scottie down. And idk what that 9 iron was on 12, maybe the worst 9 iron I've ever seen Cam hit, but he'll get his green jacket sooner than later. He's way too good around Augusta to not win one.

Scheffler is amazing. There’s nothing negative you can say about him. Easy to root for all-American guy. #3 was super lucky though. Most likely, he would’ve made made bogey had that shot not hit the pin. As much as I like Scottie and want him to win because he’s on my fantasy team, I was disappointed when that shot went in and how the tournament was really boring overall after that. I actually left after hole 15 and played 9 holes with my son.

Cam is fantastic. He’s on an incredible run though. I’d be surprised if he ever wins a green jacket though. He’s on a heater. He’ll cool off and there’s so many great players similar to him. The depth right now is incredible.

[Stray]

This was Scheffler from about a week ago talking about if he were to win the Masters.

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1513297644919078913

[Stray]

Cam is fantastic. He’s on an incredible run though. I’d be surprised if he ever wins a green jacket though. He’s on a heater. He’ll cool off and there’s so many great players similar to him. The depth right now is incredible.

I agree with this in general for golf, but disagree at Augusta only. The guys that know how to play this course can always contend. Even when their game is off. I mean Couples contended well into his 50s. And Danny Willett was in contention this week. It's a course that some guys just get, and Cam is one of em. I'd be shocked if he doesn't win a jacket in the next 3 years. He just gets the course.

Tho that shot on 12 today is some serious scar tissue. Many great golfers have dunked it there on Sunday and never fully recovered. Spieth comes to mind.

[Chip R]

Tiger can and will win again. I don’t think he’ll catch Jack, but he’s he’s looking pretty solid after nearly 18 months off and a leg with medal rods in it. Pretty impressive, but expected for him. I doubt he wins this year, but next year looks promising.

It was huge that he made the cut and played as well as he did. It mad the haters and the stans happy. The haters liked that he didn't do well and the stans loved it because he played relatively well all four days. CBS and ESPN had to be loving all the extra viewers that came from watching him.

As for winning future majors, I think he's done. The bum knee was bad enough but the leg injury is much worse. Not to mention he's pushing 50. Nicklaus won the Masters at 46 and Watson almost won the British at 59. And those are the two (relatively) easiest majors to score well at. Even without those injuries, winning a major in your late 40s is double tough. The networks and the PGA need to figure out what to do when he's not playing full time. IS he going to play the regular tour after 50 or will he go to the Champions tour? Is his body going to be able to withstand the semi-weekly pounding of either tour? Could be he just plays in the majors, a select few events and silly season stuff. That might be the best thing for him and every other party. He avoids the grind of the tour and gets to play in the important events and the made for TV stuff which only lasts one day. When he does play it's going to be like the Masters and be seen as a special event. Watching him finish 45th at the Jabroni Open every week is going to take a lot of the luster off of him and his legacy. He certainly doesn't need the money. His son seems to be interested in playing. He can mentor him and play in 6-7 events a year.

[Boston Red]

This Greg Norman tour is going to be fascinating to watch. I'm wondering if there will someday be a Netflix documentary about what a debacle it turned out to be similar to the FYRE deal. Personally, I hope it works out. That's a lot of money, and the more competition the better.

[texasdave]

Betting on Tiger Woods is akin to giving Vegas free money. He may make it back eventually, but it is crystal clear that he is nowhere near that now. He shot 74 today, and is currently 9 strokes in back of the leader.

[Kingspoint]

Norman looks great in those "vitamin" commercials. He looks like he's in the best shape of his life.

[texasdave]

Kudos to Tiger for battling back, and making the cut.

[Redhook]

I never fully appreciated Southern Hills until this week. That course is awesome. Fair, tough and lots of risk reward. It should be an entertaining weekend especially with this front moving in (89 in Denver yesterday. Snow today…lol).

[paintmered]

Today might go down as one of the highest scoring rounds in major history. Brutal weather making the course near-impossible. Tiger is clearly laboring and will do well to break 82.

[texasdave]

Today might go down as one of the highest scoring rounds in major history. Brutal weather making the course near-impossible. Tiger is clearly laboring and will do well to break 82.

Somehow, Webb Simpson carded a 65. he stands at -1. It will be curious to see where that puts him by the end of the third round.

[Boston Red]

Exciting finish to the PGA with Pereira putting it in the drink on 18. Door is open for JT to win it in a playoff.

[paintmered]

My goodness, Pereira has gone Jean Van de Velde on the 72nd.

[Stray]

Rory has gotta be kicking himself. He could have easily posted -6 or -7. He missed so many 10 footers for birdie today. JT didn't even play that great (till the very end), but the lead just fell to him.

Feel bad for the big Chilean Mito. He played great but needed a better caddy at the end. Couple of shots he should have never attempted under the circumstances. Pressure just got the best of him and didn't have a caddy to correct bad decisions.

[Stray]

Other takeaways...

JT is my favorite golfer on the planet by a mile. His ability and willingness to hit the shot that's needed is so fun to watch. Just a shotmaker. Old school game for the 29 year old.

I think Tiger's comeback is officially successful. He's shown his body can play competitive pro golf on the world's hardest setups. He had a couple of iron pulls that could have been the leg, but otherwise he was fine. His game is just really rusty. Dialed in Tiger is hole high with approaches, this Tiger is 20 yards in any direction. Can his leg handle the practice required to dial his game in to win tournaments? That's his last hurdle. Cuz even tho he w/d (smart decision), his body can handle 72 holes in 4 days. I don't know that his leg will ever feel strong enough for him to practice and compete at that level.

[Redhook]

Rory has gotta be kicking himself. He could have easily posted -6 or -7. He missed so many 10 footers for birdie today. JT didn't even play that great (till the very end), but the lead just fell to him.

Feel bad for the big Chilean Mito. He played great but needed a better caddy at the end. Couple of shots he should have never attempted under the circumstances. Pressure just got the best of him and didn't have a caddy to correct bad decisions.

Rory played great. He had two long putts lip out….sooooo close. Then, he does what Rory does. He hits his putts way to hard inside 10’. Just hammers them. But, he has to stop putting himself in a position where he needs a 63 on Sunday to have a chance.

Agree 100% on the caddy. He failed Mito. As a former professional caddy (LPGA Tour - 40 events), there’s no way I’d let him hit the clubs he hit on the last two holes. So stupid. But, they’ll both learn. The only problem is the depth of quality golfers is so deep that there’s a good chance he won’t be in that position again. You have to take advantage when you’re there.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Rory played great. He had two long putts lip out….sooooo close. Then, he does what Rory does. He hits his putts way to hard inside 10’. Just hammers them. But, he has to stop putting himself in a position where he needs a 63 on Sunday to have a chance.

Agree 100% on the caddy. He failed Mito. As a former professional caddy (LPGA Tour - 40 events), there’s no way I’d let him hit the clubs he hit on the last two holes. So stupid. But, they’ll both learn. The only problem is the depth of quality golfers is so deep that there’s a good chance he won’t be in that position again. You have to take advantage when you’re there.

Yeah I felt bad for him for that last reason. Who knows if you’ll ever be in that position again.

[Chip R]

I think Tiger's comeback is officially successful. He's shown his body can play competitive pro golf on the world's hardest setups. He had a couple of iron pulls that could have been the leg, but otherwise he was fine. His game is just really rusty. Dialed in Tiger is hole high with approaches, this Tiger is 20 yards in any direction. Can his leg handle the practice required to dial his game in to win tournaments? That's his last hurdle. Cuz even tho he w/d (smart decision), his body can handle 72 holes in 4 days. I don't know that his leg will ever feel strong enough for him to practice and compete at that level.

He's going to forever have problems when it's cold and/or wet. That doesn't bode well for playing in Great Britain. It must have killed him to withdraw from a tournament much less a major. Going back on the tour - even on a semi-regular basis - is going to be more difficult than playing with Charlie down in Florida.

[BuckeyeRed27]

He's going to forever have problems when it's cold and/or wet. That doesn't bode well for playing in Great Britain. It must have killed him to withdraw from a tournament much less a major. Going back on the tour - even on a semi-regular basis - is going to be more difficult than playing with Charlie down in Florida.

Let’s get the Tiger cart!

Seriously though, just let guys have carts. Would speed things up, provide a lot of marketing opportunities and let old guys be more competitive.

[Stray]

Final takeaway I forgot to add is that I can't stand these guys putting with the flagstick in. I can't even take the guy seriously if he's putting 8 footers with the flagstick in.

I like Fitzpatrick's game, but cmon man.

[Stray]

He's going to forever have problems when it's cold and/or wet. That doesn't bode well for playing in Great Britain. It must have killed him to withdraw from a tournament much less a major. Going back on the tour - even on a semi-regular basis - is going to be more difficult than playing with Charlie down in Florida.

Was thinking the same about British Open weather. He's suffered from rare cold wet conditions both at Augusta and Tulsa.

[Chip R]

Let’s get the Tiger cart!

Seriously though, just let guys have carts. Would speed things up, provide a lot of marketing opportunities and let old guys be more competitive.

They can have carts. Daly had one. Tiger said he didn't want one.

[Stray]

They can have carts. Daly had one. Tiger said he didn't want one.

I'm pretty sure Tiger's leg could be hanging from a thread and he'd refuse a cart. If it ever came to that he'd quit.

[Boston Red]

It looks like Michelle Wie is giving up professional golf in the very near future. For a "failure", she had a pretty nice career. Five wins, including a major. Obviously just didn't live up to the absurd hype from when she was 13 years old.

[Redhook]

It looks like Michelle Wie is giving up professional golf in the very near future. For a "failure", she had a pretty nice career. Five wins, including a major. Obviously just didn't live up to the absurd hype from when she was 13 years old.

Her ballstriking was off the charts and I was lucky enough to see it in person. She doesn’t hit it as far as PGA Tour players do, but for a women it was really far. For context, I hit my 3W as far as her driver and I’m one club longer with my irons.

There were many reasons why she didn’t live up to the absurd hype. First and foremost, was her parents. They suffocated her and made many many poor decisions. Second, is her putting. For a professional golfer, it was pretty bad. Third, switching to Leadbetter ended her “Big Wiesy” swing. He turned her swing into a shortened more aggressive move which, most likely, lead to some of her many injuries. Leadbetter hurts more professionals than he helps. And last, her parents thought it’d be wise to have her play against men and other players way more advanced than her in her early teens. She really didn’t learn how to win. Without a doubt, it would’ve been better for her to play against girls around her age and learn how to win and dominate like Tiger did.

[Redhook]

I'm pretty sure Tiger's leg could be hanging from a thread and he'd refuse a cart. If it ever came to that he'd quit.

Exactly. He’ll never ride on the PGA Tour. That said, if he plays on the Champions Tour, everyone rides. I’d be surprised if he played that tour though.

Casey Martin, Tiger’s teammate at Stanford, was the one who got the cart rule changed. That was a battle getting that rule changed. Before Martin, no one could take a cart. Now, if you have a long-term medical issue and you request a cart you can get one. “Healthy” players cannot.

On a similar note, I played with Martin on the Canadian Tour 20 years ago. He’s really nice and an exceptional ball striker. He hit it so good. He was allowed to ride in a solo cart at the time. I remember watching him walk and not only feeling bad for him, but also scared that his leg might break in half at any moment. His leg was soooo fragile. It was tough to watch at times.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Exactly. He’ll never ride on the PGA Tour. That said, if he plays on the Champions Tour, everyone rides. I’d be surprised if he played that tour though.

Casey Martin, Tiger’s teammate at Stanford, was the one who got the cart rule changed. That was a battle getting that rule changed. Before Martin, no one could take a cart. Now, if you have a long-term medical issue and you request a cart you can get one. “Healthy” players cannot.

On a similar note, I played with Martin on the Canadian Tour 20 years ago. He’s really nice and an exceptional ball striker. He hit it so good. He was allowed to ride in a solo cart at the time. I remember watching him walk and not only feeling bad for him, but also scared that his leg might break in half at any moment. His leg was soooo fragile. It was tough to watch at times.

Yeah he won’t do it because there is basically a stigma about it. I was kind of against it too but those made for TV things with Tiger and Tom Brady and all that changed my mind.

The carts are cool, it sped it all up, they could talk to the players. It all makes for a better TV product. Plus they’d all make more money because they could cover those carts like a NASCAR.

[bucksfan2]

Her ballstriking was off the charts and I was lucky enough to see it in person. She doesn’t hit it as far as PGA Tour players do, but for a women it was really far. For context, I hit my 3W as far as her driver and I’m one club longer with my irons.

There were many reasons why she didn’t live up to the absurd hype. First and foremost, was her parents. They suffocated her and made many many poor decisions. Second, is her putting. For a professional golfer, it was pretty bad. Third, switching to Leadbetter ended her “Big Wiesy” swing. He turned her swing into a shortened more aggressive move which, most likely, lead to some of her many injuries. Leadbetter hurts more professionals than he helps. And last, her parents thought it’d be wise to have her play against men and other players way more advanced than her in her early teens. She really didn’t learn how to win. Without a doubt, it would’ve been better for her to play against girls around her age and learn how to win and dominate like Tiger did.

Its hard to believe that much time has passed that she is hanging it up. Her playing in a mens event was a marketing gig, and unfortunately something she just wasn't good enough to play in. It got eyeballs for smaller events at her expense. She played in her first mens event as a 17 year old??? I remember when Annika Sorenstam, probably the most decorated LPGA golfer at the time, played in a mens event. There was legit curiosity as to whether or not Soremstam could play with the men. I don't remember that same buzz with Wie.

Wie's parents kind of remind me of Ty Tryon, who only started to succeed once he got away from his overbearing parents.

[Chip R]

Yeah he won’t do it because there is basically a stigma about it. I was kind of against it too but those made for TV things with Tiger and Tom Brady and all that changed my mind.

The carts are cool, it sped it all up, they could talk to the players. It all makes for a better TV product. Plus they’d all make more money because they could cover those carts like a NASCAR.

I'm not crazy for it. In a case like Casey Martin, I was OK with it because I don't think it was giving him an unfair advantage. The silly season stuff is OK for carts too. But I don't know if I'd want to see guys playing the U.S. Open in carts. Now if Tiger were willing to use a cart I'm positive that there would be tournaments he would play in. And we all know that Tiger playing in a tournament = ratings.

[Redhook]

Its hard to believe that much time has passed that she is hanging it up. Her playing in a mens event was a marketing gig, and unfortunately something she just wasn't good enough to play in. It got eyeballs for smaller events at her expense. She played in her first mens event as a 17 year old??? I remember when Annika Sorenstam, probably the most decorated LPGA golfer at the time, played in a mens event. There was legit curiosity as to whether or not Soremstam could play with the men. I don't remember that same buzz with Wie.

Wie's parents kind of remind me of Ty Tryon, who only started to succeed once he got away from his overbearing parents.

She was 14!! And, she shot 68 one of the rounds and missed the cut by one shot. Overall, an incredible performance. It’s really hard to comprehend how unbelievable that was.

Power is such an important part of the game now. Annika was amazing, no doubt, and probably could have made a handful of cuts had she played the entire year out there. Those cuts would’ve been at the shortest course like Colonial, Harbour Town, etc. That said, with the firmness of the greens on the PGA Tour and due to the fact that she would be hitting 2-4 clubs longer into the greens on average than men, she wouldn’t have been able to finish near the top. I would say best case scenario would’ve been around 40th.

I lived in Orlando when Ty was coming up. I’ve seen him play. He was really good, but they tried accelerating everything and he became a mess.

Remember Sean O’Hair’s dad? He was the worst. Some parents are just clueless.

[bucksfan2]

She was 14!! And, she shot 68 one of the rounds and missed the cut by one shot. Overall, an incredible performance. It’s really hard to comprehend how unbelievable that was.

Power is such an important part of the game now. Annika was amazing, no doubt, and probably could have made a handful of cuts had she played the entire year out there. Those cuts would’ve been at the shortest course like Colonial, Harbour Town, etc. That said, with the firmness of the greens on the PGA Tour and due to the fact that she would be hitting 2-4 clubs longer into the greens on average than men, she wouldn’t have been able to finish near the top. I would say best case scenario would’ve been around 40th.

I lived in Orlando when Ty was coming up. I’ve seen him play. He was really good, but they tried accelerating everything and he became a mess.

Remember Sean O’Hair’s dad? He was the worst. Some parents are just clueless.

Forgot about Sean O'Hair. I don't really follow golf as intently as I did years ago, too much on my plate. But you do remember crazy or sensational stories.

Power is what separates the men from the women in todays game. And IIRC Annkia wasn't even one of the longer hitters on the LPGA tour. As you mentioned, she probably could have hung tough on shorter courses, probably never scared a top finish, but would have made a handful of cuts. If I remember correctly she had a very smooth repeatable swing. But when you are hitting driver and a long iron into a green and you opponent is hitting driver nine iron into a green, its a completely different game.

[Redhook]

Forgot about Sean O'Hair. I don't really follow golf as intently as I did years ago, too much on my plate. But you do remember crazy or sensational stories.

Power is what separates the men from the women in todays game. And IIRC Annkia wasn't even one of the longer hitters on the LPGA tour. As you mentioned, she probably could have hung tough on shorter courses, probably never scared a top finish, but would have made a handful of cuts. If I remember correctly she had a very smooth repeatable swing. But when you are hitting driver and a long iron into a green and you opponent is hitting driver nine iron into a green, its a completely different game.

Yeah, among other crazy things, Sean had to run a mile after making a bogey.

Annika was a machine. She hit the ball so straight it’s scary. Annika put on some muscle when she became friends with Tiger and was longer than average. I remember sitting on the range with my old instructor at The Michelob watching her for an hour. Stripe show. The only one similar to that was Nick Price who I was fortunate enough to watch up close for an hour at The Leadbetter Academy.

For sure, power is the biggest difference, however, you’d be surprised how much better the men’s short games are in comparison. It was shocking to see up close for a year+ on the LPGA (caddy). Men are more creative and aggressive, they create more spin and they don’t lag putts from 15’. That said, I’m sure the LPGA players have improved their overall short since 2005, but I would say the 125th best short game on tour would be top 20 on the LPGA.

On the flip side, the ladies hit it straighter than men and their distance control is off the charts. It’s very impressive to watch. My player had 11 yard gaps between her clubs (men are 13-14 yards) and I can probably count on one hand how many times she hit it over the green.

[texasdave]

Tiger Woods pulls out of US Open, saving fans tons of money, while causing much heartache in Las Vegas. Phil Mickelson will be there.

[Boston Red]

Looking forward to the LIV Tour event this weekend. Should be fun to see how it goes.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Looking forward to the LIV Tour event this weekend. Should be fun to see how it goes.

I honestly mostly ignored all the talk until this week, but this seems like a really stupid idea. It’s basically the European Super League thing that absolutely no one wanted or liked in soccer.

So the established players get guaranteed payouts no matter how they perform? Good for them. Who cares.

[Boston Red]

I care. It might be a disaster, but disasters can be fun to watch unfold as well!

[BuckeyeRed27]

I care. It might be a disaster, but disasters can be fun to watch unfold as well!

What interests you about it?

[Boston Red]

What interests you about it?

It's golf being played by good, famous players. The same thing that interests me about any other event. And it's a new format, so it will be intersting to see how that works out.

Of course, the soap opera with the poor, mistreated PGA Tour is also kind of fun/funny.

[bucksfan2]

I honestly mostly ignored all the talk until this week, but this seems like a really stupid idea. It’s basically the European Super League thing that absolutely no one wanted or liked in soccer.

So the established players get guaranteed payouts no matter how they perform? Good for them. Who cares.

Its worse than the Euro Super League, they don't have the players in their prime. They may have some stars, Phil, DJ, etc. but they are all on the downside of their career. Bryson is interesting, but its more him going after a payday than trying to become one of the best golfers in the world.

I don't see how this works until they get a TV provider to pony up the cast to broadcast the even. ESPN, ABC, and NBC aren't touching the tour because of their existing relationships with the PGA. Fox's venture into golf was an utter failure, do they pony up again?

What I do find interesting is the US Open is allowing players to play, the Masters can do what it wants. PGA is going to give these guys a HARD no, and I haven't heard what the Open is going to do. Making a soccer analogy, it reminds me of aging stars coming to the MLS to play.

[Boston Red]

What I do find interesting is the US Open is allowing players to play, the Masters can do what it wants. PGA is going to give these guys a HARD no, and I haven't heard what the Open is going to do. Making a soccer analogy, it reminds me of aging stars coming to the MLS to play.

The PGA is going to allow these guys to play, too. It's not the same organization as the PGA Tour. The US Open and British Open would kind of need to change their names if they weren't going to let the guys play.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Its worse than the Euro Super League, they don't have the players in their prime. They may have some stars, Phil, DJ, etc. but they are all on the downside of their career. Bryson is interesting, but its more him going after a payday than trying to become one of the best golfers in the world.

I don't see how this works until they get a TV provider to pony up the cast to broadcast the even. ESPN, ABC, and NBC aren't touching the tour because of their existing relationships with the PGA. Fox's venture into golf was an utter failure, do they pony up again?

What I do find interesting is the US Open is allowing players to play, the Masters can do what it wants. PGA is going to give these guys a HARD no, and I haven't heard what the Open is going to do. Making a soccer analogy, it reminds me of aging stars coming to the MLS to play.

Aging superstars don’t come to MLS to get substantial pay increases. This is the same thing as that Euro Super League. A bunch of guys that are already “in the club” want to make more guaranteed money without having to perform for it necessarily.

There are some interesting ideas in the actual golf part of it, but I just have zero interest in the rest. Those guys will play in the majors, so whatever, it’s not like they’ll be gone.

[Boston Red]

ESPN.com is not showing the scores from the LIV event. That's pretty goofy.

[BuckeyeRed27]

The event is currently underway, and the ESPN.com golf scores page is not showing the scores. They have tabs for PGA (of course), LPGA, Korn Ferry, Champions and DP World (whatever that is - I know what Dubai Ports World is just not the tour) but nothing for LIV.

https://deadline.com/2020/03/pga-rights-deal-espn-viacomcbs-comcast-nbcsports-disney-1202877358/

I think I know why.

[Chip R]

Its worse than the Euro Super League, they don't have the players in their prime. They may have some stars, Phil, DJ, etc. but they are all on the downside of their career. Bryson is interesting, but its more him going after a payday than trying to become one of the best golfers in the world.

I don't see how this works until they get a TV provider to pony up the cast to broadcast the even. ESPN, ABC, and NBC aren't touching the tour because of their existing relationships with the PGA. Fox's venture into golf was an utter failure, do they pony up again?

Seems to me the LIV Tour could sue to get coverage. Seems like antitrust laws may be broken if the PGA has a monopoly on coverage by the networks.

[Boston Red]

https://deadline.com/2020/03/pga-rights-deal-espn-viacomcbs-comcast-nbcsports-disney-1202877358/

I think I know why.

Sure, but ESPN tends to at least give scores for lots of sporting events that they don't broadcast. It's weird that a sports network isn't providing the scores of a relatively major sporting event (judged by the things that they DO provide scores for).

[BuckeyeRed27]

Sure, but ESPN tends to at least give scores for lots of sporting events that they don't broadcast. It's weird that a sports network isn't providing the scores of a relatively major sporting event (judged by the things that they DO provide scores for).

I agree they should show it. But ESPN has always had a very blurry line between news and entertainment.

[bucksfan2]

Seems to me the LIV Tour could sue to get coverage. Seems like antitrust laws may be broken if the PGA has a monopoly on coverage by the networks.

This makes little sense to me. They are going to sue the companies they want covering them? As I said above, ESPN (ABC), NBC, and CBS aren't going to touch this. It would be up to FOX or maybe even Bally Sports to cover, and FOX already lost their shirt on the USGA deal from a while ago.

IIRC ESPN didn't cover the first iteration of the XFL. If the LIV gets big enough, they will cover it.

I watched a little bit of it. The broadcast is a little choppy and the team nicknames are pretty goofy. I think the shotgun start makes things interesting for a broadcast, I don't know how fair that is.

[Boston Red]

I don't know all the names, so the abbreviations they use in the leaderboard in the broadcast are not helpful.

[RedTeamGo!]

Is this the death of pro golf? Seems pretty weird what is going on here.

[Boston Red]

I can't imagine it's the death. There's never been more money flowing around.

[Chip R]

This makes little sense to me. They are going to sue the companies they want covering them? As I said above, ESPN (ABC), NBC, and CBS aren't going to touch this. It would be up to FOX or maybe even Bally Sports to cover, and FOX already lost their shirt on the USGA deal from a while ago.


Just the PGA for monopolizing all the networks.

[bucksfan2]

Just the PGA for monopolizing all the networks.

The PGA has contracts with CBS, NBC, and ABC (ESPN.) There is really no monopoly when you consider multiple networks have contracts. Put it this way, say a competing football league decided to play in the fall. Do you think Fox, NBC, CBS, or ABC would carry those games? They aren't going to upset their current partners for a new upstart league. It makes no business sense.

I don't know about this, today everything seemed gimmicky. You saw the scoreboard, but it was just initials so you really couldn't tell who the player was.

I wonder if it would work better using a Monday of a holiday weekend as your final round? Or paying the week after the majors when the PGA field is pretty slight. Or play against the John Deere or other lesser tournaments. Playing at the same time as a PGA event with a quality field is a recipe for disaster.

[westofyou]

Is this the death of pro golf? Seems pretty weird what is going on here.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/1d008eb02fa7d8cba6a7750d68baf13d/tumblr_myujm5RJJ71rbogtto1_500.gif

[Kingspoint]

I wish a competing organization would happen to the ATP and WTA. Those in charge right now need to be challenged and changed.

Maybe the same is true of the PGA and we don't know it.

Competition is never a bad thing.

[Boston Red]

It seems like in every other industry we're happy to have more money in the hands of "labor", which the golfers are in this case. Why not here? The PGA Tour comes off like the NCAA in this from my perspective.

[Boston Red]

I didn't say any of that. But why should any of us care whether the PGA Tour incinerates? If the players get more money on the LIV Tour, then the LIV Tour is likely to be the better option IMO. Is that model sustainable? Probably not, but I also suspect the PGA Tour could find a way to get more money to the players without folding up shop. If the end result is more PGA Tour money to the players and LIV folding, that's probably an overall win.

[Boston Red]

Fair, I guess, but the LIV's sponsor is the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, and it's willing to pay more. More is better than less. I don't think you're going to find an industry where a competitor would not be allowed to win by overwhelming the labor with money.

[Chip R]

Fair, I guess, but the LIV's sponsor is the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, and it's willing to pay more. More is better than less. I don't think you're going to find an industry where a competitor would not be allowed to win by overwhelming the labor with money.

If it weren't the Saudis doing this, I would guess this is some sort of money laundering scheme.

[Stray]

Willy Z has to win one of these sooner or later. I think he gets his major tomorrow.

[Stray]

Also, the USGA has taken a lot of heat for their US Open setups over the years. This year's setup is perfect. It's incredibly difficult but not unfair.

[Redhook]

Willy Z has to win one of these sooner or later. I think he gets his major tomorrow.

I’d love to see him win. I just hope he doesn’t have to make too many of those testers. It’s a great leaderboard on a phenomenal course. It’s been a perfect championship so far.

[Stray]

Zalatoris played well today. Hit tons of great putts. Few wayward drives was the difference. Feel bad for him but it's gotta happen sooner or later. He's too good to keep coming up short.

Fitzpatrick played an amazing ball striking round. I think he missed one green? On this course that's absurd. Made some huge putts and his par on the 72nd was clutch. Easy guy to root for. But seeing pros hit 7 footers with the pin in is really awkward lol.

[Chip R]

I guess I'm just an old man yelling at a cloud but I thought the players were putting too many balls in the fairway and getting shots too close to the pin for my taste at a US Open. Few too many players under par for my taste.

[BenchRider]

Liv tour cannot buy years and years of heritage and I think that if I was running the PGA I would not be concerned, maybe even excited for some controversy to help promote some events.

[bucksfan2]

Liv tour cannot buy years and years of heritage and I think that if I was running the PGA I would not be concerned, maybe even excited for some controversy to help promote some events.

I was bored on Friday and turned the LIV on. And I just don't see it lasting that long. Now it may lead to some change in the PGA tour, but other than that, I just don't see it.

The shotgun start does nothing for me. There is no drama in the event. Having everyone on the course at the same time is cool, but you don't have the leaders playing the same holes.

The fantasy football like team names are stupid. Actually I think the team portion is stupid.

First I thought about the LIV was today. At this point it just isn't compelling. Unless it becomes compelling it won't work. Imagine watching a tournament where the two leaders are throwing darts on 14-18 in back and forth action. Now imagine the two leaders, one on holes 17-2 and the other on holes 6-10 throwing darts on the complete other side of the course. Which one are you choosing?

[texasdave]

Tiger's stay at The Open may be a short one. He is 6 over after 8 holes. Cameron Young leads at 8 under. Rory is at -6. Phil Mickelson finished round one at even par.

[bucksfan2]

Tiger's stay at The Open may be a short one. He is 6 over after 8 holes. Cameron Young leads at 8 under. Rory is at -6. Phil Mickelson finished round one at even par.

I find the idea that Tiger is going to compete anymore laughable. Unfortunately he just doesn't have the overall game right now, especially with all his injuries.

FWIW I think the only major he may be able to make a run at is the Masters. Primarily because he has played that course so many times.

I love watching The Open Championship. I find it fascinating to watch that style of golf. I hope the players don't lay waste to St Andrews. If the winds don't kick up something fierce, the course just doesn't have the teeth anymore.

[Chip R]

I find the idea that Tiger is going to compete anymore laughable. Unfortunately he just doesn't have the overall game right now, especially with all his injuries.

FWIW I think the only major he may be able to make a run at is the Masters. Primarily because he has played that course so many times.

I love watching The Open Championship. I find it fascinating to watch that style of golf. I hope the players don't lay waste to St Andrews. If the winds don't kick up something fierce, the course just doesn't have the teeth anymore.

Yeah. I think the Masters is his only shot at a major anymore. Even without the accident, and the knee and the back he was getting to the age where the odds on winning a major get longer and longer.

[Kingspoint]

13 1-putts on a Sunday at the British Open to win The Championship.

Amazing, and I wonder if it's ever happened before.

- - - Updated - - -


Yeah. I think the Masters is his only shot at a major anymore. Even without the accident, and the knee and the back he was getting to the age where the odds on winning a major get longer and longer.

He'll never again have the stamina to get through 4 rounds of a Major enough to win one. That will probably be the case for anyone who goes to the LIV, too.

[Chip R]

He'll never again have the stamina to get through 4 rounds of a Major enough to win one. That will probably be the case for anyone who goes to the LIV, too.

That might be a moot point, though if the Majors shut out the LIV players.

[bucksfan2]

13 1-putts on a Sunday at the British Open to win The Championship.

Amazing, and I wonder if it's ever happened before.

- - - Updated - - -



He'll never again have the stamina to get through 4 rounds of a Major enough to win one. That will probably be the case for anyone who goes to the LIV, too.

I would seriously doubt Tiger would go to the LIV tournament. Tiger is going to do what he wants to do. He will gear up each and every year to play 4 tournaments, he isn't going to like be told when and where to play. IMO Tiger is of little value to the LIV if he says he is going to play in 2 events. And at this point, he offers little competitive interest.

Granted The Open was a major, at St Andrews to boot, but it had something the LIV doesn't, drama. I was following it yesterday and I made a comment, Cam Smith is up one and just made it though the road hole. Rory is back and still has to navigate the hardest par 4 in golf. You had all the golfers in the mix at 18, a driveable par 4 with a shot. Or you have the masters where the tournament doesn't start til Amen Corner on Sunday. In the LIV Amen Corner could be your first three holes? You may tee off on The Road Hole.

IMO LIV is made for TV golf without the big time TV contracts.

[Kingspoint]

I would seriously doubt Tiger would go to the LIV tournament. Tiger is going to do what he wants to do. He will gear up each and every year to play 4 tournaments, he isn't going to like be told when and where to play. IMO Tiger is of little value to the LIV if he says he is going to play in 2 events. And at this point, he offers little competitive interest.

Granted The Open was a major, at St Andrews to boot, but it had something the LIV doesn't, drama. I was following it yesterday and I made a comment, Cam Smith is up one and just made it though the road hole. Rory is back and still has to navigate the hardest par 4 in golf. You had all the golfers in the mix at 18, a driveable par 4 with a shot. Or you have the masters where the tournament doesn't start til Amen Corner on Sunday. In the LIV Amen Corner could be your first three holes? You may tee off on The Road Hole.

IMO LIV is made for TV golf without the big time TV contracts.

Not a fan of the LIV myself.

[15fan]

A W today for Tony Finau.

Understandably maligned for not being able to win tourneys, he has made a crazy amount of money with top 10 finishes.

A few years ago when Tiger made his comeback at East Lake, I was out on the front side of the course with Mrs fan watching the early groups play through on Sunday. Finau was playing with Paul Casey and the two of them were about as carefree as could be. They approached the round exactly the way they should have: We’re not going to win, but we’re playing East Lake on Sunday and each going to take home a 6 figure check. Life is good.

[goreds2]

Tom Weiskopf, one-time major champ and golf course architect, dead at 79


Weiskopf was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2020. Laurie Weiskopf said her husband was working last week at The Club at Spanish Peaks and attended a legacy luncheon at the signature club where he was designing "The Legacy: Tom’s Ten," a collection of his 10 favorite par 3s.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/tom-weiskopf-one-time-major-champ-golf-course-architect-dead

[15fan]

Went to East Lake for a while yesterday. It’s hot, humid and effectively 0 breeze. Brutal if you’re out n the sun.

Shaping up to be a fantastic finish. If Scheffler’s gonna find his putter, he better do it soon.

[Stray]

Tom Kim is stealing the show at the Presidents Cup. Dude is fun to watch man, and holy crap is he clutch. Kinda wild the International team even has a chance tomorrow, all things considered, but if they get some early momentum it'll be fun.

Also, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have been unbelievable.

[oregonred]

Max Homa is fun. Homa vs. Tom Kim is the match of the day

[goreds2]

Kathy Whitworth, legendary LPGA golfer, 'passed suddenly' at 83, family says


Whitworth is considered to be one of the greatest female golfers of all time. Her 88 wins on the LPGA Tour included six LPGA major championships. She won the Women’s PGA Championship three times, the Titleholders Championship twice and the Western Open once.

She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975 after she was the LPGA Tour Player of the Year seven times and the LPGA Vare Trophy – which goes to the best scoring average by an LPGA player – seven times.

Whitworth’s greatness was underscored by a notion of committing to what you love to do and "learn from your mistakes," according to the LPGA obituary for the golfer.

"I was really fortunate in that I knew what I wanted to do," Whitworth previously said. "Golf just grabbed me by the throat. I can't tell you how much I loved it. I used to think everyone knew what they wanted to do when they were 15 years old."

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/kathy-whitworth-legendary-lpga-golfer-passed-suddenly-family-says

[texasdave]

Scottie Scheffler has won 4 tournaments, including 2 majors, over his 11 starts. During that stretch, he has not finished lower than 8th. :beerme:

[Kingspoint]

Kathy Whitworth, legendary LPGA golfer, 'passed suddenly' at 83, family says



https://www.foxnews.com/sports/kathy-whitworth-legendary-lpga-golfer-passed-suddenly-family-says

She passed away in 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Whitworth

[Boston Red]

She passed away in 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Whitworth

The post you quoted was from 2022.

[texasdave]

Scottie Scheffler runs his consecutive top-10 streak to 12 tournaments with a 3rd-place at the St. Jude Classic. He was one stroke shy of the top position.

[texasdave]

Scottie Scheffler wins the BMW Open and runs that string to 13 straight top-10 finishes. Scheffler has pocketed a cool 23 million so far in prize money for '25 with his 5th win on the tour.

[Kingspoint]

Scottie Scheffler wins the BMW Open and runs that string to 13 straight top-10 finishes. Scheffler has pocketed a cool 23 million so far in prize money for '25 with his 5th win on the tour.

Wish there was a magic world where peak Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson, Miller, Snead, Hogan, Faldo, Woods, Scheffler, and add two dozen more, could all compete in some dream tournament of the four majors.

[bucksfan2]

Wish there was a magic world where peak Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson, Miller, Snead, Hogan, Faldo, Woods, Scheffler, and add two dozen more, could all compete in some dream tournament of the four majors.

How do you conceptualize what Scotty is doing right now? I doubt he will ever get close to Tiger's run as the #1 ranked player in the world, but he is dominating a sport right now where the competition has never been greater.

Ironically Tiger's success in the 00's increased the competition that Scotty is facing right now.

[Redhook]

How do you conceptualize what Scotty is doing right now? I doubt he will ever get close to Tiger's run as the #1 ranked player in the world, but he is dominating a sport right now where the competition has never been greater.

Ironically Tiger's success in the 00's increased the competition that Scotty is facing right now.

The only thing I would argue is about the competition with Bryson, Rahm, Koepka, Neimann, Smith and others on LIV. Scottie would still be winning and dominating for sure, but his competition is pretty weak right now compared to how it was a few years on a consistent basis.

It's incredible how good his run has been and it'll be interesting to see how it transpires. He's on a hall-of-fame trajectory, but how long will it last? Will he have a career similar to Mickelson where he's really really good for a long period of time or will he phase out in a few years like many others. How will he handle his first slump? How long will it take for him to bounce back?

Personally, I think he'll have a long hall of fame type of career because his mind is so good. He's the best I've ever seen, not counting Tiger, on handling everything that's thrown at him.

[MWM]

The only thing I would argue is about the competition with Bryson, Rahm, Koepka, Neimann, Smith and others on LIV. Scottie would still be winning and dominating for sure, but his competition is pretty weak right now compared to how it was a few years on a consistent basis.


I'll give you Bryson and Rahm, but I really don't think guys like Niemann, or even Smith, can be used as an indication that the competition is weak. And Brooks hasn't been in the mix in years other than that 6 months stretch 2 years ago.

Heck, when Jack played, some of the best players didn't play in the US. And early in Tiger's career, there were a handful of great players who chose to play on the European Tour. With the level of talent that exists on the PGA TOUR these days, I don't think having a few of the top players not playing this tour really makes much difference.

[Redhook]

I'll give you Bryson and Rahm, but I really don't think guys like Niemann, or even Smith, can be used as an indication that the competition is weak. And Brooks hasn't been in the mix in years other than that 6 months stretch 2 years ago.

Heck, when Jack played, some of the best players didn't play in the US. And early in Tiger's career, there were a handful of great players who chose to play on the European Tour. With the level of talent that exists on the PGA TOUR these days, I don't think having a few of the top players not playing this tour really makes much difference.

Bryson and Rahm are probably both top 5 players in the world. Losing 40% of the top 5 is huge, IMO. I forgot Hatton who's probably the 6th best player in the world. He's certainly better than JT and Henley. So, arguably, 3 of the top 6 players in the world are not on the PGA Tour right now. The others are solid players who got worse going to LIV not counting Niemann. I just think the competition was a lot stronger before LIV started.

On a similar note, outside of the majors, I'm not enjoying golf nearly as much as I used to. A lot of the villains and big personalities are on LIV and it's just not as exciting to watch. Anyone else feel that way?

[bucksfan2]

Bryson and Rahm are probably both top 5 players in the world. Losing 40% of the top 5 is huge, IMO. I forgot Hatton who's probably the 6th best player in the world. He's certainly better than JT and Henley. So, arguably, 3 of the top 6 players in the world are not on the PGA Tour right now. The others are solid players who got worse going to LIV not counting Niemann. I just think the competition was a lot stronger before LIV started.

On a similar note, outside of the majors, I'm not enjoying golf nearly as much as I used to. A lot of the villains and big personalities are on LIV and it's just not as exciting to watch. Anyone else feel that way?

Didn't Rahm enter a massive slump when he went to the LIV tour?

These LIV guys are playing how many events a year and playing only 54 holes. I think in some regard it keeps them fresher than playing a more grueling tour schedule. Remember Tiger in his prime picked and chose which tournaments he wanted to play in. Do you think Bryson could handle the schedule that Scheffler plays? I think his swing is far to violent to play week in week out.

Phil will always be an interesting case study. What if he didn't play against Tiger in his prime? What if he found fitness a little earlier on in his life? He would have gone down as one of the most beloved golfers of all time, a la Arnie, until he decided to take the bag and head to the LIV tour.

Scheffler is beating all the top golfers are a resound rate in the majors. Had he not been arrested last year, he may just have won 4 majors in 2 years.

Regardless of LIV, the quality of golfer today is far better than that in Tiger's era. I am sure you see it, but what these kids are doing now days to golf courses if phenomenal. Its purely anecdotal, but during my competitive playing days, late 90's early 00's, you if you shot even over a 3-4 day club championship, you were going to win more often than not. This past year, I think the winner was 10 under, setting the course record on the final day.

[Redhook]

There’s definitely a huge difference between today’s golfers and the ones Tiger was competing against. I’m just saying that the PGA Tour was a lot more competitive before LIV. As good as Scottie is, the tournaments are definitely less exciting to watch not counting the majors.

[MWM]

Bryson and Rahm are probably both top 5 players in the world. Losing 40% of the top 5 is huge, IMO. I forgot Hatton who's probably the 6th best player in the world. He's certainly better than JT and Henley. So, arguably, 3 of the top 6 players in the world are not on the PGA Tour right now. The others are solid players who got worse going to LIV not counting Niemann. I just think the competition was a lot stronger before LIV started.

It's the "a lot" that I don't agree with. With guys playing 20-24 events every year, very few guys win more than one. There are many new winners every year. If a guy plays on tour for 20 yers an wins 10 times, that's considered a huge career. Golf has never been about just a few players. So take out a few of the top players and it changes things, but I don't think it's all that much. Just my opinion. There's way too much parity for that. It's not like taking Ohio State and Penn State out of the Big Ten.

Bryson and Rahm each played 6 full seasons on the pga tour, which is 308 events between them. Rahm won 11 and Bryson 9. They were definitely 2 of the top players, but the total wins don't make me think it's a huge difference with them not around. And I don't think Rahm is the player he was before he left. His game is still really good, but he's lost something mentally.

Hatton I definitly disagree with. He's doing what he's always done and consistently is on the leaderboard but never wins. He played 7 years on the pga tour and won 1 time. Him not being there doesn't change the overall quality of the fields much, IMO.

Cameron Smith is the one many people bring up that I disagree with the most. He had a career year in 2022 winning 3 times including the players and british. But prior to that he had been on tour 7 years with 3 wins, and 2 of those were at the Zurich playing with a partner. His only individual win before that season was Sony in 2020. None of the top players play that event. So he was decent, but nothing special. And before that season he had never finished in the top 20 in the workd rankings. He was not an elite player. He had an elite season, but the history of golf is litered with guys who were decent and had one or two good years and nothing more.

[Redhook]

Valid points and I don't necessarily disagree with you on any of that. From my perspective, the PGA Tour is less exciting than it was before LIV, they lost a lot of good players & personalities, and there's very few must-watch tournaments.

[texasdave]

Monday Morning Scottie Scheffler Update: Scheffler runs his top-10 streak to 14 tournaments with a 14-under par effort that left him tied for 4th place.

[Boston Red]

Looks like 3-1 Euros is the best case scenario for the Yanks after the first round of matches.

[MWM]

Typical Ryder Cup. The Euro players all turn into peak Tiger and the US players can't make 4 footers.

I think Henley in the morning session may be the worst performance I've ever seen for an American player. He was in way over his head. And JT was almost as bad.

[texasdave]

Europeans taking the Americans to the woodshed today. Going into afternoon action they lead 8.5 to 3.5. They lead in all four matches.

[Redhook]

This comeback by the US has been extraordinary today. Still 4 matches left, but it's crazy how close it is when it looked like it'd be a blowout.

[Redhook]

Well, the US lost, but that was very exciting. Henley left two putts under 10' short on the last 2 holes and Lowry birdied 18 to win it. If Henley wins that match, it would've probably come down to the last 2 matches....bummer.

[MWM]

They need to change the withdrawal policy. No way should a team split the point if they can't play a match. It was real close to being a factor today. They also need to revisit "retaining" the cup for a tie.

[Chip R]

This comeback by the US has been extraordinary today. Still 4 matches left, but it's crazy how close it is when it looked like it'd be a blowout.

But that is how it usually is. The Euros get a lead in the teams play in the first two days then the US usually dominates the singles. If it's fairly close on Sunday, the US wins. The Euro lead this year was too much for the US to overcome.

[Stray]

We don't have whatever that "it" is that makes certain Euro pairings unbeatable. Rahm, Rory, Fleetwood, and Shane were playing out of their minds. We obv had some guys struggle, but we lost a lot of matches where the guys played really good golf. Valiant comeback attempt today, and I cannot believe Henley left that putt short. If you're gonna miss, you gotta at least get it there. We have the better players and it shows in singles, our guys just don't work well together.

[Redhook]

They need to change the withdrawal policy. No way should a team split the point if they can't play a match. It was real close to being a factor today. They also need to revisit "retaining" the cup for a tie.

100%. Fortunately, the envelope rule didn't decide the cup, but it could've and that would've been an a black eye to the RYDER CUP. I'm guessing that'll be changed going forward. I also think a playoff would be awesome. Choose your best 3 players and go head to head for one hole. The pressure and intensity would be off the charts awesome.

- - - Updated - - -


But that is how it usually is. The Euros get a lead in the teams play in the first two days then the US usually dominates the singles. If it's fairly close on Sunday, the US wins. The Euro lead this year was too much for the US to overcome.

Very true, but they were down 12-5 to star the day and darn near won. It was just as exciting to watch as the '99 comeback win. Not the outcome I was hoping for, but great drama.

[Redhook]

We don't have whatever that "it" is that makes certain Euro pairings unbeatable. Rahm, Rory, Fleetwood, and Shane were playing out of their minds. We obv had some guys struggle, but we lost a lot of matches where the guys played really good golf. Valiant comeback attempt today, and I cannot believe Henley left that putt short. If you're gonna miss, you gotta at least get it there. We have the better players and it shows in singles, our guys just don't work well together.

I actually think Europe had the better players/team on paper by a wide margin. Their team was loaded! Rahm, Rory, Fleetwood and Shane played great, but it was predictable and expected.

Some players excel in team golf and some in individual golf. For whatever reason, team Europe excels in team golf and the Americans excel in individual golf. Scottie Scheffler is example A.

Regarding Henley, his putts on the last two holes were pathetic. He folded under the pressure unlike all of his other teammates. 100% of his teammates would've gotten both of those putts to the hole.

[Stray]

I actually think Europe had the better players/team on paper by a wide margin.

I think Rory-Rahm-Fleetwood are better than Scottie-Bryson-?, but when you go down the rest of the cards we had the better players. Henley is taking a lot of heat this week, but dude has won on some of the most difficult setups against loaded fields and is routinely on the first page at majors. He also showed a lot of guts in his round prior to the putt on 18. Give me Patrick Reed over Morikawa every single time, but I otherwise don't even think Keegan made bad choices for picks. His Sat foursomes could have been better tho.

Euros beat us when they got buddies to lean on. We beat them solo. It's a trend now. And Euros will always be better on soft courses cuz that's what they play on. Lift clean and place on a soft Bethpage isn't any of our guy's strength.

[Redhook]

Euros beat us when they got buddies to lean on. We beat them solo. It's a trend now. And Euros will always be better on soft courses cuz that's what they play on. Lift clean and place on a soft Bethpage isn't any of our guy's strength.

It's definitely a trend where Europe does better in the team matches and the US does better in the singles. I still think Europe had a better team which is why they had a massive lead after the first 4 rounds of the matches. I'm also factoring the history of the Ryder Cup and Europe had an advantage in the team part which is obviously a huge part of the matches.

I don't think the soft conditions had much of an effect and the stats prove that. Plus, most Europeans grew up on links style courses which are firm and fast. Through the first two days, the ballstriking stats were very similar, but Europe dominated them on the greens gaining 12 strokes on the US which is a massive difference.

One thing I heard that Keegan regrets is how short he decided to cut the rough which helped the Europeans because the US team hits in longer. Basically, anyone who missed the fairway had a good chance of reaching the green regardless of the club. If the rough was long, the bombers on the US could still reach the green with wedges where some of the Europeans wouldn't have been able to.

[MWM]

Americans are the better individual players and the Europeans are better in the team format. I think we have enough data to conclude that. American players are likely content to win the majority of the majors and the Europeans care way more about the Ryder Cup than the Americans.

I think the main tour in the world were in Europe and American golfers all played and lived there, the reverse would be true. You'd see the Americans care more about the Ryder Cup and the Europeans be more complacent.

And I think the President's Cup has a detrimental impact on the American Ryder Cup performance. They play in a team event like this every year. I have a hard time believing that doesn't impact how enthusiatic they are about the RC.

[bucksfan2]

Americans are the better individual players and the Europeans are better in the team format. I think we have enough data to conclude that. American players are likely content to win the majority of the majors and the Europeans care way more about the Ryder Cup than the Americans.

I think the main tour in the world were in Europe and American golfers all played and lived there, the reverse would be true. You'd see the Americans care more about the Ryder Cup and the Europeans be more complacent.

And I think the President's Cup has a detrimental impact on the American Ryder Cup performance. They play in a team event like this every year. I have a hard time believing that doesn't impact how enthusiatic they are about the RC.

Do the American's have the better players? I would argue the Euro's had the better overall players. I would argue that even 5 years ago, or right around the time LIV came around, the US had a better collection of talent. But as of now, I think the Euro's had a far superior team. I didn't realize that Donald picked Rahm, I thought grabbing LIV guys was a no no.

I did read an interesting article talking about how the Euro's advantage is they grew up playing in Europe, but a lot of those guys went to college in America, and have played predominately on the PGA tour over the past few years. Playing a US style course isn't all that abnormal for them.

There are things that need to happen with the US in the Ryder cup. They do need more "dogs" like the Euro's have. They need Scotty to play better, they need some young American's to really step up, and the need some parings that can turn out points.

I thought the course was set up pretty weak, there was no penalty for missing the fairway, especially when you can stop the ball from the rough. What I don't understand is the European commentator kept saying that the Euro's plan was to take advantage of the first 6 holes. I just don't understand how that gave them such an advantage, did the US play it safe on the 1st 6 holes?

One thing that I was curious about, do the rest of the American's like Bryson? The Euros always seem to have a cohesive unit, not so sure about the American's.

[Boston Red]

I thought grabbing LIV guys was a no no.



Why would grabbing LIV guys be a no no for the Ryder Cup?

[bucksfan2]

Why would grabbing LIV guys be a no no for the Ryder Cup?

Isn't the Ryder cup a PGA/R&A sponsored event? The only LIV guy on the American side was on it because of points. Granted I don't watch the LIV, but its this is the 2nd Ryder cup and no American's on LIV have been captain picks.

[Boston Red]

It's PGA of America (like the PGA Championship) and not the PGA Tour.

[MWM]

Do the American's have the better players? I would argue the Euro's had the better overall players. I would argue that even 5 years ago, or right around the time LIV came around, the US had a better collection of talent. But as of now, I think the Euro's had a far superior team.

I agree that this year they had the better team. I even told my golf buddies I thought it was going to be a blowout becuse the Europeans had the better players, which I think is generally rare. If you look at the 2021 team, the US was significantly more loaded. Generally, the Europeans have been top heavy while the american team is much deeper, at least on paper. I also think this year is the weakest American team coming in I can remember. They had guys high in the rankings, but Henley is 4th and did anyone think he was going to scare anyone?

And even this RC cycle over the last 2 years, Americans won 7 of the 8 majors...Rory's masters being the only one not won by an American. And if you go back 5 years, I think it's something like 70% of majors were won by Americans. I think in general the Americans are better individual players, but this year may have been the exception.

[bucksfan2]

I agree that this year they had the better team. I even told my golf buddies I thought it was going to be a blowout becuse the Europeans had the better players, which I think is generally rare. If you look at the 2021 team, the US was significantly more loaded. Generally, the Europeans have been top heavy while the american team is much deeper, at least on paper. I also think this year is the weakest American team coming in I can remember. They had guys high in the rankings, but Henley is 4th and did anyone think he was going to scare anyone?

And even this RC cycle over the last 2 years, Americans won 7 of the 8 majors...Rory's masters being the only one not won by an American. And if you go back 5 years, I think it's something like 70% of majors were won by Americans. I think in general the Americans are better individual players, but this year may have been the exception.

In the past the American's have had a better team. It also seems weird, but the Euro's as a whole are pretty likeable guys. When was the last time the Euro's had someone like Montgomery?

This RC cycle just saw some promising guys fade into oblivion. Remember a few years ago when Speith had a legit chance to win the grand slam? Fowler, Koepka, DJ, are all guys who just have disappeared.

When was the last time the American's had a good golfer who was just a dog in the RC? The guy who is a good player, boarder line AQ, but you know he is going to make the team regardless because he is going to win matches. JT is close, but the Euros run out there Rory, Rose, Lowery, Fleetwood, all guys who were just raining in puts, like yep, that one is going in.

Even prime Tiger and Phil were pretty average RC players.

[texasdave]

Tiger isn't going to make it to The Master's if he keeps driving like this.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XOhnr3q59KQ

Hit another car, rolled his Land Rover and arrested on suspicion of DUI.

[Boston Red]

He's probably a better driver than golfer at this point.

[goreds2]

Masters fans cheer low prices as Augusta National concessions 'feel unreal' with $1.50 sandwiches
Pimento sandwiches at Augusta go for $1.50, ice cream sandwiches for $3


As prices soar across stadiums and arenas nationwide, Augusta National — home of the Masters golf tournament — is once again standing out for its low prices.

The famed golf club in Augusta, Georgia, went viral on social media after journalist Claire Rogers shared a photo of its concession menu during the Augusta National Women's Amateur (ANWA).

Rogers' post, shared March 31, highlighted food prices that remain low in 2026.

The stand offered sandwiches ranging from $1.50 to $3, including egg salad and pimento cheese at the low end, and club and ham-and-cheese options at $3.

Muffins were priced at $2.50, while cookies and chips were sold for $1.50.


https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/masters-fans-cheer-low-prices-augusta-national-concessions-feel-unreal-1-50-sandwiches

[GAC]

Is anyone going to catch Rory? -12 and a 6 stroke lead going into today's 3rd round.

[texasdave]

Someone woke up Scottie Scheffler. He is -4 for the round through 8 holes. Long way to go, but if Rory falters in the 3rd round, it could set up an interesting Sunday.

UPDATE: Scheffler is -6 for the day through 15. He might not catch Rory, but don't be surprised if he passes everyone else.

[texasdave]

That was fast. McIlroy is no longer the leader at the Masters.

[texasdave]

McIlroy shot one over on the day and is now tied atop the leaderboard with Cameron Yound at -11. Scottie Scheffler posted a 65 (7-under) and picked up 8 strokes on Rory. There are 11 golfers within 5 strokes of the lead. Should prove to be an interesting final round at Augusta.

[Redhook]

That was an awesome day at The Masters creating a perfect setup for tomorrow's final round. Typically, the winner comes from the final group so Rory and Young are looking good. That said, Rory was on the struggle bus today and his short game bailed him out a lot. If he hits it similar tomorrow, he won't win. But, he's so darn good and he can catch fire at any moment so it wouldn't surprise me if he won again. All in all, I hope tomorrow is close to as good as today.

[GAC]

Rory didn't have it at all yesterday. He's tied with Young at -11, and Rory should count his lucky stars he didn't fall further. That's his problem - avoiding that one bad round. Scheffler and Young both had a solid third round. Going to be an interesting final round.

[texasdave]

Scheffler is 2-under through 3 and has moved to within 2 shots of the lead. He was 12 strokes back after the second round.

[texasdave]

Rory is heading in the wrong direction. +2 for the day and now tied for 4th, just 2 strokes behind the leaders.

[Kingspoint]

Someone woke up Scottie Scheffler. He is -4 for the round through 8 holes. Long way to go, but if Rory falters in the 3rd round, it could set up an interesting Sunday.

UPDATE: Scheffler is -6 for the day through 15. He might not catch Rory, but don't be surprised if he passes everyone else.

You called it!

[texasdave]

It looks like Rory is going to hold on for his second straight green jacket. He leads Scottie Scheffler by 2 strokes with one hole left. Even a bogey on 18 will win it for him.

[LiferJim]

Rory holds on, barely. Scottie missed that putt on I believe 17 barely or this could be different.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GAC]

Rory holds on, barely. Scottie missed that putt on I believe 17 barely or this could be different.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Going into the final round I had my eyes on Scheffler over the rest at or near the top. He pretty much played even all day and couldn't get over the top. I guarantee that he is looking at some holes he sees as missed opportunities after Rory bogeys #18 and won by one a stroke LOL

[dubc47834]

Overall a great weekend at Augusta. Saturday was some great golf. Rory struggled during the weekend, but made shots when he needed to, which is all that matters. I didn't hate seeing him win, but was pulling for Cam Young and Scheffler.

[LiferJim]

Going into the final round I had my eyes on Scheffler over the rest at or near the top. He pretty much played even all day and couldn't get over the top. I guarantee that he is looking at some holes he sees as missed opportunities after Rory bogeys #18 and won by one a stroke LOL

Scottie definitely played well over the weekend, shooting a 65 and 68, while Rory shot 73 and 71. Rory nearly choked hitting his tee shot in the trees on 18, but luckily for him the ball wasn’t nestled up against a tree. He also got lucky he miss hit the ball on 16, because where it hit, they were shocked it didn’t backspin into the water. To his credit, he did play exceptionally well on Thursday and Friday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[plantmanky]

Golf is about as rigged as Nascar now.

[Chip R]

Is LIV dead?
LIV Golf faces rumors of shutdown amid emergency meeting | Report https://share.google/JZEKjv4AZ4E4w1f6a

[MWM]

Rumors are that PIF is pulling their funding. If that's true, I don't see how they continue.

[dubc47834]

Rumors are that PIF is pulling their funding. If that's true, I don't see how they continue.

It would be next to impossible to continue if funding is pulled. The real questions is, what happens to those guys that made the jump? Any smart person could see this happening, they saw the dollar signs and took the money.

[Boston Red]

they saw the dollar signs and took the money.

Which makes perfect sene for most of them even if it falls apart today. Rahm, DeChambeau, Hatton and maybe a few others aren't going to be locked out of golf. A way back will be figured out for guys like that. Some of the lesser names? Meh, they made their money and can get on with their lives and go do something else. I wonder what it will mean for a guy like Michael La Sasso, though, who should be finishing up his senior year in college but jumped to LIV. Not a big enough name for the PGA to really care if he ever appears on their Tour. He made a lot of money, but probbly not F-you money to walk away from golf and not have to make more money. Plus, he's like 21 years old and likely planned to spend the next 30 years in golf. What's he do with himself?

[MWM]

I think they all wind up playing the Eurpoean Tour if they fold. My guess is they're going to finish out this year, then fold, but nothing would surprise me. This was a fool's errand from the beginning. Their only hope was to get the majority of the top players. Instead, they got a few, but most of the popular players who drive fan interest stayed. That was a big miscalculation on their part I believe.

[Chip R]

It's not a bad idea to have a competing tour. Other sports leagues have thrived and made changes because of rival leagues. I'm sure there's been issues in the PGA that were not necessarily money related. But LIV was backed by Saudi Arabia. That's about as big of a red flag as you can get. The golfers that went over there were chasing money and a lower stress situation. They obviously didn't care about what the RSA has done. Now they are SOL.

The question now is if/how they are accepted back onto the Tour. Do they face the same penalties as the guys who just came back or will they be more severe? Will they even be accepted back? Maybe they play the Euro tour like MWM said. But will they accept them? There's some great golfers on that tour but the paychecks aren't as good as LIV much less the PGA. For the US guys are they going to be happy playing across the pond save for the 3 majors on American soil? It's a different game too. It's like playing the Open championship every week. Another thing to look at is how the sponsors react. If they want them back in the PGA, they will be back. Imagine early 21st century Tiger going to a LIV type tour and they go belly up. You don't think the PGA wouldn't let him back? The sponsors would pressure the PGA to get him back. Of course none of the LIV players are ofnhis caliber or popularity but it's food for thought.

[Boston Red]

Looks like Mexico City, at least, is going forward.

[MWM]

The LIV CEO sent an email to employees saying the 2026 season will go on without any change. I'm guessing they're hoping the war ends before then and maybe the Saudis will change their mind. Either that, or it's messier to end now instead of waiting until the end of the season. They could be facing some legal issues if the players can't make money the rest of the year when they have contracts. Many of the original contracts they signed went through 2026. One thing is pretty much certain - without the Saud money, they are done. I can't see them finding any other source of funding who is willing to invest billions with little chance of it ever being a profitable enterprise.

[dubc47834]

Which makes perfect sene for most of them even if it falls apart today. Rahm, DeChambeau, Hatton and maybe a few others aren't going to be locked out of golf. A way back will be figured out for guys like that. Some of the lesser names? Meh, they made their money and can get on with their lives and go do something else. I wonder what it will mean for a guy like Michael La Sasso, though, who should be finishing up his senior year in college but jumped to LIV. Not a big enough name for the PGA to really care if he ever appears on their Tour. He made a lot of money, but probbly not F-you money to walk away from golf and not have to make more money. Plus, he's like 21 years old and likely planned to spend the next 30 years in golf. What's he do with himself?

Oh I'm not mad at them. That would be hard to turn down for sure.

[MWM]

Going to the pga tour after LIV won't be an issue for those who were never members of the tour. So guys like La Sasso will just have to follow the path to qualifying for the pga tour like everyone else. He was never on the pga tour so won't face any penalties. Coming back will be harder for guys who were on the pga tour and left.

[GAC]

Is LIV dead?
LIV Golf faces rumors of shutdown amid emergency meeting | Report https://share.google/JZEKjv4AZ4E4w1f6a

Should have never trusted the Saudis to begin with. What do they know about golf? :p

[Chip R]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Saudis are telling the golfers tomorrow that they are pulling their money out of the tour. That's probably the death knell fofor them.

https://share.google/Jtyh0O4SECr4LGiLV

[Redhook]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Saudis are telling the golfers tomorrow that they are pulling their money out of the tour. That's probably the death knell fofor them.

https://share.google/Jtyh0O4SECr4LGiLV

This is great news for golf fans. LIV has been a boring to watch disaster ever since it started. I'm not sure how it'll play out for the playing looking to return to the PGA Tour, but the Tour is going to be a better product when some of the world's best return.

[texasdave]

Scottie Scheffler finished second, again. This is his third straight runner-up finish on the tour.

[MWM]

Cam Young may win 5-6 times this year. There's a lot of similarities to Cam and Scottie. When Scottie first came out on tour, he contended a lot but couldn't win. I told my golf friends that if Scheffler ever figures out the putter, he's going to be really good (but I never saw what's he's become coming). Cam has been exactly the same. He's elite tee to green, but lost too many strokes on the green. He's been putting great since late last season. If he keeps this up, look out. He's that good as a ball striker.

[Betterread]

Cam Young may win 5-6 times this year. There's a lot of similarities to Cam and Scottie. When Scottie first came out on tour, he contended a lot but couldn't win. I told my golf friends that if Scheffler ever figures out the putter, he's going to be really good (but I never saw what's he's become coming). Cam has been exactly the same. He's elite tee to green, but lost too many strokes on the green. He's been putting great since late last season. If he keeps this up, look out. He's that good as a ball striker.
They have completely different swings. I like to watch golf for the different swings and i find it fascinating how players can get weird adjustments or movements to work for a consistent address. SS moves his feet a lot before during and after address (his swing is very unique -ie ugly) and CY has a clear pause at the top of his backswing (not very beautiful either).
I like Rory’s swing. Powerful and balanced with good rotation.

[MWM]

Alex Fitzpatrick has a 2 shot lead on Saturday at the Truist. If he somehow wins, that would be a pretty amazing story.

[Redhook]

Alex Fitzpatrick has a 2 shot lead on Saturday at the Truist. If he somehow wins, that would be a pretty amazing story.

Nothing will top Gary Woodland's win this year, or this decade for that matter, but Alex Fitzpatrick winning would an incredible feat and story. And, I'll be rooting for him.

[texasdave]

Anthony Kim's LIV win in Februarty was a pretty strong comeback story.

[texasdave]

Alex Smalley had a wild ride yesterday to the top of the leader board: 7 birdies, 6 pars and 5 bogeys.

[goreds2]

Garrick Higgo splits from caddie after costly two-stroke penalty for missing PGA Championship tee time: report



The two strokes Higgo was penalized were incredibly costly, as he missed the cut by one stroke. The 29-year-old shot a 1-under 69 on Thursday after being late, but then shot a 76 on Friday.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/garrick-higgo-splits-caddie-costly-two-stroke-penalty-missing-pga-championship-tee-time

[goreds2]

Double post

[MWM]

His Caddy was yelling for him to hurry. He was the one taking his time.

[Redhook]

His Caddy was yelling for him to hurry. He was the one taking his time.

Garrick Higgo did himself no favors with this whole situation. He came across looking like an entitled fool who's never been held accountable. I actually received the same penalty at a US Open Sectional because I got bad directions (I should've researched it more beforehand) from The Lakes to Brookside CC in Columbus. It's a horrible penalty to receive, but it was still 100% on me, the player.

On a similar note, I'm friends with his caddy, Austin, who got fired. He's a great guy. I haven't reached out to him yet because I wanted to let the dust settle, but I'll get the scoop soon enough.

[bucksfan2]

Garrick Higgo did himself no favors with this whole situation. He came across looking like an entitled fool who's never been held accountable. I actually received the same penalty at a US Open Sectional because I got bad directions (I should've researched it more beforehand) from The Lakes to Brookside CC in Columbus. It's a horrible penalty to receive, but it was still 100% on me, the player.

On a similar note, I'm friends with his caddy, Austin, who got fired. He's a great guy. I haven't reached out to him yet because I wanted to let the dust settle, but I'll get the scoop soon enough.

Its been years since I played in any type of competitive event. But the idea that these guys don't head to the first tee area 1-2 two groups ahead of time is beyond me. I am sure at an event like the PGA there is a staging area when they go, greet their playing partners, exchange cards, etc. Just a dumb mistake and his response has been even dumber. This isn't your everyday tee time where coming in hot works.

On another note, this Bryson situation is fascinating me. I am a believer that he hired a PR firm/person to help repair his image, and it worked with his youtube channel. I also think he got rid of that PR person once he generated this much success, thinking he didn't need them anymore. Anyway when LIV was still viable, there was talk that Bryson was wroth 500M to that league. Now with LIV gone, and Bryson's game in the tank, he seems really wishy washy about wanting to rejoin the tour. I think there is some desire from the PGA brass to bring him back, but I don't think he is liked by the rank and file members. His whole "I could just youtube golf and play in the majors" was a nice bargaining chip when he had one, but his play is in the tank, his league is in the tank, I am fascinated to see how this ends.

[Redhook]

On another note, this Bryson situation is fascinating me. I am a believer that he hired a PR firm/person to help repair his image, and it worked with his youtube channel. I also think he got rid of that PR person once he generated this much success, thinking he didn't need them anymore. Anyway when LIV was still viable, there was talk that Bryson was wroth 500M to that league. Now with LIV gone, and Bryson's game in the tank, he seems really wishy washy about wanting to rejoin the tour. I think there is some desire from the PGA brass to bring him back, but I don't think he is liked by the rank and file members. His whole "I could just youtube golf and play in the majors" was a nice bargaining chip when he had one, but his play is in the tank, his league is in the tank, I am fascinated to see how this ends.

It's definitely fascinating and he lost all of his leverage. Youtube is a nice hobby, but he'll have to join a tour at some point or his world ranking points will drop significantly and his US Open exemption won't last forever. I would bet a lot that he'll rejoin the PGA Tour at some point next year and I think it'll be similar to the original offer that he was presented with earlier this year. Similar to Rahm and Koepka, he's very competitive alpha dog who lives for the biggest stages in golf.

[Chip R]

On another note, this Bryson situation is fascinating me. I am a believer that he hired a PR firm/person to help repair his image, and it worked with his youtube channel. I also think he got rid of that PR person once he generated this much success, thinking he didn't need them anymore. Anyway when LIV was still viable, there was talk that Bryson was wroth 500M to that league. Now with LIV gone, and Bryson's game in the tank, he seems really wishy washy about wanting to rejoin the tour. I think there is some desire from the PGA brass to bring him back, but I don't think he is liked by the rank and file members. His whole "I could just youtube golf and play in the majors" was a nice bargaining chip when he had one, but his play is in the tank, his league is in the tank, I am fascinated to see how this ends.

I believe you're right. Last year he was doing everything but kissing babies. And it was working.