OT: Ryder Cup

[Chin Diesel]

But weather often does intervene at The Open.

Toughest major championship courses of past 25 years. Augusta ain't on it.

In this century (since 2000), 11 of the 19 Masters champs shot -10 or better. Same as the PGA. There's really no solid reason to keep Augusta as a majors course other than "tradition".

Yes, I like seeing pros have to deal with adversity.

I'm not worried about Augusta being the hardest. In 2017 Sergio won at -9 and Willett won in 2016 at -5.

That being said, I'm glad they bought the property to make #13 about 30 yards longer. Need to remove ability to hit over the corner. If someone like Bubba wants to hit a 40 yard bender to get around corner, that is skill. Hitting over top of trees is technology. Added length should make most second shots in to 13 over 200 yards which makes it harder to get ball to stop on correct part of green. Hopefully it makes the hole about a quarter to half shot more difficult.

Shinnecock is my bucket list course but USGA over did it this year. Could have let the course be as is and winning score would be about -6. No shame on that. USGA has been upost courses last decade. They made Pinehurst in to a crappy Muni. Only course that held their own as is were Merion and Oakmont.

 

[storrsroars]

I'm not worried about Augusta being the hardest. In 2017 Sergio won at -9 and Willett won in 2016 at -5.

That being said, I'm glad they bought the property to make #13 about 30 yards longer. Need to remove ability to hit over the corner. If someone like Bubba wants to hit a 40 yard bender to get around corner, that is skill. Hitting over top of trees is technology. Added length should make most second shots in to 13 over 200 yards which makes it harder to get ball to stop on correct part of green. Hopefully it makes the hole about a quarter to half shot more difficult.

Shinnecock is my bucket list course but USGA over did it this year. Could have let the course be as is and winning score would be about -6. No shame on that. USGA has been -ing upost courses last decade. They made Pinehurst in to a crappy Muni. Only course that held their own as is were Merion and Oakmont.

Merion is probably out of the future rotation due to logistics. Players were freaking out last time about the access, lack of decent hotels nearby and overall lack of infrastructure that other major venues have. Which is weird, IMO, as there's plenty of hotels and homes for rent in nearby King of Prussia and on the Main Line. But it is not a great venue for fans. It's not like Oakmont is on a heavily traveled road and there's even fewer hotels nearby out there - pretty much have to stay in Pittsburgh proper (and I've done the commute... it's a good 40 minutes from downtown).

Will be interested in seeing how The Country Club does in 2020. Last time they played a US Open there was 1963 and +9 was the winning score.

 

[The X Man]

Merion is probably out of the future rotation due to logistics. Players were freaking out last time about the access, lack of decent hotels nearby and overall lack of infrastructure that other major venues have. Which is weird, IMO, as there's plenty of hotels and homes for rent in nearby King of Prussia and on the Main Line. But it is not a great venue for fans. It's not like Oakmont is on a heavily traveled road and there's even fewer hotels nearby out there - pretty much have to stay in Pittsburgh proper (and I've done the commute... it's a good 40 minutes from downtown).

Will be interested in seeing how The Country Club does in 2020. Last time they played a US Open there was 1963 and +9 was the winning score.

it's 2022 and did you miss the 1988 US Open? Curtis Strange beat Faldo in a playoff after being tied at -6.

 

[storrsroars]

it's 2022 and did you miss the 1988 US Open? Curtis Strange beat Faldo in a playoff after being tied at -6.

Yep, missed it. Thanks for the correction.

I'd still like to see them play on this as long as they're coming to Mass

 

[LIuconn]

Patty Reed doing his best to explain in the media today why no one wants to play with Patty Reed...ever...

 

[The Funster]

Heard on FAN that the US had an opportunity to play the course a week before the Ryder Cup and not one guy on the team took the opportunity.

 

[LIuconn]

Not sure about that, most were playing in the Tour Championship in Georgia. They had 2 years to familiarize themselves with the course. It's not difficult to zip down to Paris from England/Scotland as they're prepping for the British, or even go play the French Open at the course.

I get that it's an exhibition and all, but if they did care about the Ryder Cup as much as they say, more guys would have played the French Open, sent their caddies or played before/after the British Open.

I think only Justin Thomas played the French.

Kudos to the Europeans for selecting a course and setting it up to their strengths. They couldn't get into a long drive contest and they made sure it wouldn't be. And WTF was Furyk doing with some of his partnerships? Tiger was clearly drained - no sense in trotting him out 4 matches.

 

[LIuconn]

Last time they played a US Open there was 1963 and +9 was the winning score.

I think they'll be just fine. Today's game is jusssst a tad different than 1963

 

[uconnfan68]

Yep, missed it. Thanks for the correction.

I'd still like to see them play on this as long as they're coming to Mass

Played it, but they wouldn’t let us go to those tees. Not that I would have.

 

[uconnfan68]

Heard on FAN that the US had an opportunity to play the course a week before the Ryder Cup and not one guy on the team took the opportunity.

Most were in the FedEx. Not a free week.

 

[Jaker]

and Tiger was whored out after his big win, making it rain takes effort

 

[storrsroars]

Played it, but they wouldn’t let us go to those tees. Not that I would have.

What's crazy about that course is even from the green tees, which is a length less than 5800 yds, the slope rating is still 132.

So how'd you do?

 

[Chin Diesel]

More rumors of US clubhouse disharmony.

Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Paulina Gretzky and others reportedly separated at Ryder Cup party; Koepka's representation refutes story

DJ, Brooks and their GF's.

 

[Robertelamin]

More rumors of US clubhouse disharmony.

Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Paulina Gretzky and others reportedly separated at Ryder Cup party; Koepka's representation refutes story

DJ, Brooks and their GF's.

They should have replaced DJ and Koepka with Matt Kuchar and Tim Tebow.

 

[jibsey]

Winning majors is what defines a golfers career, it ain’t the Ryder Cup. The last time I looked the Masters was a major. There isn’t a pro golfer alive that would trade a Masters win for a Ryder Cup. Turning golf into a team sport is fine but the interest doesn’t seem to be there compared to majors. I bet the ratings prove that.

 

[CAHUSKY]

. There isn’t a pro golfer alive that would trade a Masters win for a Ryder Cup. Turning golf into a team sport is fine but the interest doesn’t seem to be there compared to majors. I bet the ratings prove that.

Quick search shows that’s true in 2018. 12.8 v. 4.3

 

[storrsroars]

Winning majors is what defines a golfers career, it ain’t the Ryder Cup. The last time I looked the Masters was a major. There isn’t a pro golfer alive that would trade a Masters win for a Ryder Cup. Turning golf into a team sport is fine but the interest doesn’t seem to be there compared to majors. I bet the ratings prove that.

But that has zero to do with my point that the Masters is a manufactured for TV B.S. tourney that doesn't test true golf skill and that the golf industry could create a better tournament on a better course for a "major" tournament. That the Masters gets high ratings is only an indication to me how readily the golf-viewing public is suckered into looking at how pretty the flowers are and how envious they are that they aren't wealthy enough to go play on such an expensive carpet. It has everything to do with production values and little to do with actual golf. The folks who run Augusta are brilliant in how they control what CBS does (cue Gary McCord).

Also, you can't compare Ryder Cup ratings in years it's played in Europe simply due to the early morning time window. As it was, RC produced Golf Channel's biggest ratings ever. When played in the US, the RC is usually 5th or 6th in viewership among all televised golf tourneys (behind majors, TPC Sawgrass and sometimes Pebble Beach).

 

[Waquoit]

But that has zero to do with my point that the Masters is a manufactured for TV B.S. tourney that doesn't test true golf skill and that the golf industry could create a better tournament on a better course for a "major" tournament.

The Masters is great. And the "golf industry" has already created what they hoped to be a "better tournament on a better course" with the Players Championship. They been calling it the 5th major for years and nobody cares.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Masters is my favorite major.

 

[storrsroars]

The Masters is great. And the "golf industry" has already created what they hoped to be a "better tournament on a better course" with the Players Championship. They been calling it the 5th major for years and nobody cares.

That's an easy fix: Make TPC the first major and drop the Masters from the majors rotation. As long as Augusta is in the rotation, it'll be among the highest rated tournaments. And as long as it's the first one - and the shortest program window since only the back nine are televised - it'll be the highest rated.

Drop it out of the rotation and it becomes just another tourney on a nice course. It's only a Major because in the early 60s they paid out the most prize money, so Arnie called it one of the top four tourneys and it became a Major. Not much more to it than that.

It'll never happen of course because The Masters gets the biggest ratings. Which simply points to how much marketing/packaging influences the casual TV sports viewer. It's simply not a great test of golf skill, however. Very pretty though.

 

[Waquoit]

That's an easy fix: Make TPC the first major and drop the Masters from the majors rotation. As long as Augusta is in the rotation, it'll be among the highest rated tournaments. And as long as it's the first one - and the shortest program window since only the back nine are televised - it'll be the highest rated.

Drop it out of the rotation and it becomes just another tourney on a nice course. It's only a Major because in the early 60s they paid out the most prize money, so Arnie called it one of the top four tourneys and it became a Major. Not much more to it than that.

It'll never happen of course because The Masters gets the biggest ratings. Which simply points to how much marketing/packaging influences the casual TV sports viewer. It's simply not a great test of golf skill, however. Very pretty though.

You're trying to fix a problem that exists only in your head.

 

[storrsroars]

You're trying to fix a problem that exists only in your head.

I'm like that.

I can't make this analogy w/o bringing in politics, so this might earn me a point, but if The Masters were a presidential candidate, it would be Trump.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Turning golf into a team sport is fine but the interest doesn’t seem to be there compared to majors. I bet the ratings prove that.

I'm the exact opposite of your post. The Ryder Cup is normally my favorite golf event, though this year's team lacked any kind of fire or desire, or so it seemed. Real lackluster affair. On a positive note, it made me feel better about my putting "skills". British Open and US Open are my favorite majors.

 

[jibsey]

I'm like that.

I can't make this analogy w/o bringing in politics, so this might earn me a point, but if The Masters were a presidential candidate, it would be Trump.

I like where you're going here with the knock but 200 years from now it will still be the Masters on the same course. Remember when they angled for a 5th Major? Well is it a major? No it is not.

 

[storrsroars]

I like where you're going here with the knock but 200 years from now it will still be the Masters on the same course. Remember when they angled for a 5th Major? Well is it a major? No it is not.

200 years from now it'll be underwater