OT: Golf - US Open 2019

[AAC Guru]

Sned

 

[Danzz]

Speith gets together for an upset win.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Crap. At least two days of "Can Rickie finally win a major" articles and stories to deal with before he peters out over the weekend.

 

[uconnfan68]

Speith gets together for an upset win.

Swing and a miss. Poor kid can’t figure out which side to fail on. Uses both.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Fox interviewing Johnny Miller.

Miller spends 2 minutes explaining how difficult the Par 3 12th hole is to hit the green. Finishes off his analysis with an oh by the way "I got a hole in one here in back to back rounds".

 

[UconnU]

Swing and a miss. Poor kid can’t figure out which side to fail on. Uses both.

He’s getting crushed on social media for blaming his caddie for his poor play. I guess the US Open has him mic’d up.

Also want to mention itt the US Open and Fox do a great job with the coverage of this event every year. It’s all streamable for free on the us open website and the fox coverage has been really good since they took over, its much more viewer friendly now with the ball trackers and cool overhead shots and capturing player dialog.

 

[Chin Diesel]

He’s getting crushed on social media for blaming his caddie for his poor play. I guess the US Open has him mic’d up.

Also want to mention itt the US Open and Fox do a great job with the coverage of this event every year. It’s all streamable for free on the us open website and the fox coverage has been really good since they took over, its much more viewer friendly now with the ball trackers and cool overhead shots and capturing player dialog.

He blamed the caddie for yardage numbers.

On 8, which is a long iron or hybrid, he drove it off the fairway over the cliff. After dropping his flushed his iron and sailed the green. On both shots Spieth nailed his shots but he hit it the wrong distance.

Player always has final say and Spieth and his caddie have been together for a long time, but, if you are going to loop for a player who takes your word as a caddie as gospel, you better be right.

 

[Conndog]

I don't know about Fox coverage being great, maybe I'm used to how CBS or other networks do it, I do like their quiet understated approach- but I can't stand Joe Buck and the stupid statistics/constant info he spews out all the time.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Good news is every player worthy of coverage shot a +2 or better.
Course was ripe for good numbers and everyone did their job.
Need some sun and a bit more breeze and all of a sudden 70 is a great score.

 

[LIuconn]

These players are coddled and soft. They want specific conditions (soft and predictable, grass at a certain length) at every tournament. US open isn’t any stop, but I worry the USGA is giving in.

 

[uconngb]

He’s getting crushed on social media for blaming his caddie for his poor play. I guess the US Open has him mic’d up.

Also want to mention itt the US Open and Fox do a great job with the coverage of this event every year. It’s all streamable for free on the us open website and the fox coverage has been really good since they took over, its much more viewer friendly now with the ball trackers and cool overhead shots and capturing player dialog.

Fox golf coverage is HORRENDOUS. By far the worst of the major networks. Every other major is also available to stream for free....not sure which rock you've been living under. But Fox covering golf is like Mad magazine covering a presidential election. It just makes no sense and they have no idea what they're doing.

 

[Bezzz]

How about the amateur Hovland right out of Oklahoma State playing to a -2 along side Koepka? Love watching him, plays with a smile on his face and looks like he's having the most fun ever.

 

[Chin Diesel]

These players are coddled and soft. They want specific conditions (soft and predictable, grass at a certain length) at every tournament. US open isn’t any stop, but I worry the USGA is giving in.

IDK.

USGA screwed up big time selecting Chambers Bay and Erin Hills as courses. And then they compounded it by not knowing how to prep the course for a tournament.
Shinnecock was such a mess last year none of the last 40+ players to tee off on Saturday broke par. You can't even use the "they all played the same course" line because the Saturday morning groupings played entirely different conditions due to course set up. Even the R&A knows you have to account for weather changes throughout the day.
Pebble was fine yesterday. Much like 99%+ of courses out there when there is cloud coverage and high humidity, players are going to shoot mid-60''s. That is just reality with today's equipment and player size and swing speed.
Leaderboard is fine, greens looked like they held up well through yesterday afternoon. Should be a good weekend.

 

[Tuna]

IDK.

USGA screwed up big time selecting Chambers Bay and Erin Hills as courses. And then they compounded it by not knowing how to prep the course for a tournament.
Shinnecock was such a mess last year none of the last 40+ players to tee off on Saturday broke par. You can't even use the "they all played the same course" line because the Saturday morning groupings played entirely different conditions due to course set up. Even the R&A knows you have to account for weather changes throughout the day.
Pebble was fine yesterday. Much like 99%+ of courses out there when there is cloud coverage and high humidity, players are going to shoot mid-60''s. That is just reality with today's equipment and player size and swing speed.
Leaderboard is fine, greens looked like they held up well through yesterday afternoon. Should be a good weekend.

What was wrong with Erin Hills?

 

[mauconnfan]

Greens were accepting shots from deep rough and spinning highly unusual. Don't think there will be much change in the acceptance of shots for the remainder but the key is the wind anyway at Pebble. They had little to nothing all day, a bit in the afternoon even showed slightly what it can do. Brad faction said lots or spring rain there gives them little chance of getting all the moisture out they need to really firm them up.

The leader only hit 9 greens but also only had 22 putts - 14 one putts tremendous improvement in Rose's game anyway. He was like 140th last year and is now 11th on the tour. But the fact is he may hit the ball better off the tee and approach shots and still not shoot close to 65. How did Tiger shoot 1 under he was awful. The best grinder in the history of the game for sure, an amazing score for the iron game he had. He hit it ok off the tee minus the par 3 duck hook which he was lucky to get a double and not go OB. Was impressed with the Norwegian from OK ST who will turn pro at the Travelers next weekend. Molinari quietly played really well and missed a couple 3 footers which won't happen again, think he's in it for the remainder. Should be a fun weekend hope the winds make their way and create some havoc.

Buck is awful, FOX is pretty awful overall so I really hate the fact they get the US Open just a bad fit for a great weekend of golf.

 

[Chin Diesel]

What was wrong with Erin Hills?

Problem with Erin Hills is the US Open was the aberration of a wide open course with little rough and penalty for errant drives with no wind, is the only data point we have for it as a championship level course.
The course was set up to be a quasi links style course with whipping winds being a defense against length. Winds died down and the course had no defense. There isn't any nuance or characteristic that requires an exceptional skill level to separate yourself from the pack.
It's not that Koepka finished -16, it was the total number of golfers who turned it in to a weekly TPC course.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Greens were accepting shots from deep rough and spinning highly unusual. Don't think there will be much change in the acceptance of shots for the remainder but the key is the wind anyway at Pebble. They had little to nothing all day, a bit in the afternoon even showed slightly what it can do. Brad faction said lots or spring rain there gives them little chance of getting all the moisture out they need to really firm them up.

The leader only hit 9 greens but also only had 22 putts - 14 one putts tremendous improvement in Rose's game anyway. He was like 140th last year and is now 11th on the tour. But the fact is he may hit the ball better off the tee and approach shots and still not shoot close to 65. How did Tiger shoot 1 under he was awful. The best grinder in the history of the game for sure, an amazing score for the iron game he had. He hit it ok off the tee minus the par 3 duck hook which he was lucky to get a double and not go OB. Was impressed with the Norwegian from OK ST who will turn pro at the Travelers next weekend. Molinari quietly played really well and missed a couple 3 footers which won't happen again, think he's in it for the remainder. Should be a fun weekend hope the winds make their way and create some havoc.

Buck is awful, FOX is pretty awful overall so I really hate the fact they get the US Open just a bad fit for a great weekend of golf.

Rose's putter definitely is the reason for the score he posted. An average day of putting puts him at 68-69. He was masterful.

Heard this morning on the radio that Pebble redid the poa annua greens recently with a newer strain which grows much more evenly. So, even if the greens get furry they will be more uniformly furry than in previous opens.

Putts will still go offline due to the small size of greens and amount of foot traffic near the pins. I must have seen 20 putts for par from the same spot on #8 from players who missed the green left. With a right pin placement and a left to right slope on the green, every chip from above the hole settled 8'-10' below the hole with an uphill putt for par.

 

[cohenzone]

Crap. At least two days of "Can Rickie finally win a major" articles and stories to deal with before he peters out over the weekend.

I can think of lots worse things to be than the best golfer never to win a major. The guy even gets to do commercials without having to win another tournament.

 

[freescooter]

Erin Hills was a disaster and Chambers was too. A few years ago the USGA decided to widen fairways and lessen rough under the guise of “ returning the course to its original condition”. So they took an event that was about hitting fairways and center of the green and making par and turned it into the Joe the Plumber invitational. The good news is that the players don’t complain. Why should they? It’s just the usual “hit it and git it” they play every week. No real strategy. No particular skill beyond hitting booming drives. Back in the day the USGA planted a freakin’ tree between rounds because too many guys were cutting a corner on a Pat 5. Total change in philosophy sine the days of Sandy Tatum who believed that Par should be the result of great play not a meaningless number.

 

[uconnfan68]

He blamed the caddie for yardage numbers.

On 8, which is a long iron or hybrid, he drove it off the fairway over the cliff. After dropping his flushed his iron and sailed the green. On both shots Spieth nailed his shots but he hit it the wrong distance.

Player always has final say and Spieth and his caddie have been together for a long time, but, if you are going to loop for a player who takes your word as a caddie as gospel, you better be right.

Caddy says 258 to end of cliff. Golfer should have a clue what clubs won’t go that far.

 

[Excalibur]

I can think of lots worse things to be than the best golfer never to win a major. The guy even gets to do commercials without having to win another tournament.

Plus, he has this to comfort him when he loses . . .

 

[mauconnfan]

Caddy says 258 to end of cliff. Golfer should have a clue what clubs won’t go that far.

No huh. I have a clue and I play once a week (maybe twice but not everyone knows that lol) and hit the range twice a year. It's not the caddies fault and honestly his whining makes him less of a favorite all the time.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Caddy says 258 to end of cliff. Golfer should have a clue what clubs won’t go that far.

No huh. I have a clue and I play once a week (maybe twice but not everyone knows that lol) and hit the range twice a year. It's not the caddies fault and honestly his whining makes him less of a favorite all the time.

I was casually watching when he hit it through the fairway and over the cliff. I was either getting dinner or mixing a drink. Regardless I saw Tiger's ball finish 30-40 yards short of the runoff.

When I watched the TV replay of the tee shot, it did seem like Spieth's ball really caught a groove and kept rolling whereas other tee shots seemed to check up in the fairway a bit more. Also don't remember if Spieth hit hybrid vice iron off the tee.

The 3rd shot in to the green I think is where Spieth was given a bad number. He hit his iron clean and was 2-3 clubs too long on that shot. And pros generally know if they gassed a shot or hit a good shot the wrong distance.

I'm not a big fan of "team Spieth". It always goes back to the golfer taking ownership of the number. Many of us remember Bubba sawing in to his caddy about 5-6 years ago after a bad number from his caddy on 16 at the Travelers. Caddies gotta have thick skin.

Wrapping it all up, it appears Spieth didn't know himself what the numbers were to the green from the edge of the cliff.

 

[cohenzone]

Plus, he has this to comfort him when he loses . . .

View attachment 43865

She looks just like my wife 50 years ago. I also never won a major, or a minor, but everyone used to try and hit on my wife. For real, 50th anniversary party tomorrow.

 

[UconnU]

Tiger on the prowl, eyeing this course up like its a Denny’s waitress working an overnight shift.