PGA at Bellerive

[Kitaman]

Tiger is going to have to learn how to play Par 5's outside of Augusta as 3- shot birdie holes. Needs to play some rounds with Zach Johnson to manage that.
Tiger can't consistently bomb 330+ in fairways like these youngins'.
He can hit stinger off the tee, strategically hit second shot, stick a wedge and make birdie.
Tiger used to lap the field by obliterating Par 5's in ways no one else in the field could. No more.
He needs to convert from puncher to boxer.
His nerves were fine Sunday. He didn't have any putts Sunday like JT or even Koepka where he froze and spit the bit. He hit three great putts that golf gods didn't reward.

In his interviews upon returning he spoke of doing these things. He called it course management, admitting he can't bomb the ball like the young'uns. I think though his human side (physical) takes over the decision making on long par 5's and he just wants to bomb the hell out of it.

I have a golf buddy who knows he can't clear the water on a particular hole but every time he steps up to the tee, he thinks this time he can do it. That's the human side I'm referring to, that I suspect happens to all golfers. Especially if they have cleared it before, even if only once.

Tiger's driver is making him lose strokes, and subsequently money.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Tiger played the best round of golf I have ever watched by someone who couldn't hit a fairway. It really was amazing to watch.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Question from a golf nooby. Do the golfers use GPS while playing? Do the pins broadcast their locations?

The precision that Tiger had on his approach shots was amazing.

No, GPS and range finders they are not allowed during play. Players caddies walk the course earlier in the week, taking down yardages to hazards and other parts of the course. I believe they use laser range finders to do this as well.

 

[Hoophound]

I thought his inability to hit a fairway and still surge toward the lead was a tell tale sign that he’s almost back. He just wouldn’t cave and he was able to make one tough shot from the rough after another and gain ground.

His driver won’t ever be what it once was but he needs to start using it more. If he can stay healthy and start hitting fairways with his driver he’ll be a top 5 player again. It’s got to be so frustrating to come up just short when you are barely using your driver and can barely hit a fairway with an iron. He knows he could have scored so much better yesterday if he was just playing better off the tee, let alone the handful of putts that just barely missed dropping in the cup. So close.

 

[mauconnfan]

Question from a golf nooby. Do the golfers use GPS while playing? Do the pins broadcast their locations?

The precision that Tiger had on his approach shots was amazing.

They can't use any electronic devices at all. It's all work done by the caddie pre-tourney as well as the yardage books they receive. He was dead on with his short irons it was special. The only fart was on the 11th yesterday he had been so good and so precise with his 80 in and it flew a bit on him. His scrambling was special his putting yesterday even more so. Fun to watch, player/coach on the Ryder Cup will be too.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Bottom line is Tiger shot a 64, cannot do much better than that. Guess how many times he has shot a 64 or better on a Sunday at a major? Once, yesterday. Maybe he drives better, but putts worse, golf is weird like that.

 

[mauconnfan]

Bottom line is Tiger shot a 64, cannot do much better than that. Guess how many times he has shot a 64 or better on a Sunday at a major? Once, yesterday. Maybe he drives better, but putts worse, golf is weird like that.

Yeah but how many 66's has he had on a Sunday in a major prior on a par 72. - yesterday is a par 70 so it's relative. I'm really not sure I just ask.

But I agree, he had 8 1 putts early on and one that he missed on 1 was only a wrong turn. So hit fairways and miss putts next time can reverse, hell I get that from my own game.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Still waiting to see Sunday's numbers, but Saturday's were up 54% over last year's and highest since 2009.

The Tiger Effect is real. Real good for TV.


PGA Championship 2018: The Tiger Woods Effect is real, as television ratings are up 54 percent at Bellerive - Golf Digest

 

[Chin Diesel]

And for those who didn't like Bellrive as a venue, Koepka holding off a charging Tiger gives Bellrive a future championship. It gives a future championship a link back in time to an epic Sunday battle.

 

[superjohn]

Still waiting to see Sunday's numbers, but Saturday's were up 54% over last year's and highest since 2009.

The Tiger Effect is real. Real good for TV.


PGA Championship 2018: The Tiger Woods Effect is real, as television ratings are up 54 percent at Bellerive - Golf Digest

Lots of great young golfers today but Tiger is still golf. Golf fans still watch without Tiger, everyone watches with Tiger.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Yeah but how many 66's has he had on a Sunday in a major prior on a par 72. - yesterday is a par 70 so it's relative. I'm really not sure I just ask.

But I agree, he had 8 1 putts early on and one that he missed on 1 was only a wrong turn. So hit fairways and miss putts next time can reverse, hell I get that from my own game.

You are correct. Tiger shot a 65 in final round in 2002 Open July at Muirfield, par 71. He shot a 66 at the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale, par 72.

 

[mauconnfan]

You are correct. Tiger shot a 65 in final round in 2002 Open July at Muirfield, par 71. He shot a 66 at the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale, par 72.

Thanks I really didn't know. Isn't it amazing that they wouldn't explain that it actually ties his best Sunday round of 6 under but 64 is the best score by the numbers? Or would that take away from the moment, TV network thinking?

 

[jleves]

Thanks I really didn't know. Isn't it amazing that they wouldn't explain that it actually ties his best Sunday round of 6 under but 64 is the best score by the numbers? Or would that take away from the moment, TV network thinking?

Well, one school of thought is that it's easier to shoot 6 under when par is 72 than it is to shoot 6 under when it's 70. It's easier to gain a shot or two on extra par fives vs replacing 2 with par 4s. I have no problem with them saying it's his low round vs tying his low round to par.

 

[uconnfan68]

Tiger is going to have to learn how to play Par 5's outside of Augusta as 3- shot birdie holes. Needs to play some rounds with Zach Johnson to manage that.
Tiger can't consistently bomb 330+ in fairways like these youngins'.
He can hit stinger off the tee, strategically hit second shot, stick a wedge and make birdie.
Tiger used to lap the field by obliterating Par 5's in ways no one else in the field could. No more.
He needs to convert from puncher to boxer.
His nerves were fine Sunday. He didn't have any putts Sunday like JT or even Koepka where he froze and spit the bit. He hit three great putts that golf gods didn't reward.

There is no issue with his length off the tee... its the direction. In my opinion, he's overswinging that club to get out there with the kids. Only he knows for certain. And playing for birdies instead of eagles is usually a sound strategy.

 

[jleves]

I agree - he still has plenty of length off the tee to get to most par 5s in two that at least the top 1/3rd can get to. He definitely had the length to get to 17 yesterday with a good drive and he had to take the chance being two back. He wasn't going to win without going birdie birdie on the last two and best way to get a birdie on 17 is reach the green in two - with a great shot, he could go eagle birdie and put a ton of pressure on Koepka. That was his only play at that point on Sunday. He also had his so many good drives on the back nine that he had to go again - but I think the pressure put him back into the bad swing he had on the front nine.

If he had taken an iron off the tee and ended up with a par, everyone would be all over him for not trying to get to the green in two. Again, it was his only option at that point on Sunday.

 

[uconnfan68]

I agree - he still has plenty of length off the tee to get to most par 5s in two that at least the top 1/3rd can get to. He definitely had the length to get to 17 yesterday with a good drive and he had to take the chance being two back. He wasn't going to win without going birdie birdie on the last two and best way to get a birdie on 17 is reach the green in two - with a great shot, he could go eagle birdie and put a ton of pressure on Koepka. That was his only play at that point on Sunday. He also had his so many good drives on the back nine that he had to go again - but I think the pressure put him back into the bad swing he had on the front nine.

If he had taken an iron off the tee and ended up with a par, everyone would be all over him for not trying to get to the green in two. Again, it was his only option at that point on Sunday.

He hit the drive on 18 that he wanted on 17. He also 3-putted 17 for a par the day before. From about 20’ tops. Strokes come and strokes go.

 

[LIuconn]

Brooks didn't have a back 9 birdie putt longer than 10 feet until the 18th. If he jars a couple more it's a runaway. Both players left strokes out there

 

[Kitaman]

Remember too Tiger played the back nine Saturday (Round 3) par golf. No birdies, bogies but a couple of missed birdie putts and a makeable eagle putt. Hats off to Koepka he felt the ground shaking and played through it to win. That's clutch!

 

[mauconnfan]

Remember too Tiger played the back nine Saturday (Round 3) par golf. No birdies, bogies but a couple of missed birdie putts and a makeable eagle putt. Hats off to Koepka he felt the ground shaking and played through it to win. That's clutch!

Yeah good call. About Koepka, these majors he's won his mental game has been Tiger-esque unlike most other guys like DJ etc. As I said he continually puts his foot on the throat of his challengers and that's pretty impressive. He's a gamer no doubt.