PGATour Running Commentary - Aug 2020

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GPB

Either that or the players are just really good.

McLaren wrote:Who knew Cink won a PGAT event in 2020?

Yes, his first win since the Open in '09 wasnt it?

Matsy has this.

Poor Schauffle, he was mounting an awesome charge before 16. Hideki's decision making has been somewhat suspect, he should probably get a proper caddy!

Hidekis 4 iron on 15 was strange. He should’ve laid up.
Xander on 16 was equally strange. Was he in between clubs?

McLaren wrote:INW

How come you are getting the US commentary feed?

Red button on Sky, 15 and 16th holes.

On the CBS telecast, I don't think Poulter was shown one time today.

Mac-I typically ignore any soccer comments. I wouldn't know the context.

GPB wrote:On the CBS telecast, I don't think Poulter was shown one time today.  

GPB - On Sky they do a Red button feature whereby you can press the red button on your remote control and get access to - in the case of the Masters - Featured groups who you stay with all round - usually two groups, Amen Corner, 15th and 16th holes and "On the Range". The commentators are usually US with the odd international ex golfer. Sometimes I find it better than the general coverage. So you would see every player come through Amen Corner and the 15th/16th.

In normal PGA Tour events Sky take the PGA Twitter feed to show two featured groups before the main coverage starts.

Massive congrats to Hideki, thoroughly deserved winner and really should've been by a few more shots (understandably played 12, 16 and 18 very conservatively). Not sure what he was doing on 15, probably his worst iron shot of the week.

Schauffele and Spieth have to be a tad disappointed looking at the winning score being -10 and only a few shots back each.
Spieth was rubbish on the greens at the weekend (52nd of 54 to make the cut in strokes gained putting at the weekend), and obviously the triple on Thursday was a big mistake too.
Schauffele both played magnificently and incredibly sloppy. His run on 3, 4 and 5 was some really bad golf, particularly on 3 to bogey from 30 yards off that green after the drive and then on 5 to compound the bad drive by going over the back of the green into the bunker. Obviously 16 was also a disaster...does feel like it's not going to be long before he tucks one of these away though, six top 5's in 15 majors now is pretty ominous!

Zalatoris was very good all week, his ball striking is insanely good! Look forward to seeing him the rest of the PGA Tour season

The way everyone was playing would have suited an in form Tiger, exactly the chucking it away golf he would have pounced on.

Hideki had to be feeling the pressure more than his body language suggested because that was awful decision making from 13 through 15. A proper caddie would surely have helped. I can only assume that in both cases he played for a fade and double crossed it because you don't play a flat right to left shot into any greens on a hard AGNC. For the reasons Hideki demonstrated.

Rose fluked his Thursday round right? He did well to hang on for as long as he did but his short game was never going to bail him out for 3 days in a row.


Also, am I the only one not convinced by the Zalatoris hype? It's not like he his a newbie. I am sure he will have an ok time on the PGAT but with his putting he isn't going to be in the JT, Spieth, Morikawa, Schauffele league.

Mac - Jury still out for me on Zalatoris. Like Ricky and Sergio, his swing seems on the "whippy" side and I can imagine some consistency issues as he progresses. Still, I like his demeanor -- no slumping shoulders after missed shots like Bubba and Jordan.

The procession should have started earlier for HM, but XS made sure the event was his with his mistake on #16. Really poor judgement/execution on that tee ball.

Schauffle will be really kicking himself after his tee shot on 16 handed the tournament to Matsy with a nice little bow on top. I think a lot of the praise for/hype around Zalatoris is how he wasnt fazed at all by the occasion, despite his tender years. He has won a lot of new fans over the weekend.

inco

Thing is that Zalatoris was always the chasing, just taking a punt. He never had to play a shot while in the lead or with anything to lose.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:
Spieth was rubbish on the greens at the weekend (52nd of 54 to make the cut in strokes gained putting at the weekend)

GGIO, Where did you find Strokes Gained Rankings?

No laying up mentioned that stat yesterday. Not sure where they got it from.

GPB wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:
Spieth was rubbish on the greens at the weekend (52nd of 54 to make the cut in strokes gained putting at the weekend)

GGIO, Where did you find Strokes Gained Rankings?

Justin Ray had them in his article on the Athletic (it was actually 51st, not 52nd!)
https://theathletic.com/2512624/2021/04/11/2021-masters-hideki-matsuyama-jordan-spieth-xander-schauffele/

He was tweeting some out during the week too - a good follow on twitter I've found.

I quite like what I saw from Zalatoris, and the result at the US Open proved it was no fluke either I think. Not sure he'll be a dominant force in the game like some on twitter want to make out, but he looks like he can be a contender with his ball striking for sure. A potential dark horse for Whistling Straights perhaps?

Stewy Cink is playing some super golf. Shane Lowry is up there too, anyone think he will make the Ryder Cup team?!

incontinentia wrote:Stewy Cink is playing some super golf. Shane Lowry is up there too, anyone think he will make the Ryder Cup team?!

Sorry, no.

LadyPutt wrote:

incontinentia wrote:Stewy Cink is playing some super golf. Shane Lowry is up there too, anyone think he will make the Ryder Cup team?!

Sorry, no.

Not even with a Captain's pick from his good mate Padraig?

Is THIS STORY true? Getting rewarded for not what you do, but who you are? Hoping to ward of the PGL I suppose.

It’s as big a joke as the ESL. Non-merit based rewards. But new hope for Ishikawa.

pedro wrote:It’s as big a joke as the ESL. Non-merit based rewards. But new hope for Ishikawa.

As I said on the thread about this. I don't see the harm as long as everyone gets the chance to benefit from it. And if it does put an end to the PGL then all the better.

https://mobile.twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1385309514061148161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1385309514061148161%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-36677253551785919970.ampproject.net%2F2104081613001%2Fframe.html

incontinentia wrote:https://mobile.twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1385309514061148161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1385309514061148161%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-36677253551785919970.ampproject.net%2F2104081613001%2Fframe.html

Haha. They did pretty well though.

Prince Dracula is reported that 20% of the OWGR Top 50 are 25 yrs old or younger.

Morikawa, Viktor, Wolff, Zalatoris, Burns, Scheffler, Sungjae, Niemann, MacIntyre, SiWoo

there are about 16 more age 30 or younger.

Thomas, Berger, Spieth, Rahm, Xander, Carlos, Hughes, BDC, Reed, Fitz, Cantlay, Hideki, Cam Smith, Perez, Ancer,, Bezuidenhout,

GPB wrote:Prince Dracula is reported that 20% of the OWGR Top 50 are 25 yrs old or younger.

Morikawa, Viktor, Wolff, Zalatoris, Burns, Scheffler, Sungjae, Niemann, MacIntyre, SiWoo

there are about 16 more age 30 or younger.

Thomas, Berger, Spieth, Rahm, Xander, Carlos, Hughes, BDC, Reed, Fitz, Cantlay, Hideki, Cam Smith, Perez, Ancer,, Bezuidenhout,

Is this unusual? Seems proportionate enough to me.

I don't have the data, but I think it is trending younger over the last 10 year

Here is the Top 50 at Year End 2010.  I think 30 of the Top 50 were 31 yrs or older as opposed to 24 at this time.  Y denotes 30 yrs or Younger, N denotes older than 30

Spoiler:

Six (Rory, Rickie, Anthony Kim, Ryo, J-Day, and KT Kim) were age 25 or younger

Maybe a consequence of the increased athleticism of the game at the highest level.

Here's a nice vid on Tiger's 25 years on the pga tour. He's starting to look a bit like Earl.

I am hesitant to attribute every change in trends in golf over the last 25 years to Tiger Woods.

PGL, ESL and now SGL. Apparently the Saudis and the PGL have parted ways and now the Saudis are attempting to launch their own Super golf league.  

Read more about it here.

https://thefirepitcollective.com/super-golf-leage/

"Recent reports that the Premier Golf League is back from the dead has led to renewed rumblings that professional golf is facing a new world order, fueled by Saudi Arabian money. In fact, the situation is more nuanced. The PGL is still actively trying to create a viable competitor to the PGA and European Tours but it is not staked by Saudi money, as is widely believed. “They’re not our partners, they’re now our competitors,” says a PGL investor. After the idea for the PGL was born in 2019 there were advanced discussions with Golf Saudi to underwrite the all-star new tour. A deal was never consummated and now Saudi Arabia is making its own play with the Super Golf League. “They 100% stole our idea,” says the PGL investor, who hails from Europe."

Mac - It sure will be interesting to see what unfolds here. Curious to hear Robo's take on this. Hope he checks in now and then.

Bryson DeChambeau left the Wells Fargo Championship as he thought he was going to miss the cut. He was on his way home. When he left he was 2 over par and 75th. He ended up 64th. So he had to fly back in. Hasn't seen to be affecting him. He was -5 for his round when I last checked and up to 10th (although a lot of players hadn't teed off).

Enjoying the Walker Cup matches. Its unfortunate that is is plagued by a bout of food poisoning for most of the team members on both teams.

Seminole is a beautiful course.

Is Rory back?

pedro wrote:Is Rory back?

It would seem so, for now at least. Only if we see one of his patented hot streaks will we know he's truly back.

Nice win for Rory ... but a month too late as far as I'm concerned!

Rory in, not sh$f shock. Good to see him get the win. When he is in contention golf is so much better. (For ne anyway)

Been quite the year for guys "returning" to form so far - albeit I don't think Rory's woes were quite as bad as advertised.

From an English perspective, Matt Wallace has had a good month out there...popping up on leaderboards, just not quite put it together fully on the weekend yet. He's been absolutely flushing his irons, 3rd on the PGA tour in strokes gained approach this season...hopefully a "breakout" victory isn't far away.

Agree. Rory wasn't "out of it" to the extend Spieth was. And becoming a father is a valid excuse for not being at the top of his game. Still we always expect Rory to win or be in contention.

He seemed quite composed yesterday, although the drive in the hazard on 18 did surprise me. Listening to the pre shot conversation with the caddie it did seem like it was the caddie who talked him into taking a drop rather than trying to hit it back on the fairway (with the notable risk of hitting it in the drink). So in that respect Harry Diamond (or whatever his name is) did somewhat redeem himself and prove his worth, rather than just being a friend carrying the bag.

Rory is only back if he can out 4 rounds together in a major.

GPB wrote:Enjoying the Walker Cup matches.  Its unfortunate that is is plagued by a bout of food poisoning for most of the team members on both teams.

Seminole is a beautiful course.

Never saw any of it, the joys of not having Sky anymore. What happened to the Wiltshire kid Bolton, he got the call up from reserve and won his pairs match on Sat but I never saw his name Sunday at all, did he end up going down with the food poisoning too?

Pretty exciting finish to Walker Cup yesterday. Well played both sides.

A great match play course for sure.

Hope they get back to Pine Valley one of these days.

JAS wrote:

Never saw any of it, the joys of not having Sky anymore. What happened to the Wiltshire kid Bolton, he got the call up from reserve and won his pairs match on Sat but I never saw his name Sunday at all, did he end up going down with the food poisoning too?

alternate? Because of the stomach flu, the alternates could play at any time if either team needed them. So basically the 10 player squad turned into a 12 player squad. But if the original 10 could play, they got "first refusal"

GPB wrote:

JAS wrote:

Never saw any of it, the joys of not having Sky anymore. What happened to the Wiltshire kid Bolton, he got the call up from reserve and won his pairs match on Sat but I never saw his name Sunday at all, did he end up going down with the food poisoning too?

alternate?  Because of the stomach flu, the alternates could play at any time if either team needed them.  So basically the 10 player squad turned into a 12 player squad.  But if the original 10 could play, they got "first refusal"

Ah that must have been it then effectively a 12 man team. Does seem a bit odd that you bring in an alternative, he wins then the next day you put him back on the bench in favour of some poor guy who's been chucking his guts up for a couple of days. As the player, of course you'll want to get back out there but as the selector/Team captain?

As well as now being based in Florida on a scholarship Bolton was ranked higher than at least half the team. Incidentally he was the guy I mentioned back in Nov on another thread when the new handicap system came into being and he was given +7, be interesting to see what he does when he turns Pro.

I liked watching Angus Flanagan. Announcers compared him to Jack Russell Terrier. Gritty, Corey Pavin type. He played as fast as anyone I have seen playing at the highest level of the game. Matt Jones-esque.

Great win for Rory this past week. Glad to see him back in the winners circle. It was his 19th PGATour win, However the OWGR homepage is only crediting him with 12 PGATour wins, I guess they are attributing his 4 majors and 3 WGCs victories to his European Tour total only.

http://www.owgr.com/news/2021/may/week-19

Speaking of the European Tour, the last three events have been won by SAFFERS. (Garrick Higgo, Dean Burmester, and Garrick Higgo). And the last three events on the Challenge Tour have also been won by SAFFERS (Brandon Stone, JC Ritchie, Wilco Nienaber)

Rory's caddy is getting a bit over eulogised for one ok decision. It would be great if he can get Rory to make better course and game management decisions but until that point I don't think we can assume he is the best person for the job based on one pretty obvious call.

He is easily the best person for the job.

McLaren wrote:Rory's caddy is getting a bit over eulogised for one ok decision. It would be great if he can get Rory to make better course and game management decisions but until that point I don't think we can assume he is the best person for the job based on one pretty obvious call.

It wasn’t obvious for Rory.

Jon Rahm and Sung Kang were grouped together on Thu and Fri in the Nelson event.

Rahm got aggravated with Kang for doing some phantom putting strokes while Rahm was putting and also moving towards Rahm while Rahm was putting.

BTW....I am not sure if Kang realized it....but this behavior was patented by Ballesteros. I specifically remember Seve pulling this stunt in his Singles match with Tom Lehman in the 1995 Ryder Cup Singles and I remember him doing at the Masters as well.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=929805144486361

Looking forward to seeing Kiawah Island this week, lot of good build up to this event - hoping the wind blows and we see some carnage, do fear it might be a bit of a Bryson fest if it plays as long as reported

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Looking forward to seeing Kiawah Island this week, lot of good build up to this event - hoping the wind blows and we see some carnage, do fear it might be a bit of a Bryson fest if it plays as long as reported

Wonder if he's gonna call Kiawah a par 67? Gut feeling is he probably won't :-p

John Rahm has already mentioned that he found it long and hoped the organisers wouldn't put all the tees on the back. He also mentioned that Zach Johnson was taking woods/hybrids for a lot of his second shots. My kind of golf.