PGATour Running Commentary January 2022

First topic message reminder :

Happy New Year.  After a nearly a year and half, its time for a new thread.

39 ofthe 40 Players eligible to play Sentry ToC are playing.  Only one missing is Rory McIlroy.

ralphjohn69 wrote:Who's going to win the Open then?  Anybody going?  Anybody care?!

Tiger and I care a lot.

Davie wrote:-35 winning score. Any advance on that?

I'm going for -22

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

ralphjohn69 wrote:Who's going to win the Open then?  Anybody going?  Anybody care?!

The Old Course looks baked and firm - I think the likes of Spieth/Cam Smith will go well this week. Rory seems the heavy betting favourite, but I am not seeing that this week for him. Who do you fancy Ralph?

Rahm or Oosthuizen would be my picks, if I was a betting man! There's a bit of breeze forecast so don't think they'll go spectacularly low, somewhere about -12 to -14 would be my guess.

4th and final trip to the bookies this year - Picks are Zalatoris, Horschel, JT, Sam Burns and "local" boy Bob McIntyre.

Fat Shane hitting wedge into 17 today and Rahm reaching 18 with a 2 iron. The R&A must be looking for the toughest pins on each green or this course is going to get walloped.

McLaren wrote:

ralphjohn69 wrote:Who's going to win the Open then?  Anybody going?  Anybody care?!

Tiger and I care a lot.

Got a ticket for Saturday, bit I don't know if I can be arsed, it's really boring to watch at TOC and it's full of FKW's in their golf gear.

R and A tacitly admitting The Old Course is too easy by setting up 18 Mickey mouse pins.

Saw a a few shots so far and it looks like the R and A have chickened out an kept the greens pretty soft. Should have let them bake out and made it impossible to full toss it onto the them.

McLaren wrote:Saw a a few shots so far and it looks like the R and A have chickened out an kept the greens pretty soft. Should have let them bake out and made it impossible to full toss it onto the them.

Really hope a LIV player wins. BBC would be raging

No-one seems to be running away with it at the moment. Several players on 4 under at best. Very little wind from what I can see out of my kitchen window!

LadyPutt wrote:No-one seems to be running away with it at the moment. Several players on 4 under at best. Very little wind from what I can see out of my kitchen window!

Bit of a change now LP

super_realist wrote:R and A tacitly admitting The Old Course is too easy by setting up 18 Mickey mouse pins.

The pin on 13 today is ridiculous

Nine Chins looking completely finished as a golfer.

Raining a fair bit today already - course going to soften up, and presumably scores will go even lower

super_realist wrote:Nine Chins looking completely finished as a golfer.

That means he’s ready for the LIV Tour…

C'mon Rory. Finish the job.

[quote="Good Golly I'm Olly"]Raining a fair bit today already - course going to soften up, and presumably scores will go even lower[/quote
Ha ha. The course will not soften up. I was there yesterday, and it will take a monsoon. It is baked.

So, as I type this Rory has lost the lead. Actually better stated that Cam Smith grabbed the lead. What a birdie fest. Road hole could be decisive.

Cameron Smith was playing video game golf, never seen anything like it. -20 to win the Open Championship. The stuff of legend. Only the second player after Nicklaus to the Open and Players in the same year. Incredible. Even with that weird hairstyle…

Rory, Rory, Rory…keeps getting close but not getting the W…this one will hurt a lot.
Supposedly Rory is the only player to have led after 54 holes, hit every GIR in his final - not to win the tournament...crazy.

Yeah a lot of stats. But one thing is for sure: Cam Smith has got the worst hair in golf.

Smith's strokes gained putting was over 4 strokes better than Rory's today (who was -2 strokes gained putting on the greens). Smith was incredible on the greens and Rory just didn't make anything outside of the gimmies.

A back nine 30 to win a major is incredible - what a round and win by Smith

#guttedforrory

Well done Cam Smith. Some up and down on 17 and a heck of a first putt on 18.

Incredible round from Cam, the stuff of dreams.

It looks like he's set to join LIV at some point. Marc Leishman and Adam Scott too. Its also being reported that Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson is to join LIV, imagine the fallout if that happens!!

super_realist wrote:

McLaren wrote:Saw a a few shots so far and it looks like the R and A have chickened out an kept the greens pretty soft. Should have let them bake out and made it impossible to full toss it onto the them.

Really hope a LIV player wins. BBC would be raging

Seems like you have got your wish.

The run of majors this year was really good - some fantastic golf and entertainment, and great winners across the board.

But, already within 12 hours of that final putt going down, the unrelenting LIV news cycle has begun again and it seems we're back to the continued fractions and divides in the professional game, for the next what 6-9 months until Augusta?

All a bit sad really - I just keep coming back to the thought that the game is basically going to be truly watchable in the four majors each year, and week to week golf will render itself unwatchable for fans (the LIV format/product is bad and not entertaining in my opinion, and the PGA Tour seems set on making themselves a big loser in all this too).

so going into the final day with a 4 shot lead (over Smith) and hitting 18 greens in reg (well 16 + 2 in under reg). It's all over surely...nope, an astonishing final round from Smith with the jug on the line.

Does Rory need to see a putting coach or a sports psychologist?? I don't think there was anything wrong wrong with his putting but 16 missed birdie putts and 2 missed eagle putts tells a different story. On a different day half of those could have dropped and he'd have been out of sight. You could easily pick 3 that most certainly SHOULD have been made at that level but they weren't and them the breaks.

In those conditions, and on that easy a course, even with tricky pins, 70 is an atrocious score.
Three round Rory strikes again. Excellent from Lord Flasheart though. Incredible golf under the circumstances.

Playing it tomorrow, so get to play tournament pins.

super_realist wrote:In those conditions, and on that easy a course, even with tricky pins, 70 is an atrocious score.
Three round Rory strikes again. Excellent from Lord Flasheart though. Incredible golf under the circumstances.

Playing it  tomorrow, so get to play tournament pins.

Lucky you!

I dont know too much about how hard or easy the course is, but there certainly seem to be a lot of par 4s under 400 yards which you'd think would play into Rory's hands. I think McIlroy would've taken -2 at the start of the day, and certainly wouldn't have been realistically expecting the kind of score that Cam Smith produced. Super looking at the scores from yesterday I dont think 70 is anywhere near as bad as you are making out.

JAS wrote:
Does Rory need to see a putting coach or a sports psychologist??

He works with Brad Faxon and Bob Rotella.

incontinentia wrote:

super_realist wrote:In those conditions, and on that easy a course, even with tricky pins, 70 is an atrocious score.
Three round Rory strikes again. Excellent from Lord Flasheart though. Incredible golf under the circumstances.

Playing it  tomorrow, so get to play tournament pins.

Lucky you!

I dont know too much about how hard or easy the course is, but there certainly seem to be a lot of par 4s under 400 yards which you'd think would play into Rory's hands. I think McIlroy would've taken -2 at the start of the day, and certainly wouldn't have been realistically expecting the kind of score that Cam Smith produced. Super looking at the scores from yesterday I dont think 70 is anywhere near as bad as you are making out.

It is a bad score when you hit 18 greens in regulation as Rory did. That translates to roughly 34 putts based on 70, so he clearly putted poorly.
Rory would certainly expect someone in the chasing pack could quite easily shoot 64 based on conditions.

McLaren wrote:

JAS wrote:
Does Rory need to see a putting coach or a sports psychologist??

He works with Brad Faxon and Bob Rotella.

Ok I'll turn it round...which one of those 2 does he need to bin :-p

super_realist wrote:

incontinentia wrote:

super_realist wrote:In those conditions, and on that easy a course, even with tricky pins, 70 is an atrocious score.
Three round Rory strikes again. Excellent from Lord Flasheart though. Incredible golf under the circumstances.

Playing it  tomorrow, so get to play tournament pins.

Lucky you!

I dont know too much about how hard or easy the course is, but there certainly seem to be a lot of par 4s under 400 yards which you'd think would play into Rory's hands. I think McIlroy would've taken -2 at the start of the day, and certainly wouldn't have been realistically expecting the kind of score that Cam Smith produced. Super looking at the scores from yesterday I dont think 70 is anywhere near as bad as you are making out.

It is a bad score when you hit 18 greens in regulation as Rory did. That translates to roughly 34 putts based on 70, so he clearly putted poorly.
Rory would certainly expect someone in the chasing pack could quite easily shoot 64 based on conditions.

-4 would have been an excellent score as a front runner, but that would've only got Mac into a playoff. I think it just wasn't his day.

All Rory needed to do was remove the hope for the chasing pack, which in reality was as simple as holing a couple more 5-10 footers. He birdies another of the holes from 1-7 and holes that 8 footer on 9 and it is all over. The adrenaline and intensity would have been sucked from the Cameron's and no one makes 5 birdies in a row.

Having said that he could still have won it had he chipped and putted better on 12 and 14. Although it wasn't a shock when he didn't work out how much better being long on 14 was.

In some mitigation it must have felt like it went wrong for him pretty quickly. He would have been feeling ok coming off 10 and be the 15th tee it was all over without having made a bogey. Although he was bleeding shots to the field all day which I am not sure he was aware of.

Not birdieing two of 9, 14 and 18 is inexcusable.

Cam Smith made some clutch putts, Rory didn’t. 6 shot swing there you go.

The only birdies Rory made on Sunday were two putt birdies.

He had some short irons in but simply could not put them close.

August(a) just around the corner.

Almost 9 months to the next major is far too long IMO

Another big name leaving for the LIV: David Faherty…

pedro wrote:Almost 9 months to the next major is far too long IMO

Is there anything golf could do to rectify this? Does feel a bit strange to cram all four of your majors into a circa 100 day period, then leave the majority of the year without any major golf. On some levels it does make them feel a bit more special, but on the other you could argue what golf is there for a casual fan to really get into now until 2023...?

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

pedro wrote:Almost 9 months to the next major is far too long IMO

Is there anything golf could do to rectify this? Does feel a bit strange to cram all four of your majors into a circa 100 day period, then leave the majority of the year without any major golf. On some levels it does make them feel a bit more special, but on the other you could argue what golf is there for a casual fan to really get into now until 2023...?

Move the majors around a bit and not have them in the USA as much. You could have 2 majors in the northern hemisphere from April - July, and 2 in the southern hemisphere from September - December. If they really want to grow the game this would be a good way of doing it also.

incontinentia wrote:Move the majors around a bit and not have them in the USA as much. You could have 2 majors in the northern hemisphere from April - July, and 2 in the southern hemisphere from September - December. If they really want to grow the game this would be a good way of doing it also.

How do you reconcile the above with the fact that The Masters is always played at Augusta, The Open in the UK, the US Open and the PGA are run by US organisations?

What would be better and has been suggested before and elsewhere is that the World Golf Championships move around the globe. The hint is in the name of the series.

The best solution for developing the game would be:
The Masters/US Open alternate
Open Championship
Bin the US PGA
One major in Australia
One major in South Africa or Asia.

Don’t see why America has the right to host 3 events.

I'm never wrong wrote:

incontinentia wrote:Move the majors around a bit and not have them in the USA as much. You could have 2 majors in the northern hemisphere from April - July, and 2 in the southern hemisphere from September - December. If they really want to grow the game this would be a good way of doing it also.

How do you reconcile the above with the fact that The Masters is always played at Augusta, The Open in the UK, the US Open and the PGA are run by US organisations?

What would be better and has been suggested before and elsewhere is that the World Golf Championships move around the globe. The hint is in the name of the series.

Maybe a 5th major that is located in a wildcard country every year? Th US Open should take place in America, but I dont think the PGA needs to, they could play it internationally if the will was there.

WGCs are nice but nowhere near the prestige and excitement of the majors.

An Australian major would be good. Also don't see why The Open has to be in British Isles, especially as they are so adamant it's The Open and not the British Open

I think the major most 'at risk' (and in some ways least at risk given the prestige of the green coats) is Augusta.

LIV might be wise to host an event that exact same weekend with the largest possible payout. That would really put a dent into things.

Agree the PGA should trot the globe.

With all the players defecting the ET and PGAT I think we will see the Players Championship, and maybe the WGC’s, lose in status. On the other hand there are rumours that LIV players will play more on the Asian Tour if LIV tournaments aren’t awarded OWGR points. Bottom line is that it could open the doors for new big tournaments co-sanctioned by the LIV, Asian and Aussie Tours, or elevate the prestige of existing tourneys such as the Aussie PGA and Aussie Open.

pedro wrote:With all the players defecting the ET and PGAT I think we will see the Players Championship, and maybe the WGC’s, lose in status. On the other hand there are rumours that LIV players will play more on the Asian Tour if LIV tournaments aren’t awarded OWGR points. Bottom line is that it could open the doors for new big tournaments co-sanctioned by the LIV, Asian and Aussie Tours, or elevate the prestige of existing tourneys such as the Aussie PGA and Aussie Open.

So much for joining LIV to play less golf and have more control over their schedule eh...

A good thread on the OGWR issue for LIV even if they do try and co-operate to all play the same Asian Tour events - https://twitter.com/DJPie/status/1543644864755154944

super_realist wrote:Playing it  tomorrow, so get to play tournament pins.

So how did you get on Super?

I'm never wrong wrote:

super_realist wrote:Playing it  tomorrow, so get to play tournament pins.

So how did you get on Super?

Very well actually. Played all the tough pins pretty well, had a couple of birdies on harder pins and put myself in a good position on most of the others.  3 putted 5 and 18 though but I can't see why McIlroy struggled. He's 100x the player I am and if I could knock them close and give myself 11 strong birdie opportunities, and converted three I wonder why he couldn't.

Club comp on Saturday so hopefully do better

Super - Given your familiarity with TOC I would be interested in your take on Cam Smith's 3rd shot on 17. I thought it was brilliant and that he played the contours perfectly ... too far left and he might have gone in the bunker ... too far right and he's got a 20+ footer for par. Would you have done the same or attempted a flop shot from the tight lie?

Also, are the green speeds pretty much consistent year round?