PGA Tour running commentary - July

First topic message reminder :

Just a tbought... Since Kwini is apparently taking a break (but we hope to have him back soon)... maybe it's time to start a new thread...

I have no interested trying to create notes...  But it appears that the big topic right now beyond getting golf started again is BRYSON and the other bombers obliterating golf courses.

Wouldn't it be crazy if Bryson DeChambeau turned out to be the catalyst to finally get the USGA and R&A off their collective asses regarding distance... Or are they too busy negotiating TV contracts and upgrading clubhouses to even care about the state of the game anymore?

Anyway... If y'all approve (and the mods have an interest in pinning this up top) maybe we can converse here?  It's up to you.

GPB wrote:Rahm is getting a really bad reputation with taking some liberties.

If that is a penalty then I should have added 2 shots to every second round I have played.

McLaren wrote:

GPB wrote:Rahm is getting a really bad reputation with taking some liberties.

If that is a penalty then I should have added 2 shots to every second round I have played.

On rules, what are everyone's local clubs rules on bunkers considering there's no rakes? One of my clubs allow a lift and place within 6 inches, but another allows nothing.
Bit harsh for late starters.

Super

My club started out after lockdown with preferred lies in the bunkers, I think it is still in place. I think some clubs went even further and made bunkers GUR.

super_realist wrote:

McLaren wrote:

GPB wrote:Rahm is getting a really bad reputation with taking some liberties.

If that is a penalty then I should have added 2 shots to every second round I have played.

On rules, what are everyone's local clubs rules on bunkers considering there's no rakes? One of my clubs allow a lift and place within 6 inches, but another allows nothing.
Bit harsh for late starters.

Placing within 6 inches in bunkers at my place.

McLaren wrote:

GPB wrote:Rahm is getting a really bad reputation with taking some liberties.

If that is a penalty then I should have added 2 shots to every second round I have played.

I think this happens every player pretty regularly, only the super honest ones will call a penalty on themselves.

incontinentia wrote:

McLaren wrote:

GPB wrote:Rahm is getting a really bad reputation with taking some liberties.

If that is a penalty then I should have added 2 shots to every second round I have played.

I think this happens every player pretty regularly, only the super honest ones will call a penalty on themselves.

Exactly. No club golfer is calling a penalty on themselves for a barely visible movement.

Super

Both of my clubs are lift and place within six inches in the bunkers.

Which is way too much for my memory to handle. Lifted and placed in the greenside bunker on the 10th in yesterday's stableford. Then promptly did the same thing from the middle of the 11th fairway!

JAS wrote:

Davie wrote:Looks like NBS is also on the "missing" list now. Who is going to sort out the sticky topics now?

That would be a shame as well, does make you think, has our debating become stale? Is the content just rubbish, Are there too many insults being thrown around? Basic fact of life though is that sometimes, things just move on.

I'm still in touch with 2 or 3 leavers, Noshankingtonite and London Johnno are both on my FB as is DoontheWatter's daughter. D4S I haven't seen for about 3 years now but will see him at Saunton the weekend after next.

I was/am just chuffing busy and have been for weeks. Couldn't find time to engage....

Any of the golfing geeks out there know how Matt Fitzpatrick's last round 68 rates cf. rest of field and other standouts like that, that have happened on PGA?

Navy

Dont have stats but I would say a 68 in those conditions was world class, to use a sporting phrase.

navyblueshorts wrote:

Any of the golfing geeks out there know how Matt Fitzpatrick's last round 68 rates cf. rest of field and other standouts like that, that have happened on PGA?

Very Good Round. Would not fit my definition of an exceptional round though.

7.96 strokes better than the average score. It would take a 9 stroke differential to meet my criteria of exceptional

Finau's 66 in Round 1 was 7.92 strokes better than the field average

Fitz's Z-score was 2.45. Again, good but not exceptional. Finau had 2.65 Z-score in Round 1. I woukd say that a 2.8 Z-Score is exceptional.

Fitz's numbers rank a little better than Finau's numbers because they were done after the cut (weeding out the players that were not playing well)

Seems like arbitrary nonsense to me. Why is 7.96 not exceptional, but 9 is? Do you get in the Hall of Fame if you have a "9"?

Not including the pre cut rounds at RSM, Amex, Farmers, and Pebble Beach (Multiple Courses) there has been 9783 rounds in the 2019-20 season, there has been two rounds of a stroke differential of 9 strokes or better (Avg Field Score - Best score)

There has been 13 scores with a differential in the 7.5-8.0 range.

IMO, anything over a 9.0 differential is exceptional. They do not happen often (approximate 1 in 4900 rounds)

In the 7.5-8.0 range, it happens about one in 750 rounds, and in full field event, there are approximately 425 rounds. So a Score differential in the 7.5-8.0 range happens about every other week.

Nice straw clutching. You realised you had to justify your decision but your figures still show it to be an incredibly rare event.

If it happens every other week, can you show me the last time it happened? This should be interesting. I'm not sure you grasp statistics very well just as you are poor with words. By your calculations you should have a differential of nine happening every 10 or so tournaments if it worked that way.

I'm trying to grasp your argument here.

It seems, you are arguing that the view that holding a 9 stoje difference higher then a 7.5/8 stroke difference is wrong.

beninho wrote:I'm trying to grasp your argument here.

It seems, you are arguing that the view that holding a 9 stoje difference higher then a 7.5/8 stroke difference is wrong.

You've never been very good at comprehension. I'm saying that it's splitting hairs. I would say that both would be pretty exceptional to be shooting that much better than the field average, but one doesn't impress GPB and one does.

He said it was very good round, if that's not impressing him I'm not sure what is. But, statistically, its not as good as sone others, which are rarer.

7.5/8 very good
9 plus exceptional.

Thi k you are creating your own argument on this?

Nah, He was the one who created his own arbitrary scale for it because he doesn't like to agree on anything. (bear in mind that GPB thinks that Marbles and Tiddlywinks are athletic, then you get to see how he thinks)

Incredibly Rare? When it happens once every other week verses once every 11 weeks?

FWIW, I am going to indulge your wumming.

I said Fitz's round was very good, but not exceptional, and made a little better by the fact it was done in Round 4 when (presumably) the players who are not playing well are weeded out by the cut.

Me thinks you are just wumming.

And No, I did not say "Marble and Tiddly Winks" are athletic. Just goes to show that you are reading the messenger, and not the message. Go read that discussion again

What I said that Athleticism is not necessarily correlated with optimal BMI. Anyone who is World Class at a skill based activities are probably pretty good athletes.

I know people that are excellent shape, with optimal BMIs but are total klutzes when it comes to skill. One guy I know runs marathons and half marathons several times per year, works out 4-5 times a week. But he is an absolute klutz when he comes to rudimentary athletic skills. As much as he as tried, He can't throw a baseball, can't dribble a basketball, etc.

Someone who who is World Class at Marbles (what an absurd example) has the hand-eye coordination to be able (given enough exposure) to do rudimentary skills in other sports. Yes if they are morbidly obese they wouldn't be able to do it for very long. In my opinion, hand/eye coordination is better correlated to athleticism than BMI.

My definition of athleticism is skill based activities that have to be learned and not instinctive. Running, Lifting, Swimming, Jumping etc are more or less primitive activities. Catching, Kicking, Throwing, etc are learned skills.

Super

How hard is it to grasp that one event happens a lot less than another?

My understanding is that realist doesnt like gbp "arbitrary scale" because it is different to his own scale.

Ben

I am surprised Super didn't respond with there are "other factors" which make rounds incomparable.

GPB wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote:

Any of the golfing geeks out there know how Matt Fitzpatrick's last round 68 rates cf. rest of field and other standouts like that, that have happened on PGA?

Very Good Round.  Would not fit my definition of an exceptional round though.

7.96 strokes better than the average score.  It would take a 9 stroke differential to meet my criteria of exceptional

Finau's 66 in Round 1 was 7.92 strokes better than the field average

Fitz's Z-score was 2.45.  Again, good but not exceptional.  Finau had 2.65 Z-score in Round 1.  I woukd say that a 2.8 Z-Score is exceptional.

Fitz's numbers rank a little better than Finau's numbers because they were done after the cut (weeding out the players that were not playing well)

Cool! That's what I was after, but couldn't remember the right terminology. Ta.
Forgot about Finau's R1, which was pretty special too.

super_realist wrote:Nice straw clutching. You realised you had to justify your decision but your figures still show it to be an incredibly rare event.

If it happens every other week, can you show me the last time it happened? This should be interesting. I'm not sure you grasp statistics very well just as you are poor with words. By your calculations you should have a differential of nine happening every 10 or so tournaments if it worked that way.

Stop being contrary, just for the sake of it. Please. If you think you have a better description, let's see your numbers/reasoning etc. GPB can say what the Heck he likes here if he's the one making the comparisons. I don't think there's a great deal awry w/ his take on what ranks as exceptional cf. that which is 'just' excellent.

McLaren wrote:Super

How hard is it to grasp that one event happens a lot less than another?

Judging my his inability to comprehend many of my posts, it must be pretty difficult for him.

DJ trending towards an 80+ round.

He won the Travelers a few weeks ago

Last week he shot 80 in both rounds 1 & 2 at the Memorial

Wonder if a player has ever won a PGATournament and then followed with three consecutive rounds in the 80's?

GPB wrote:DJ trending towards an 80+ round.

He won the Travelers a few weeks ago

Last week he shot 80 in both rounds 1 & 2 at the Memorial

Wonder if a player has ever won a PGATournament and then followed with three consecutive rounds in the 80's?

Didn't make an 80 in the end, but did post the worst round 1 of anybody, then withdrew. Must be injury related surely?

Said it was a bad back, but still plans to play WGC FEDEX and PGA in the next two weeks.

I can't get over how good Finau is. His swing is so short and yet so powerful (much like Rahm), an awesome combination. There has to be a major in his near future.

incontinentia wrote:I can't get over how good Finau is. His swing is so short and yet so powerful (much like Rahm), an awesome combination. There has to be a major in his near future.

If he can string four rounds together, which it seems he can’t at the moment. Rather like several other good players.

LadyPutt wrote:

incontinentia wrote:I can't get over how good Finau is. His swing is so short and yet so powerful (much like Rahm), an awesome combination. There has to be a major in his near future.

If he can string four rounds together, which it seems he can’t at the moment. Rather like several other good players.

Most majors require well rounded short game and putting skills in addition to ball striking.  When the pressure is on, that's where it seems Finau has most of his problems. But man, I like that guy. I hope he figures it out and can start winning... Anything really.

Not much Euro representation on the 3M leaderboard first pages. But Noren in position to make some noise over the weekend. Schwab & Bernd with some serious work to do.

Finau got a new caddie. Hopefully that helps when the going gets tough.

Finau's new caddie is his Swing Coach, Boyd Summerhays. Boyd's uncle, Bruce Summerhays won 7 events on the PGATour Champions Tour about 20 years ago.

Boyd's son Preston just won a prestigious amateur event in Pennsylvania (yesterday) and Boyd's 15 yr daughter recently tried to Monday qualify for a Korn Ferry event, shooting a respectable 76.

Another one of Boyd's pupils is Connor Howe, who won another prestigious amateur event, the Southeastern Amateur last week.

GPB wrote:Finau's new caddie is his Swing Coach, Boyd Summerhays.  Boyd's uncle, Bruce Summerhays won 7 events on the PGATour Champions Tour about 20 years ago.

Boyd's son Preston just won a prestigious amateur event in Pennsylvania (yesterday) and Boyd's 15 yr daughter recently tried to Monday qualify for a Korn Ferry event, shooting a respectable 76.  

Another one of Boyd's pupils is Connor Howe, who won another prestigious amateur event, the Southeastern Amateur last week.

Did I understand Boyd is just temporary caddie until Tony finds someone permanent?

Yep, Boyd is going to be with his kids the next couple weeks

His daughter Grace is playing the US Womens Amateur next week in Maryland

Preston is playing the US Amateur in a couple weeks at Bandon Dunes Oregon.

Don't know what Tony is going to do for FEDEX and PGA.

Westwood not playing PGA championship due to Covid concerns. Wonder if others will follow his lead.

I will say it before Super does. Westwood is in the high risk group.

McLaren wrote:I will say it before Super does. Westwood is in the high risk group.

He has been on the peloton bike and lost a lot of weight recently. He's very trim at the moment.

And he's also not an ethnic minority 60 year old smoker...

Top job by Thompson. Only realised yesterday he was the guy who played awesome at the US Open a few years ago. Hit some audacious bunker shots yesterday, super win by that man.

incontinentia wrote:

McLaren wrote:I will say it before Super does. Westwood is in the high risk group.

He has been on the peloton bike and lost a lot of weight recently. He's very trim at the moment.

Doing wonders for his golf game.

GPB wrote:

incontinentia wrote:

McLaren wrote:I will say it before Super does. Westwood is in the high risk group.

He has been on the peloton bike and lost a lot of weight recently. He's very trim at the moment.

Doing wonders for his golf game.

Camilo Villegas's 22 months old daughter has died from tumors on her brain and spine.

Gut wrenching

https://twitter.com/RyanLavnerGC/status/1287764859506036738

PGA has 97 out of the top 100 in the world committed and expected to play.  I think that's pretty remarkable considerering the CV19 situation. I expected more to do the same as Westwood and Pepperell. Japan's #50 Imahira is the other top-50 not competing.

Really enjoy the Wednesday up charity events. Its good to see a different side. Which is why I like the podcast onterviews with players.

beninho wrote:Really enjoy the Wednesday up charity events.  Its good to see a different side. Which is why I like the podcast onterviews with players.

Agree. Definitely a plus for the fans. Too bad they can't continue once they start the pro-ams again

https://twitter.com/cbssportshq/status/1288945161213542403?s=21

Really doesn’t help himself does he...

A quite laughable attempt by Bryson to bend the rules to the extreme.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:https://twitter.com/cbssportshq/status/1288945161213542403?s=21

Really doesn’t help himself does he...

He's such a tool. This sort of behaviour should be considered cheating or attempted cheating.

I bet the rules official wished he could have said "Don't be a cheating Kumquat, just get on with it"