PGATour Running Commentary - Aug 2020

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PGATour Running Commentary- Aug 2020

1. Last week:  Justin Thomas overcame a 4 shot deficit to win the WGC-FEDEX St Jude by three shots over a four players of Tom Lewis, Daniel Berger, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka   Richie Werenski won the Barracuda event, by one point over Troy Merritt.

2. After he won the Memorial, Jon Rahm took the #1 OWGR ranking from Rory, and now after winning the FEDEX, Justin Thomas took the #1 spot.  

3. This week is the PGA Championship, with most of the OWGR Top 100 players in the field.  The tournament venue is at Harding Park, which has hosted two WGC tournaments in the last 20 years.  Here are some finishes by players in this years field:  Woods (1), Garcia (3), Stenson (3), GMac (6), Furyk (15)Poulter (18), Mickelson (29), Scott (29), ZJohnson (43),  The Match play was played at Harding Park in 2015, won by Rory, beating Woodland in finals.  Players advancing to the Round of 16, include Willett, Furyk, Casey, Oosty, Fleetwood, Fowler, Hideki, and Leishman.

4. Only two more tournaments to qualify for the FEDEX playoffs, some notable players that are currently inside the Top 125, but probably have not clinched a spot in the Northern Trust (Tom Lewis (#117), Russell Knox (#120,  Paul Casey (#121), Charl Schwartzel (#123).  Some players just barely outside the Top 125 include Nick Watney, Zach Johnson, Matt Wallace, Shane Lowry, RCB, Sergio, and Justin Rose. Some players that need a big week to get inside the Top 125 include Willett, Dufner, Power, Walker, Stenson

navyblueshorts wrote:

I'm never wrong wrote:

super_realist wrote:

I'm never wrong wrote:Picked up a piece of Masters trivia today. All hole yardages end in 5 or 0.

Do they actually though or is it just the dick heads at Augusta being "different" like calling spectators "patrons".

The championship cards are apparently that way Super; members  play of shorter tees. But I think it is also a Masters "thing"

Maybe it's not so dumb after all; just an acknowledgment that the pretence of knowing a distance to a yard is more or less pointless, even for this level of player.

No, because a scorecard is never likely to record the length of the hole as the course is currently set up anyway, unless every single tee is aligned with  these markers. A scorecard represents the maximum length the course can play as a measured course, but in reality it is probably never that actual length.

Augusta will have stakes at the tee which is the exact distance to either the front of the green or the middle of the green as stated by the scorecard, but unless the tee pegs are set up at this stake it's never going to be the yardage it claims on the card. This is reflected when the player/caddies have to amend their yardage books to take into account tee position.  These vary massively from  one tournament day to the next and while no golfer is accurate to 1 yard, certainly 2-3 on par 3 shots is accurate enough. A pro would never look at the scorecard yardage to tell them what club they have to hit, unless the tee peg is set up at the point from which it is measured.

I wonder what the course rating and slope are for AGNC? Just in case we need to submit a supplementary.

Also, I was wrong earlier. I said Rory might be 4 or 5 back if he shot a 66. He will be a minimum of 6 back. It was a great round from him but he is suffering from just having no focus or care yesterday.

McLaren wrote:I wonder what the course rating and slope are for AGNC? Just in case we need to submit a supplementary.

I couldn't find it listed on the official site I used. Surprise, surprise....
Wikipedia shows it at 78.1 and 137 respectively but unofficial.

Anyone else a little worried about how Fatprick is doing?

I'd rather Fatprick won rather than Botox.

I know nothing about a golf swing. But looking at Bryson's swing, itappears to me that he could do serious damage to his leg(s) in the way he twists his body etc. Am I right, or could he compensate by exercising accordingly?

I'm never wrong wrote:I know nothing about a golf swing. But looking at Bryson's swing, itappears to me that he could do serious damage to his leg(s) in the way he twists his body etc. Am I right, or could he compensate by exercising accordingly?

He's another one like Botox who has legs of lower muscle than his top half. I see problems coming for him, although unlike Botox, training for golf has come a lot further than when he was doing it so perhaps he might be protecting himself better.

"Legs of lower muscle than his top half"

WTF does that mean?

GPB wrote:"Legs of lower muscle than his top half"

WTF does that mean?

Super has a beefy leg kink.

GPB wrote:"Legs of lower muscle than his top half"

WTF does that mean?

It means that his legs are pretty skinny compared to his top half, and I wonder whether that lack of support in the legs might lead to injury like it did with Botox and his sparrow legs not being capable of supporting his knees.

Round 2 leaderboard posted on Masters Competition thread

Wonder how Bryson's feeling? To shoot 10 over for the first two rounds and make the cut doesn't happen that often.

Fleetwood, Willett and Rose looking good. Shaping up to be a good contest.

Looks like McIlroys habit of shiversome first rounds is going to cost him yet another major.

Well, it looks like it's DJ's to lose. And hardly a surprise ... incredibly consistent over the years and certainly has lots of history on this course.

That said ... he will need to finish it off for sure. If he wins, I hope CBD laced brownies are served in April 2021.

A bit of a disappointing Saturday from an entertainment perspective, DJ with a great round but was just metronomic more than thrilling for me at least.

The rest, disappointing from Rahm and Thomas, and nobody really thinks the gaggle of players five back will actually compete do they? Rory and Koepka paying the price for meh starts, and the English guys were all wildly levels of crap today.

Feels like the only issue to resolve tomorrow is whether DJ can break the scoring record and shoot all four rounds in the 60’s.

DJ has become too good a player to mess this up. So we need to see some really low rounds from the pack to get some entertaintment tomorrow.

Looks like today will be the first time in Masters history where a player shoots all four rounds in the 60's, and a few could do it.
Goes to show how much easier its been this year on a softer course later in the year. 
Prefer April, it's been pretty boring and non eventful. There also seems at Augusta little penalty for hitting it in the trees and more so this year. BDC should never have made the cut with his in accuracy, but most of the time had a decent shot after a terrible drive.

What do other courses in the area normally look and play like at this time of year?

Cam Smith should get a haircut. He started to look like Pat Perez

Is it purple Sunday again for the Nike boys? They did it a couple of years ago. Tiger wore his normal Sunday red, but I haven't seen him yet. Only just switched the TV on.

DJ’s lead cut to 1

One hole later gap is 3

Tiger having a mare on 12

I'm never wrong wrote:Tiger having a mare on 12

A 10 oops... At least he did better last year when it counted

I'm never wrong wrote:Tiger having a mare on 12

Why didn’t the TV producers show his every shot like they use to??

pedro wrote:

I'm never wrong wrote:Tiger having a mare on 12

Why didn’t the TV producers show his every shot like they use to??

I think the only shot I didn't see was the one INTO the bunker.

AlciG wrote:

I'm never wrong wrote:Tiger having a mare on 12

A 10 oops... At least he did better last year when it counted

That was even worse than his hair transplant.


Poor Mac has just killed himself.

Tiger birdied five of the last six holes

DJ four clear, should see it home

Pleased for Johnson. That he's only won one major until now has always seemed an anomaly for a player of his ability.

Anyone else think Augusta looks better without the crowds?

I'm never wrong wrote:Anyone else think Augusta looks better without the crowds?

Miss the flowers tho.

Johnson is too thick to lose this.

Also some of the camera angles (including drone shots) have been good. Some shots show the slopes better.

Cameron Smith breaks one Masters record. 4 rounds in the 60's

Magnificent victory for Dustin Johnson, keystone moment of his career. This was the version that was first touted back in the late 2000s.
Pencil him in for 2021 masters

DJ with a well deserved second major....I hate saying someone deserves someone without doing it....but DJ is far too good for his career to end with two majors....let alone the sole major he had before today.

He's been dominating regular tour events for the last few years was only a matter of time before he destroyed a field in a major!

Perhaps the most boring major in years. Just awful.

Well done DJ! Incredibly consistent professional and best of luck defending in 5 month's time.

Not the greatest spectacle over the weekend with DJ pulling away fairly simply and the rest of the major players faltering...fair play to Cam Smith and Sungjae but it never really felt like they’d actually challenge Johnson seriously at any point to me.

Wonder if this might open the floodgates for DJ - he’s been ridiculously good since the restart after lockdown, if he keeps this up hard to see how he doesn’t pick off a couple more in the next few years

Great performance by DJ. Pretty comfortable in the end. But let's no go hanging more jackets on until he wins another. Only a few weeks ago it was BDC will win augusta. And not long ago talk was how many will Spieth win.

beninho wrote:Great performance by DJ. Pretty comfortable in the end. But let's no go hanging more jackets on until he wins another. Only a few weeks ago it was BDC will win augusta. And not long ago talk was how many will Spieth win.

I think DJ has been pretty consistent for a number of years, actually close to a decade. His challenge has always been what is/isn't in between his ears. Seems he has solved that.
Spieth was only dominant 2 seasons or so, and BdC is relatively new at the top of the game.

DJ has got the game and the experience. So I tend to agree with those who say DJ will be picking up a few more majors within a short time.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Not the greatest spectacle over the weekend with DJ pulling away fairly simply and the rest of the major players faltering...fair play to Cam Smith and Sungjae but it never really felt like they’d actually challenge Johnson seriously at any point to me.

Wonder if this might open the floodgates for DJ - he’s been ridiculously good since the restart after lockdown, if he keeps this up hard to see how he doesn’t pick off a couple more in the next few years

It was a bit of a procession in the end with the only flicker of a potential contest being ended when he birdied the 6th after bogeys on 4 & 5. As somebody with a fascination for the mental side of the game I'd say that it was a good watch. This was the guy that for years was ridiculed as a complete bottle job (Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits, Chambers Bay, I'd add RSG into that too). He has always clearly had the length and he's clearly worked hard on his chipping & putting (which was always good but could be ropey under pressure) However I'd say the biggest progress and therefore the difference, has come on the mental side.

Quite surprised at McIlroy's position after where he was at the end of round one but to those that say he threw it away in round one, well if he'd shot 67 in round 1 it still wouldn't have been enough. He does need to look at why he can't string 72 together but, even with a very good first round he wouldn't have beat Johnson this week. Maybe if he had been a constant in the mix and challenging it would have put a different pressure on Johnson? Well again, after 36 holes it was the 2nd & 3rd best players in the world that were challenging.

All in all a professional demolition by Johnson and thoroughly deserved. Floodgates? Probably not, there's simply too many good challengers for anyone to dominate, think he's certainly worth another 2 or 3 though.

Jas

I too was thinking that if Rory had shot a decent first round he still wouldn't be at -20 but then you have to consider what a really top player like Rory being in contention over the final 36 does to DJ's game. I don't think he strolls to -20 or a 4 shot 54 hole lead if Rory, JT, Tiger or the like are right on his tail.

McLaren wrote:Jas

I too was thinking that if Rory had shot a decent first round he still wouldn't be at -20 but then you have to consider what a really top player like Rory being in contention over the final 36 does to DJ's game. I don't think he strolls to -20 or a 4 shot 54 hole lead if Rory, JT, Tiger or the like are right on his tail.

Mac after 36 holes WN2 Rahm & WN3 Thomas were on his tail. Given this seasons form, that's more pressure than the struggling WN5 who last won a Major 6 years ago.

JAS wrote:

McLaren wrote:Jas

I too was thinking that if Rory had shot a decent first round he still wouldn't be at -20 but then you have to consider what a really top player like Rory being in contention over the final 36 does to DJ's game. I don't think he strolls to -20 or a 4 shot 54 hole lead if Rory, JT, Tiger or the like are right on his tail.

Mac after 36 holes WN2 Rahm & WN3 Thomas were on his tail. Given this seasons form, that's more pressure than the struggling WN5 who last won a Major 6 years ago.

I think DJ is too thick to worry about other players.

In the past he wasn’t too thick to fold under pressure, or?

pedro wrote:In the past he wasn’t too thick to fold under pressure, or?

Once he was too thick to know the rules, other times he was overtaken by better players and other times he probably shat the bed at the prospect of winning.

super_realist wrote:

pedro wrote:In the past he wasn’t too thick to fold under pressure, or?

Once he was too thick to know the rules, other times he was overtaken by better players and other times he probably shat the bed at the prospect of winning.

A bit harsh with a fair dose of presumption...must admit I'd be prepared to be seen as thick if it meant tucking in at night with Ms Gretsky.