Winners this weekend

Good to see Robert Rock and Harrison Frazer win this week. Two maiden Tour victories having both come close for several years. Both seemingly good blokes and deserved their win. Lots of respect for Robert taking on the risky second shot on the 17th even though he might have been a tad lucky that his ball stayed dry and then to hole the tricky put was exceptional. Whenever I've tried something like that, even without the pressure he must have been under, I've completely made a rectum of it.

Couldn't understand why Harrison went to the left of the pin with his shot into the last in normal play, he must have thought that Karlsson would put it close. Anyways, he held his nerve and won in the end. Congratulations both guys.

Garrigus had a triple on the last at last year's Memphis and ultimately blew it. I've done the same in our club competitions. I wonder how many of you guys and gals have either played a risky shot or thrown away a comp on the last couple of holes?

Yadsendew wrote:I wonder how many of you guys and gals have either played a risky shot or thrown away a comp on the last couple of holes?

I'm prepared to take a guess at this.

Erm.... ALL of us??

Well let me tell you D4S, I've only done it once, when I needed a 7 on our par 4 last to win quite a big handicap comp; one out of bounds, two in the lake and duffed chip and four putted for a 14. Other than that, I haven't thrown a competition away on the last holes...... I've usually thrown it away much earlier than that, usually on the first, second and third.

Double

I could possibly warm to RR a little more if he didn't remind me so much of a BeeGee

Yadsendew wrote:I wonder how many of you guys and gals have either played a risky shot or thrown away a comp on the last couple of holes?

I recently 3-putted from 20ft on the 17th green in the final of a 5-month long inter-society competition (betterball matchplay). We basically need to avoid defeat, and a 2 putt would have put us dormie 1. The problem was that as i was the only player to hit the green, i literally had about 10 minutes between my tee shot and first putt,. After marking my ball and watching my opponents (and my partner) make a bit of a mess of things around the green, i came to realise that i had 2 putts to win the comp, but then had a full 6-7 minutes stood there thinking about it. I ended up looking at the putt too many times, convinced myself there was break and raced the first put about 6ft past on the right hand side. Though the return putt was still makable, i was mentally broken and i was always going to miss it, which i did.

So we were A/S down 18 and our opponents won it with a stroke, and then also won the resulting playoff. Disappointing, yes, but i played well in that tournament and at the end of the day it's only a game, eh?

I once got an 8 on the par 5 last to to finish tied 1st (3rd on countback) in a medal...

Played a few where i 've blown it on the last but that is just how it goes, I had one where I needed no worse than a double bogey to take the spoils and low and behold I missed a 3 footer for double bogey and took a triple! But then as mentioned on hole in one thread, I've had an ace on the last hole of a comp that meant I won by a single shot, some you win, some you lose.. It's a gamble you have to be prepared to take and acccept the consequences

blown it playing the 19th hole in a QF of the handicap matchplay champs. we'd had a real ding dong of a match, both playing 3 or 4 under our handicaps and had a lot of fun. going back down the 1st on balcomie, it's a 320yd par 4 and seriously downhill. i drove the green, he fluffed his drive, left his 2nd to the side of the green and chipped on. so i definitely had 2 putts to win and 3 for a possible win. you got it... i 4 putted and he sank his for a par.

graeme wrote:blown it playing the 19th hole in a QF of the handicap matchplay champs. we'd had a real ding dong of a match, both playing 3 or 4 under our handicaps and had a lot of fun. going back down the 1st on balcomie, it's a 320yd par 4 and seriously downhill. i drove the green, he fluffed his drive, left his 2nd to the side of the green and chipped on. so i definitely had 2 putts to win and 3 for a possible win. you got it... i 4 putted and he sank his for a par.

Ouch!

Not a massive fan of Rock to be honest, slow player and always looks miserable on the course, though it was nice to see his win made him smile!

He was a touch more than fortunate though with his 2nd shot on 17, that could have gone anywhere as it hit the ground and a tree, but luck was on his side an he found the fairway.

Davie wrote:I could possibly warm to RR a little more if he didn't remind me so much of a BeeGee

Any chance of playing some BeeGee's for me on your show tonight??

Be careful what you wish for D4S or I just might have done! Sadly I'm not doing the show at the moment so you escape

Any idea if Rock made it to the states yet.I have this picture in my head of him turning up in a taxi about 10 minuted before tee time in the same clothes he was wearing sunday night.

dynamark wrote:Any idea if Rock made it to the states yet.I have this picture in my head of him turning up in a taxi about 10 minuted before tee time in the same clothes he was wearing sunday night.

I'm sure that's how he prepares for every tour event?!? I don't have a massive like or dislike for RR but I do like the way that he is golf's real life version of tin cup...

Seems as if I will not be far off.Drink driving offence when he was 18 caused more delay with visa however he should have arrived a couple of hours ago.No practice round.
You have to smile at the yanks.Most Americans drive around with a gun in the glovebox.

Scottish papers report RR was on a flight into new York landing 11.30 pm local then customs and four hour drive to Washington.
Shoes on in the car park,ten minutes on the putting green and on the tee son!

Have I missed something? Why is RR leaving it so late to travel over?

Please see previous posts.Still hard to believe management didnt sort it the week they were in wales ,but maybe commited to pro ams and so on.
Young lass i know was set to go on a scholarship to a US college but they wouldnt let her in because her father(who wasnt going)had some previous police issues in UK

dyna

I saw the previous post about landing in NY etc but why didn't he come over on Monday or Tuesday? Seems a bit strange, I'm sure there must be a good reason. Maybe spending a bit of time celebrating his win with his other half?

D4S.No visa to travel.The Septics are a bit hot on this.
Clubs and caddy gone in front.American embassy first thing monday expecting a formality and ran into trouble over a drink drivng offence from way back.

A bit more on RR's situation gleaned from the American press. as D4S suggests, talk about leaving it late, moreover, I can't believe Richie Ramsey not realising that he was in a playoff position to pre qualify complacency seems to go with the initials RR

"ROBERT Rock's desperate bid to make his US Open debut this week at Congressional Country Club was back on track last night after he finally obtained a United States visa.
The 34-year-old Englishman had missed Tuesday's deadline for registration at Congressional because he was still in London arranging the necessary travel documentation."

If he was so desperate, why didn't he sort his travel arrangements / visa earlier?

Rock managed to get his visa at the US embassy despite the short notice and was expected to arrive later last night, a European Tour official confirmed. While Rock will be delighted to take up his place in the year's second major, he is likely to set off in today's opening round without having seen much of the hosting par-71 Congressional layout.

Rock is scheduled to tee off at 2.19pm local time (7.19pm BST) in the company of American Kevin Chappell and South Korean Kim Do-hoon.

Rock, who won his maiden European Tour title at the Italian Open in Turin on Sunday, booked his place at the US Open via an international qualifying event at Walton Heath, England last month. Should he not make it to Congressional in time for the opening round, his spot would be offered to first alternate, Richie Ramsay, organisers said.

Two weeks ago, Ramsay should have been in a play-off at Walton Heath, but arrived too late after thinking he had not done enough earlier in the day.

The former US Amateur champion went to Heathrow Airport in the hope of attending the wedding reception of fellow tour player Gareth Maybin in Belfast, but after missing the flight was told about the play-off possibility.

He drove back into the car park at the Surrey club just as Swede Johan Edfors was beating Dane Andreas Harto at the first extra hole in near-darkness.

With Harto then being given a place in the event, Ramsay became first reserve, but it looked likely to end in disappointment again.

"All I know is that I'm not in the field yet and I can't go and practise on the course," said the Aberdeen golfer.

It is one of the US Open's controversial policies that reserves are allowed only to walk the lay-out and not hit shots on it until they have a place in the competition.

iain carter on BBC informs that Robert Rock is 'on the premises'.
Couple of hours to spare .Find the caddy and a course planner Good luck Cut will be a good effort.

This is what I don't undersstand though... if he'd only just got in the field, fair enough, but he qualified at Walton Heath the best part of a fortnight ago. Why didn't he get sorted straight away?

He applied as soon as he qualified, it just took this long.

There was a mention somewhere that his visa application was delayed because of a drink driving conviction when he was just a youngster? Don't know if that's true but that's what I heard

I think his application was delayed because of a previous drink driving offense

having travelled to the states about 5 or 10 times a year for 3 years on business, i don't understand this. as a brit he doesn't need a visa, there's a visa waiver program. unless he holds a passport that isn't part of the visa waiver program?