PGA Championship time!!! The last major of the year and it will be interesting to see who steps up to win it. Will an American break through?
I don’t think Tiger will win, only because there is too much going on and one tournament after 3 months off isn’t enough to get yourself ready for a major. Do I expect a pretty decent showing by him? Yes.
Personally, I have been waiting for Matt Kuchar or Steve Stricker to step up and take a major. I think this is where one of them will do it.
I know everyone says that Adam Scott.. or Stevie Williams – can’t remember which one is the golfer after last week’s interviews on the 18th green – is hot right now and probably the favorite. I think winning a tournament the weekend before and dealing with the fallout of Williams overreacting afterwards – is going to take its toll. He won’t win this weekend.
Paging Phil Mickelson…attention Phil Mickelson.. You going to show up or should we slap a Shell Open sign on the tournament to get you going.
Give me Tiger, its gotta happen sometime, and someone has to pick him
bill ribassays
I think Tiger has a shot, if his head is in it. He played a good first roud the last tournament, then kind of went south. Now, though, there is all the press with his former caddy, and Tiger could be ticked off enough to say, you know what, I got your PGA right here. Or not.
Wallysays
Smitty … you expect a “pretty decent showing” by Tiger. So what would that mean to you? A top 5 finish? Top 10? Top 20?
I would be pretty surprised if we saw Tiger in the Top 10 at the end. Top 20 probably. He’s not putting as well as he needs to, but I realize that can change.
I agree with you on Phil Mickelson … a riddle wrapped in a dilemma.
Rory McIlroy.
I think some of the guys are gonna wilt in the heat over there in Atlanta. Therefore, go with a “young guy”! 🙂
Here’s what one blogger wrote about the whole controversy:
“I’ve come to one inescapable conclusion about the game of baseball; pitchers are babies. Emotionally stunted infants who can’t believe anyone would have the gall to actually try to succeed when facing them. At this point, I’m pretty sure the genesis of the unwritten rule is some pitcher getting offended that a batter didn’t apologize to him for hitting a home run, some writer thought that was tough and manly of him, and now we’ve evolved to the point that hurling a fastball at a batter for not acting contrite about his success is standard operating procedure.”
Never heard the unwritten rule issue summed up so perfectly.
Wallysays
Doh! 7 over par 77 for Tiger in round one. He’ll be lucky to make the cut now. Tee hee 🙂
Might be a prophetic call by you on Stricker, Smitty. GREAT round at -7 … but it’s early.
Wallysays
Chas … absolutely agree with the “unwritten rule”. He he holds the ball, holds the power. Intimidation is part of EVERY sport anyway. The way I see it, pitchers have very little leverage as it is, so the threat of throwing at somebody (or actually doing it) is all they’ve got. So if batters don’t like it, then don’t unduly celebrate your HRs or stay in the dugout.
By the way, the friggin’ strike zone is WAY TOO SMALL these days …. one of the main reasons some games are way too long. Also the reason some guys tend to get hit. Make it larger from top to bottom … call strikes at “the letters” like you should be instead of at the belt. I want to see batters either swinging or walking back to the dubout. And start enforcing the pitch time limit so guys like Josh Beckett aren’t allowed to go make a sandwich between pitches.
bill ribassays
During little league this year, I can’t tell you how many 9 year olds made gestures and acted like ESPN’s top 10 was shooting their highlight reel. Personally, it drives me nuts. It also makes coaching them harder in ways, because why should they listen to some dad when they can fling their bat like A-Rod (insert any player and habit here) and see him do it night after night? If I were that kid’s coach, I’d tell him he’d be benched if he ever did that again. But then he’d tell his dad, who would threaten to sue after going to a few media outlets, and I’d be back to fishing through dumpsters behind the food court at the mall for lunch.
As for pitchers and hitters, I’d lean more to the hitter being a baby, since he can wear all sorts of padding on elbows and ankles and all, can lean over the plate and get hit and get a free ride to first. As for the pitcher, jaysus, make the strike zone even smaller, will you (can you feel the sarcasm)? When I was growing up (back in the ol’ jurassic days) it was from the nipples to the knees, and that was a good thing (Hey you kids, get off the yard!). I’d second Wally’s point about calling the strike zone where it should be. Higher strikes should be easier to call for the umps too, but that’s another story.
Tiger needs to get to a Denny’s for an early snack before the next round.
Good insight about your personal experiences, Bill. I guess it would drive me nuts too, if it’s as common as you say. But, in this instance, all I saw was a kid spend about two seconds admiring his home run.
Regardless, we should teach the kids to celebrate theirs and their teammates’ accomplishments, but never to taunt their opponents. Whether this kid crossed the line is unclear, but our oversensitivity to such things definitely enters into it.
Also, there’s a big difference between overdoing it regarding protecting yourself vs. taking exception to any tiny little evidence of being shown up. They’re all probably babies to some extent, but I blame the pitchers far more than I do the hitters.
I’m all for expanding the strike zone too. I’m not really sure how it got so small, but I’ll add my umpiring experience here.
I’ve worked at many different levels that use the same rule book. In Babe Ruth or Senior League baseball (generally 13-15 year olds), you call it by the book, which is from the bottom of the knee to the midpoint between the waist and the armpits (how you’re supposed to determine that is beyond me, but that’s honestly what the rule book says). But, I’ve also umpired as high as Division III college baseball and was told by experience umpires there that you can’t get away with calling much higher (maybe the circumference of one baseball) than one the waistline. In the majors, obviously, the high point of the zone is pretty much at the waistline. How things got to be that way, I really have no idea.
bill ribassays
The problem with the kids imitating is they don’t get it yet – they’re just mimicking what they see on tee vee. The larger issue is the player in the bigs who does it, at least for me, it just shows a denting of respect as it were. So does thanking jeebus when they cross the plate. Ugh.
As for little league, I can’t tell you how many times a strike at or above chin level was called on my kid (or his teammates)- granted, it’s mostly older kids doing the umping – but I can’t teach him to swing at something above his shoulders.
What I don’t get is that if it’s in the rule book, where is the push coming from for below the belt strikes? Who is going to argue high strikes with the ump if he calls them all the time?
Wally – I was hoping for a Top 20 finish for Tiger, but it doesn’t look good now. He will have to shoot 65 to stick around for the weekend and I am not sure that is possible. Then again, this course is eating just about everybody up except for Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly.
Stricker certainly made me look good yesterday – not sure if he can keep it up. But he is not a power hitter. Just a guy that is very accurate and is a great putter. This course seems to dictate that. Especially a course that features a 260 yard Par 3.
Chas – do you have anything to say about anything other than baseball?? 🙂 Kidding of course, just to had to throw it out there.
I think some of problems you see with Little Leaguers emulating MLB stars is that it has trickled down leagues like adult softball leagues as well. Not the strike zone, but just some of the actions. Playing first base, I got one a couple of guys for walking down the first baseline after hitting a home run.
Chas and I were in a game where I hit a home run and took a small hop before running. The pitcher yelled at me. Now there was a walk way out in right field and if it went over it was ground rule triple ( to help Chas remember the game). Later in the game, the same pitcher ran over our catcher at home plate even though she didn’t have the ball ( yes, it was co-ed league). And didn’t think it was big deal. Not so much an unwritten rule as it is common sense.
I think if kids are watching it on TV and then seeing maybe Dad or Uncle doing it on the softball field as well – they are going to think it is okay.
Of course you are going to have people on the other extreme that say, “see this is why our Little League baseball shouldn’t be competitive” and personally I can’t stand that.
Smitty, I remember exactly who you are talking about (the pitcher, that is)…but it’s funny, I don’t remember you hitting a home run off of him. In fact, I don’t remember you hitting a home run at all… 😉
Just kidding, of course. Smitty used to hit bombs. Honestly, I don’t remember the pitcher getting mad at you, but I can picture the hop…and you’d have to be a little more graceful for it to be showboating. You’re hardly Robinson Cano. 😉
By the way, we have a new guy on the men’s team to hit three home runs in one game earlier this year.
I classify the little league kid who watched his HR for two strides/two seconds under the same category as Bryce Harper’s ejection, Tiger Woods’ performance, and Tim Tebow’s NFL status:
Something that is actually quite common that the MEDIA has sucessfully blown up. Not saying that little leaguers – or amatuers at any level for that matter – should emulate the professionals grandiloquent gestures.
Proving that the IQ of the site has gone down considerably in his absence, Rey returns with grandiloquence to the Pine. 🙂
Wallysays
Q: What is Tiger Woods new middle name?
A: “Isinthe”. Ha!
So Eldrick was just awful for two days. I was watching today but yesterday I’m sure it was even worse. I thought I was watching myself …. left-right-left. He had absolutely no idea where his ball was going … just like yours truly. Right now, I woulda had the same results as Tiger … miss the cut!!! OK, except maybe for his extra 60-80 yards off the tee. 😉 He’s just another guy out there now … except worse than a lot of them.
Ultimately.. I think missing the cut for Tiger will be the best thing for him. He apparently is fine on the range – just needs to carry it over on to the course. I believe – and I think it was already said on here – the problem right now is in his head. I think the last place for him to get right is at a major.
He needs to play more tournaments and get the feel again. He will win again, he will win a major again – just wasn’t going to happen this year.
That being said – this course is eating golfers up. Cut was +3?? That means more than half of the golfers were over par. Last year’s champion – Martin Kaymer finished +5 or +6.. British champion Darren Clarke was +10.. Very tough course.
Wallysays
ARE YOU KIDDING?!?! Of course Tiger is fine on the range. So am I!!! The pressure is getting to him. Now, People, trees, water, sand and playing partners are freaking him out. The BEST thing to happen for him would’ve been to at least make the cut in this major and work through this during competition. As it is, all he knows is that he failed miserably in two rounds of competitive golf and was way over on the wrong end of the bell curve when it came time to seeing who gets to play Sat-Sun. There was no success, no confidence builder at all. Think his head is messed up now. What do you think is going through it today, tomorrow, etc.??
This just in … the golfer’s head is kinda important in golf.
Thanks Tim McCarver, but no – the best thing would have been for him not to play this year. After 3 months off and still mastering a new swing, it would have been better for him to work on his game and get ready for a new season or the President’s Cup.
My point was that he is still learning a new swing and he is still learning his distances. He is on record over the last weekor saying he is hitting the ball farther and straighter then he has had in awhile. Part of that is due to being healthy. Part of that because he is changing his swing. In the past he might have been 160 out and was hitting a 9 iron or a pitching wedge – now he unsure if he needs to hit a pitching wedge or another type of wedge..
For you.. just getting on the green within the next zip code is acceptable. For these guys.. A matter of inches is important. Especially when they are trying to spin the ball and tuck it as close to the pin as possible. From the highlights I saw he was long on a lot of shots.
Don’t give me anything about him being wild off the tee. Statistically he has been one of the worst on the PGA off the tee throughout his career. It has been his ability to hit his irons and putt that made him the best in the game. Right now he is struggling with both and that has brought him back to the pack. So yeah, if he has a slight hesitation it is going to mess with him. And he will get through that with playing more and getting comfortable.
Let’s look at who didn’t make the cut.. Jason Day, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Lucas Glover, Ryo Ishikawa – all guys that are playing well. When none of these guys who have been playing all year don’t make the cut – it tells you how hard the course is playing. In fact only 18 golfers right now are under par. This playing more like a US Open than a PGA Championship. Not a place to have some hesitation about your game and then try to play quality golf.
But to say the trees, water and sand and play partners are freaking Tiger out – is well, what did you say about Defense win championships?? Oh yeah – foolish.
Smitty: Why do golfers want to change their swing? That’s all I’ve heard from Tiger’s camp the last several years. This seems like smoke-and-mirrors for perhaps other problems. Shouldn’t he pop in some tape from about 10 years ago and see how he swung when he was successful then? I just don’t get that. Over-analyzing??? And if this actually works, why haven’t we heard about Shawn Marion changing his shot? If it is working, why mess with it. As ugly as it is, Marion seems to be doing fine with that horrid-looking jumper of his. Why does Tiger want to risk being uncomfortable by not knowing what type of swing he’s worked on last?
Rey – I think it is a little bit of a perfectionist in Woods to get the perfect swing.
That being said some changes can because players aren’t working the ball the way they want it. Others have to change it as they get older.. Maybe they hit the ball low and had length on their shots – as they get older, they are finding they can’t hit at far and have to change their approach
Secretly, I think Woods had to change his swing because of his knee. Putting so much torque on his body with the swing before – it is borderline vicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these changes are meant to take some stress of that knee.
Personally, I am always tinkering. My game is not at their level.. My best is the low 80s.. But as I try to shoot different shots, adjust my grip.. you do find your swing changing.
Watched the last 4 holes in regulation of the PGA today and then watched the 3-hole playoff. Very entertaining. Even though it was two guys I assume no one knows, they put on a show. Both of their second shots on the 16th, the first playoff hole, were epic. Good for golf if anyone was watching.
Wallysays
Rey … I was trying to watch most of it. Although Dufner pretty much gagged this one away, Keegan Bradley looks like a player to watch. I think this was only the third time a player has won the very first major tournament he actually entered. Good bloodlines … LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley being his aunt. It would be nice to see someone like him rise up and become the next major US “star”. Really liked his demeanor on the course … a “calm but confident intensity” about him.
Loyal readers, here is your chance to get the discussion going. Let us know what is on your mind. Today is a great day for the Pine!
PGA Championship time!!! The last major of the year and it will be interesting to see who steps up to win it. Will an American break through?
I don’t think Tiger will win, only because there is too much going on and one tournament after 3 months off isn’t enough to get yourself ready for a major. Do I expect a pretty decent showing by him? Yes.
Personally, I have been waiting for Matt Kuchar or Steve Stricker to step up and take a major. I think this is where one of them will do it.
I know everyone says that Adam Scott.. or Stevie Williams – can’t remember which one is the golfer after last week’s interviews on the 18th green – is hot right now and probably the favorite. I think winning a tournament the weekend before and dealing with the fallout of Williams overreacting afterwards – is going to take its toll. He won’t win this weekend.
Paging Phil Mickelson…attention Phil Mickelson.. You going to show up or should we slap a Shell Open sign on the tournament to get you going.
Give me Tiger, its gotta happen sometime, and someone has to pick him
I think Tiger has a shot, if his head is in it. He played a good first roud the last tournament, then kind of went south. Now, though, there is all the press with his former caddy, and Tiger could be ticked off enough to say, you know what, I got your PGA right here. Or not.
Smitty … you expect a “pretty decent showing” by Tiger. So what would that mean to you? A top 5 finish? Top 10? Top 20?
I would be pretty surprised if we saw Tiger in the Top 10 at the end. Top 20 probably. He’s not putting as well as he needs to, but I realize that can change.
I agree with you on Phil Mickelson … a riddle wrapped in a dilemma.
Rory McIlroy.
I think some of the guys are gonna wilt in the heat over there in Atlanta. Therefore, go with a “young guy”! 🙂
Sorry guys, I have nothing to say about golf.
Did you hear about the 12-year old being lambasted for “pimpin'” after hitting a home run in the LLWS? https://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/08/pimpin-or-homage-little-league-home-run-causes-stir/1
Here’s what one blogger wrote about the whole controversy:
“I’ve come to one inescapable conclusion about the game of baseball; pitchers are babies. Emotionally stunted infants who can’t believe anyone would have the gall to actually try to succeed when facing them. At this point, I’m pretty sure the genesis of the unwritten rule is some pitcher getting offended that a batter didn’t apologize to him for hitting a home run, some writer thought that was tough and manly of him, and now we’ve evolved to the point that hurling a fastball at a batter for not acting contrite about his success is standard operating procedure.”
Never heard the unwritten rule issue summed up so perfectly.
Doh! 7 over par 77 for Tiger in round one. He’ll be lucky to make the cut now. Tee hee 🙂
Might be a prophetic call by you on Stricker, Smitty. GREAT round at -7 … but it’s early.
Chas … absolutely agree with the “unwritten rule”. He he holds the ball, holds the power. Intimidation is part of EVERY sport anyway. The way I see it, pitchers have very little leverage as it is, so the threat of throwing at somebody (or actually doing it) is all they’ve got. So if batters don’t like it, then don’t unduly celebrate your HRs or stay in the dugout.
By the way, the friggin’ strike zone is WAY TOO SMALL these days …. one of the main reasons some games are way too long. Also the reason some guys tend to get hit. Make it larger from top to bottom … call strikes at “the letters” like you should be instead of at the belt. I want to see batters either swinging or walking back to the dubout. And start enforcing the pitch time limit so guys like Josh Beckett aren’t allowed to go make a sandwich between pitches.
During little league this year, I can’t tell you how many 9 year olds made gestures and acted like ESPN’s top 10 was shooting their highlight reel. Personally, it drives me nuts. It also makes coaching them harder in ways, because why should they listen to some dad when they can fling their bat like A-Rod (insert any player and habit here) and see him do it night after night? If I were that kid’s coach, I’d tell him he’d be benched if he ever did that again. But then he’d tell his dad, who would threaten to sue after going to a few media outlets, and I’d be back to fishing through dumpsters behind the food court at the mall for lunch.
As for pitchers and hitters, I’d lean more to the hitter being a baby, since he can wear all sorts of padding on elbows and ankles and all, can lean over the plate and get hit and get a free ride to first. As for the pitcher, jaysus, make the strike zone even smaller, will you (can you feel the sarcasm)? When I was growing up (back in the ol’ jurassic days) it was from the nipples to the knees, and that was a good thing (Hey you kids, get off the yard!). I’d second Wally’s point about calling the strike zone where it should be. Higher strikes should be easier to call for the umps too, but that’s another story.
Tiger needs to get to a Denny’s for an early snack before the next round.
Good insight about your personal experiences, Bill. I guess it would drive me nuts too, if it’s as common as you say. But, in this instance, all I saw was a kid spend about two seconds admiring his home run.
Regardless, we should teach the kids to celebrate theirs and their teammates’ accomplishments, but never to taunt their opponents. Whether this kid crossed the line is unclear, but our oversensitivity to such things definitely enters into it.
Also, there’s a big difference between overdoing it regarding protecting yourself vs. taking exception to any tiny little evidence of being shown up. They’re all probably babies to some extent, but I blame the pitchers far more than I do the hitters.
I’m all for expanding the strike zone too. I’m not really sure how it got so small, but I’ll add my umpiring experience here.
I’ve worked at many different levels that use the same rule book. In Babe Ruth or Senior League baseball (generally 13-15 year olds), you call it by the book, which is from the bottom of the knee to the midpoint between the waist and the armpits (how you’re supposed to determine that is beyond me, but that’s honestly what the rule book says). But, I’ve also umpired as high as Division III college baseball and was told by experience umpires there that you can’t get away with calling much higher (maybe the circumference of one baseball) than one the waistline. In the majors, obviously, the high point of the zone is pretty much at the waistline. How things got to be that way, I really have no idea.
The problem with the kids imitating is they don’t get it yet – they’re just mimicking what they see on tee vee. The larger issue is the player in the bigs who does it, at least for me, it just shows a denting of respect as it were. So does thanking jeebus when they cross the plate. Ugh.
As for little league, I can’t tell you how many times a strike at or above chin level was called on my kid (or his teammates)- granted, it’s mostly older kids doing the umping – but I can’t teach him to swing at something above his shoulders.
What I don’t get is that if it’s in the rule book, where is the push coming from for below the belt strikes? Who is going to argue high strikes with the ump if he calls them all the time?
Wally – I was hoping for a Top 20 finish for Tiger, but it doesn’t look good now. He will have to shoot 65 to stick around for the weekend and I am not sure that is possible. Then again, this course is eating just about everybody up except for Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly.
Stricker certainly made me look good yesterday – not sure if he can keep it up. But he is not a power hitter. Just a guy that is very accurate and is a great putter. This course seems to dictate that. Especially a course that features a 260 yard Par 3.
Chas – do you have anything to say about anything other than baseball?? 🙂 Kidding of course, just to had to throw it out there.
I think some of problems you see with Little Leaguers emulating MLB stars is that it has trickled down leagues like adult softball leagues as well. Not the strike zone, but just some of the actions. Playing first base, I got one a couple of guys for walking down the first baseline after hitting a home run.
Chas and I were in a game where I hit a home run and took a small hop before running. The pitcher yelled at me. Now there was a walk way out in right field and if it went over it was ground rule triple ( to help Chas remember the game). Later in the game, the same pitcher ran over our catcher at home plate even though she didn’t have the ball ( yes, it was co-ed league). And didn’t think it was big deal. Not so much an unwritten rule as it is common sense.
I think if kids are watching it on TV and then seeing maybe Dad or Uncle doing it on the softball field as well – they are going to think it is okay.
Of course you are going to have people on the other extreme that say, “see this is why our Little League baseball shouldn’t be competitive” and personally I can’t stand that.
Smitty, I remember exactly who you are talking about (the pitcher, that is)…but it’s funny, I don’t remember you hitting a home run off of him. In fact, I don’t remember you hitting a home run at all… 😉
Just kidding, of course. Smitty used to hit bombs. Honestly, I don’t remember the pitcher getting mad at you, but I can picture the hop…and you’d have to be a little more graceful for it to be showboating. You’re hardly Robinson Cano. 😉
By the way, we have a new guy on the men’s team to hit three home runs in one game earlier this year.
I classify the little league kid who watched his HR for two strides/two seconds under the same category as Bryce Harper’s ejection, Tiger Woods’ performance, and Tim Tebow’s NFL status:
Something that is actually quite common that the MEDIA has sucessfully blown up. Not saying that little leaguers – or amatuers at any level for that matter – should emulate the professionals grandiloquent gestures.
hahaha. Well said.
Proving that the IQ of the site has gone down considerably in his absence, Rey returns with grandiloquence to the Pine. 🙂
Q: What is Tiger Woods new middle name?
A: “Isinthe”. Ha!
So Eldrick was just awful for two days. I was watching today but yesterday I’m sure it was even worse. I thought I was watching myself …. left-right-left. He had absolutely no idea where his ball was going … just like yours truly. Right now, I woulda had the same results as Tiger … miss the cut!!! OK, except maybe for his extra 60-80 yards off the tee. 😉 He’s just another guy out there now … except worse than a lot of them.
Tiger’s 11th hole today will go down in infamy: bunker, bunker, water.
Ultimately.. I think missing the cut for Tiger will be the best thing for him. He apparently is fine on the range – just needs to carry it over on to the course. I believe – and I think it was already said on here – the problem right now is in his head. I think the last place for him to get right is at a major.
He needs to play more tournaments and get the feel again. He will win again, he will win a major again – just wasn’t going to happen this year.
That being said – this course is eating golfers up. Cut was +3?? That means more than half of the golfers were over par. Last year’s champion – Martin Kaymer finished +5 or +6.. British champion Darren Clarke was +10.. Very tough course.
ARE YOU KIDDING?!?! Of course Tiger is fine on the range. So am I!!! The pressure is getting to him. Now, People, trees, water, sand and playing partners are freaking him out. The BEST thing to happen for him would’ve been to at least make the cut in this major and work through this during competition. As it is, all he knows is that he failed miserably in two rounds of competitive golf and was way over on the wrong end of the bell curve when it came time to seeing who gets to play Sat-Sun. There was no success, no confidence builder at all. Think his head is messed up now. What do you think is going through it today, tomorrow, etc.??
This just in … the golfer’s head is kinda important in golf.
Thanks Tim McCarver, but no – the best thing would have been for him not to play this year. After 3 months off and still mastering a new swing, it would have been better for him to work on his game and get ready for a new season or the President’s Cup.
My point was that he is still learning a new swing and he is still learning his distances. He is on record over the last weekor saying he is hitting the ball farther and straighter then he has had in awhile. Part of that is due to being healthy. Part of that because he is changing his swing. In the past he might have been 160 out and was hitting a 9 iron or a pitching wedge – now he unsure if he needs to hit a pitching wedge or another type of wedge..
For you.. just getting on the green within the next zip code is acceptable. For these guys.. A matter of inches is important. Especially when they are trying to spin the ball and tuck it as close to the pin as possible. From the highlights I saw he was long on a lot of shots.
Don’t give me anything about him being wild off the tee. Statistically he has been one of the worst on the PGA off the tee throughout his career. It has been his ability to hit his irons and putt that made him the best in the game. Right now he is struggling with both and that has brought him back to the pack. So yeah, if he has a slight hesitation it is going to mess with him. And he will get through that with playing more and getting comfortable.
Let’s look at who didn’t make the cut.. Jason Day, Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Lucas Glover, Ryo Ishikawa – all guys that are playing well. When none of these guys who have been playing all year don’t make the cut – it tells you how hard the course is playing. In fact only 18 golfers right now are under par. This playing more like a US Open than a PGA Championship. Not a place to have some hesitation about your game and then try to play quality golf.
But to say the trees, water and sand and play partners are freaking Tiger out – is well, what did you say about Defense win championships?? Oh yeah – foolish.
Smitty: Why do golfers want to change their swing? That’s all I’ve heard from Tiger’s camp the last several years. This seems like smoke-and-mirrors for perhaps other problems. Shouldn’t he pop in some tape from about 10 years ago and see how he swung when he was successful then? I just don’t get that. Over-analyzing??? And if this actually works, why haven’t we heard about Shawn Marion changing his shot? If it is working, why mess with it. As ugly as it is, Marion seems to be doing fine with that horrid-looking jumper of his. Why does Tiger want to risk being uncomfortable by not knowing what type of swing he’s worked on last?
Hahaha. Shawn Marion’s favorite book is: “All I Ever Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
Rey – I think it is a little bit of a perfectionist in Woods to get the perfect swing.
That being said some changes can because players aren’t working the ball the way they want it. Others have to change it as they get older.. Maybe they hit the ball low and had length on their shots – as they get older, they are finding they can’t hit at far and have to change their approach
Secretly, I think Woods had to change his swing because of his knee. Putting so much torque on his body with the swing before – it is borderline vicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these changes are meant to take some stress of that knee.
Personally, I am always tinkering. My game is not at their level.. My best is the low 80s.. But as I try to shoot different shots, adjust my grip.. you do find your swing changing.
Casey – Kindergarten Marion!!! Love it!
Watched the last 4 holes in regulation of the PGA today and then watched the 3-hole playoff. Very entertaining. Even though it was two guys I assume no one knows, they put on a show. Both of their second shots on the 16th, the first playoff hole, were epic. Good for golf if anyone was watching.
Rey … I was trying to watch most of it. Although Dufner pretty much gagged this one away, Keegan Bradley looks like a player to watch. I think this was only the third time a player has won the very first major tournament he actually entered. Good bloodlines … LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley being his aunt. It would be nice to see someone like him rise up and become the next major US “star”. Really liked his demeanor on the course … a “calm but confident intensity” about him.