Might as well start a golf thread during the Tour's "flagship" event. I guess the $1.6M payday makes it worth the title.


Random fact:
More than 100,000 balls are hit into the water at Sawgrass' 17th hole every year.

Two of those were hit by Sean O'Hair today, as he finished quad-bogey to end up out of the top 10. But most notable to me was his almost defiant (and correct) reaction to that finish If he had pulled a 9-iron instead of a wedge on 17, things may have ended very differently. It takes a kind of selective obtuseness to put an experience like that behind you, but O'Hair seems like the kind of guy who can do it.

Oh yeah, and Phil Mickelson won even with a disastrous near-choke on the 18th hole. Garcia and Adam Scott both chunk-hooked it into the water from the middle of the fairway in past years, and Phil almost joined them. It will be interesting to say the least to see how he plays in the US Open after last year's collapse at Winged Foot. He is still spraying the ball all over the place and his short game may be peaking too early.


And kudos to NBC for an awesome telecast. Johnny Miller was on target as usual, it seemed like there were almost no ads, and there was minimal obsessing about Tiger.

Nice to see Phil back. I really want to see him battle Tiger at the majors.

Poor Shaun O'Hair! His gamble moved him from 2nd to 11th place and cost him over $700,000! Yikes, especially for a guy who hasn't really made a name for himself on the tour. I hope this bad hole doesn't ruin his career.

Unlike more than a few of his fellow competitors, Sean O'Hair is neither a delicate flower nor a head case. He hit a perfect shot that wasn't rewarded, and he knows it. A lot of guys would worry about the money, but you get the feeling that he sincerely doesn't care. (BTW, he's 100 times more famous now that he dumped two balls in the water on TPC 17 and will easily be able to make that $700K in new endorsements.)

Oh, does this mean that Phil is "back"? People have been trying to find a rival for Tiger for years. For awhile when Phil was on that major streak the golfing world thought that Tiger had one. That seemed to be just a flash in the pan however. There is no one who can consistently threaten Tiger. I guess Phil is the closest but he's surely nowhere close to Tiger's league.

Check out the 1st round leaderboard from suspended play at the Colonial:
http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/r021/index.html

Frank Lickliter was -5 after 8 holes, Kevin Na was -4. Talk about a bad time to get pulled off the course! I would be shocked if those guys can keep it together tomorrow, that stuff messes with your head.

Bummed to hear that Phil is coming into the US Open with a wrist injury. He seemed to get some of his mojo back with Butch Harmon coaching him. I just want one major where it's Phil and Tiger pairing up on Sunday. Imagine the TV ratings and hype!

I just wish the US Open didn't feel the need to make these courses so tough. Of course the players should be challenged in our national championship. But it's not much fun watching guys win majors with a +8 or +10 as some of the pros are predicting.

I totally disagree -- I love watching the best players in the world struggle for par. If you want to see low scoring, watch this weekend's Nationwide Tour event.

We have to remember that the players moan and groan about the US Open setup every year, whining that it's the "hardest ever" or "unfair" or whatever. Those poor babies finished with the following winning scores since 1999:

-1, -12, -4, -3, -8, -4, E, +5

The +5 at Winged Foot in 2006 fits in with the course's history as a difficult venue (-4 1984, +7 1977, +2 1959), and every other year's doom and gloom +8 to +10 predictions just didn't happen. Off the top of my head, I can remember players at Pinehurst, Southern Hills, and Bethpage forecasting the same high scores and golf writers dutifully parroting the same "hardest ever" line. I'm looking for a winning score of +1 this year.


Also we should note that Oakmont is not really a par 70. It is a 7200 yard beast that has played as par 71 in all U.S. Opens since 1953 (and as a par 72 before that ). Subtract eight shots from the final score to get an idea of how many under par the winner really was.

I'm not saying I want guys shooting -10. Just something a little closer to par.

And that is exactly what's going to happen, just like every other year.

Paul Casey just turned in a 66 -- so a good round is out there. But it isn't looking like anyone will be at par at the end of the week.

This webcast is destroying my productivity today.

I actually enjoy seeing the pros deal with the rough and other hazards during the Open. Usually they play on courses that are manicured to within an inch of their life and no matter how far off the fairway they go they usually have a descent shot at the green. The Open conditions are more like we regular players have to deal with if we hook or slice and need to try to get back on the fairway.
These guys are good but they do moan about the Open course every year.

Congrats to Angel Cabrera, the first Argentinian to win the U.S. Open, holding off Tiger Woods for a one-stroke victory at +5.

Damn Tiger!! I was pullin all day for you but it just wasn't meant to be. Second straight runner up at a major. His putting just wasn't what it needed to be for the whole tournament. He didn't sink any long putts for birdies and missed a close one at like 14 or 15 that would've had him at +5. Oh well...still the best. Can't win em all. Congrats to Cabrera who survived Oakmont.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more likable champion than Angel Cabrera. It's so refreshing to see a pro golfer actually SMILE and have fun on the course, especially at a US Open. I also love his swing -- simple takeaway, incredible move through the ball and perfect balance. It goes to show that you don't have to be a musclebound freak to hit it long.

Speaking of musclebound freaks, Tiger probably should have laid off the weights and spent more time on the putting green. Making only one birdie in the last 32 holes is very un-Tiger-like and almost inexplicable. He'll be brooding over this one for a while.

Regarding Cyd's Jock Talk post...

"With that said, the tournament was a bit of a joke, and they should not hold it at that course unless there is some serious work done to the greens. All of the hills and troughs on the green were ridiculous; it was a windmill and some rainbow-colored golf balls short of a miniature golf course. I don't want the champion to be the guy who happens to get lucky on some crazy putts; I want him to be the guy who simply plays the best on a tough-but-not-tricky course from tee to hole. Unfortunately, putts rolling around like they were on a moving surface make good television."

I'm sorry, but that's just wrong. Let's take a look at the top 10:

1. Angel Cabrera -- played the best golf all week, only player with two under par rounds
t2. Tiger Woods (#1 in the world)
t2. Jim Furyk (#3 in the world)
4. Niclas Fasth (#28 in the world, 2nd place British Open, four wins since 2005)
t5. David Toms (#20 in the world, USPGA champion)
t5. Bubba Watson (freakishly long hitter, three 2nd place finishes on the PGA Tour)
t7. Nick Dougherty (talented young English player, led after the first round)
t7. Scott Verplank (#26 in the world, US Am champion, won Byron Nelson this year)
t7. Jerry Kelly (t5 in this year's Masters -- must have gotten lucky there, too)
t10. Justin Rose (#18 in the world, t5 in this year's Masters, won on the European Tour this year)
t10. Stephen Ames (won the Players Championship last year)
t10. Paul Casey (#16 in the world, 2nd place in the European Order of Merit last year)

Are you trying to tell me that those were just the "luckiest" guys that week? Did you actually watch the tournament and see how they were hitting the ball and putting? Every one of them is a well-known, talented player on the PGA or European Tours. Did Paul Casey just get "lucky" in shooting a 66 on Saturday?

And in fact, there WAS serious work done to the greens. The USGA watered them down on Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning, and slowed them down considerably starting on Tuesday. The members at Oakmont play a more difficult course day in and day out than the Tour players did last weekend. The players went out of their way to say that the course was difficult but fair, unlike recent disasters at Olympic and Southern Hills.


We also need to remember that Oakmont played as a par 70 for the first time in eight U.S. Opens -- #9 is a converted par 4. Given that #15 was also a 500-yard par 4, the course is basically a par 72. Thinking of it that way, Cabrera's winning score would be 3-under and for some reason that would placate a lot of people who just can't stand to see the best players in the world finish over par. Par is just a number.

The winning final score at Oakmont in U.S. Opens during the modern era:
2007: 285
1994: 279 (Els)
1983: 280 (Nelson)
1973: 279 (Miller)
1962: 282 (Nicklaus)
1953: 283 (Hogan)


On another forum, someone noted that people who don't follow golf closely are the only ones offended by the U.S. Open's difficulty. Knowledgeable fans love watching the best players in the worst struggle for par and bogey just as much, if not more, than watching them knock down the pins at the Bob Hope. The aim is still the same -- get around the course in the least number of strokes.

Amen Golfer......It's nice to see the best in the world struggle to get par, have to chip out of high grass around the greens, need to hit a near perfect shot over and over again...leave it to the other tournaments for the winners to shoot -23 for a weekend with a 61 thrown in there. That's not what a major is, nor should it be.

Congratulations to Tiger and his beautiful wife Elin for the birth of their new baby daughter Sam Alexis. I guess a Happy belated Father's Day is due for Tiger. Now the US Open loss seems so down the list of priorities now that he's a new father. With her birth, it shouldn't interfere with the whole "will he go to the British Open if Elin is close to delivery" talk.

As for Woods, I don't think he needs advice on certain things he needs to do. He lost. It happened and it will happen again at a major. He will again be runner up at future majors. The guy has 12 majors and I'm sure keeping in shape has as much to do with how hard he can hit the ball out of deep rough (something that no other golfer can do the way he does) and preventive for injuries sake. Its good to keep a strong upper body and core to make sure the back stays strong. In listening to commentators, I agree that Tiger lost the championship on Saturday. He shot a 69 but his putting was not stellar this tournament. He had plenty opportunity to shoot around 66 Saturday which would've put him in a great position on Sunday. Its clear that most players still find it difficult to be paired with him on a Sunday. Baddeley played badly. With all the talk the night before of being calm and wanting to play with Tiger, I wasn't surprised to see him fold like a cheap tent. But, the missed birdie opportunity on 13 for Tiger and not shooting as well in the fairways Sunday put more pressure on him to try and sink some putts which just didn't happen. The double bogey on 2 and just hitting shots well past the hole was par for the course (no pun intended) for him on Sunday. But, oh well...it didn't happen. He still played pretty well on a difficult course and remains the one to beat no matter what tournament he's entered in. He's the best, will remain the best for some time, and while a player may emerge to win here or there, no one is in his league in terms of consistency throughout the course of the year. I WISH I had the putting issues of Tiger Woods if the rest of my game was as stellar as his that could get me 12 majors.

As for the US Open which seems to just want to be the major that is built to be the most difficult courses to tame, I enjoy the difficulty as well. Its nice to see how they get out of weeds and deep rough that is inches thick. Thats when they really have to think and be creative with their shots and we saw some good maneuvering throughout the tournament when some of the guys got in some tough situations. It is not, however, what I'd want to see out of every major. The US Open seems to be more about who survives at the end than anything else; who ends up shooting the lowest over par. But, it is what it is. I don't really have a complaint about the US Open difficulty.

Interesting to note in light of the birth of Tiger's daughter a day after he finished second in the US Open. A couple of years ago, one day after finishing second in the US Open, Phil Mickelson's wife gave birth to a baby girl. Spoooky!

Apparently a lot of loving goes on in September, after the PGA Tour season is over.

LOL...thats probably the only similar thing they'll ever have in common. As much as people want to pump Phil up to be Tiger's rival, it just isn't happening. But yeah...that is quite the coincidence. I tell ya...poor Phil just can't have anything that Tiger can't match lol.

Phil was doing a damn good job of rivaling Tiger when he won the 2005 PGA and the 2006 Masters, and was winning the 2006 US Open by two shots with three holes to play. But we all know what happened then.

I was there on Friday for a couple hours and then again Sunday. (That's right, ME! At a freakin' GOLF tournament! ) Pretty much everyone I saw was having trouble putting no matter what shape they were in. And on a totally shallow note, I very much enjoyed looking at Tiger. Keep on pumping iron, Tiger!

Something that bothers me about golf is this trend of viewers calling the network broadcasting a tournament or calling the PGA and reporting infractions by some golfers. Just butt out. I'm not condoning cheating, butwatching baseball or football at hoem we've seen bad calls or penalties that aren't called. Fans don't get to call in to report that Randy Moss was held or that Terrell Owens pushed off.

Was that you yelling "In the hole!"?

I've only been to one pro golf tournament myself (the Ryder Cup, a few years back), but I agree that it is quite enjoyable seeing Tiger up close.

That wasn't me. I was busy saying things to my brother like "This isn't a real sport if you can't boo" and "Why can't you make noise? They don't tell people to be quiet when a basketball player is shooting a free throw" and "What this needs is Happy Gilmore fighting Bob Barker."

Those people really need to be pummeled with a 5 iron especially when guys are teeing off on a par 4 or par 5 hole.

With the British Open upon us, I was curious what is the latest with David Duval? Has he retired or is he stilll trying to come back?

Duval hasn't played since February and pulled out of the Open for "personal reasons," no other explanation. He also just had a second child.

He actually played pretty well to start the year (3 out of 5 cuts made); it's probably safe to assume he's done with competitive golf until we hear otherwise.

Gary Player swears that there are golfers on the juice.

Sergio Garcia leads British Open with 36 holes left. Im not really a big fan, but it would be pretty big if he finally won a major.

If only it were someone else other than this choker. It would be great if he finally won a major but something tells me he'll find a way, as usual, to muck it up by the end of Sunday.

What great golf by Sergio the last couple days. Steve Stricker has always been one of my favorite players, but this isn't his week. Obviously there are no sure things, but if Garcia doesn't pull this one out I'd be floored.

BTW can you imagine how crazy that victory party would be? He'd probably be drunk for two weeks.

I have been impressed with Sergio through the first 3 rounds. But, Sunday is a whole different ball game. He's got a nice lead, but missed some putts right next to the cup that could've had him at 11 or 12 under at the end of the 3rd round. I think tomorrow he needs to just play SMART. He's got a comfortable lead. He needs to not do anything fancy with the difficult holes and take advantage of the short par 4s and par 5s. If he can hold it together tomorrow, I'll be impressed. Its Sunday that he's known for blowing his wad all over the greens. We shall see. Good luck to him. He is too good of a player to not have won a major yet.

T1 Padraig HARRINGTON 11 -7
T1 Sergio GARCIA 10 -7
T1 Andres ROMERO 14 -7
4 Ernie ELS 12 -6

Wow!! This is going to be awesome.

D'OH!!! Harrington finds the water on the 18th!!

I feel so bad for Harrington. That said I'd have been happy with him or Garcia winning this. But now unless Sergio goes into the water on 18, he's going to finally win his first major.

We'll have to wait and see, but if Garcia does manage to win, who will be the new "best player to never win a major"?

OH...MY....GOD Becky!!!! A DOUBLE BURN for Harrington!!! Gift wrapped Sergio's first championship.

I didn't know Padraig Harrington was (distantly) related to Joey Harrington...

==============

Just saw the Michelob commercial featuring Sergio as a James Bond-like character, exchanging double entendres with Bond babe. It's unintentionally funny because Sergio's persona is not one of suave sophistication, but of an eager kid who runs, jumps and smiles a lot.

Geez...Harrington should be holding up the trophy right now. Good grief. Ya just knew Sergio was gonna miss the par putt on 18. Which lesser mental midgit will win the British Open this year? Pathetic.

Actually, even Romero has to be shaking his head too. Two double bogey's made on the back nine. He could be holding the jug or in a 3 way playoff. Wow...this has been a real interesting day.

I said it yesterday. No matter how well Garcia was playing through the first 3 rounds...Sunday at a major is a completely different beast when you have the lead and are known to be a choke artist. It proved once again today as Sergio just didn't have what it took mentally to win his first major. The messed up part is that an almost bigger choker almost blew his chance. LOL...what an amazing Sunday at the Open. Sergio...you're a mess.

Not following this but I arrived and it was the start of the playoff phase, the most important part.

I can't stand the pressure in golf. I had to go away before the final victory put, too much stress watching.

That's totally unfair mdterp. Lipping out a putt on the left edge that went right all day doesn't mean he's a mental midget. He made a bunch of awesome putts that barely missed, including the final hole of the playoff, as well as birdieing 13 and 14 to get back in the mix.

But hey, I'm sure it's more fun to trash them for not being bulletproof on one of the most difficult courses in the world -- and THE most difficult closing hole in championship golf. All those guys who finished higher than -7 could only wish their "pathetic" mental and physical play was as good this week.


Anyway, that was one of the most thrilling and fun to watch tournaments in a long time. Congrats to Harrington, who had it coming, and to Garcia, who will definitely win one of these in the future. He's only 27 and has a lot of time left. Carnoustie also made a huge comeback after the 1999 debacle.

Yes, congrats to Padraig!

Sorry but the statistics don't lie. He played well through 3 rounds in worse weather. Sunday was probably the best weather of the championship and he wasn't making the shots he was making all week. Thats Sunday pressure. The best mentally in the game make that kind of shot AT SOME POINT!! Sure, there are some misses from the best. But, with it on the line...its like...how many chances is Sergio going to get? He bogey'd 3 of 4 holes at one point. I mean hey...I'm not out there doin it and certainly couldn't do it but thats the territory that comes with us fans being able to talk like this. Sergio can't hold it together on Sunday at a major. The stats don't lie. Thats why I laid off the Sergio bandwagon because I knew the test would be Sunday. All those scores under par Sunday...it was there for the taking...and Sergio posts a 73. You don't agree? Fine. I'm callin it like I see it.

I mean, obviously say what you want, but there's a reason that nobody has won an Open wire to wire since Tom Weiskopf -- in 1973. Sergio wasn't even born yet.

If you watched the Golf Channel's coverage, which has actual experts who follow and specialize in the game, you didn't hear things like "mental midget" and "pathetic" used to describe the play of the leaders down the stretch. People on this board tend to hold golfers to an unrealistic standard in terms of performance under pressure. Athletes in almost every other sport have the luxury of reacting, not thinking; golfers spend 99% of the round forced to think, and think, and think some more about what they have already done and are going to do. But in addition to being a purely individual sport that forces all the pressure inward, in golf you're subjected to bad bounces and a host of other stuff that's totally out of your control. Name me one other pursuit in which the participant is routinely not rewarded for a good effort. The "rub of the green" is actually a definition in the Rules of Golf.


Since the 'statistics don't lie,' let's take a look at how the leaders played the last four holes:

1. Harrington - par par par double
2. Garcia - bogey par par bogey
3. Romero - birdie birdie double bogey
t4. Green (played really early) - par par birdie bogey
t4. Els - bogey par par par
t6. Mahan - par birdie par par
t6. Cink - bogey birdie par bogey

Either every single one of those guys except Hunter Mahan is a choking dog for not coming home under par, or closing out an Open Championship is damn hard.


Anyway, that's enough from me...what an awesome tournament. Best TV golf experience since maybe the 2000 PGA.

Garcia was the one with the 3 shot lead going into Sunday; a lead that I felt should have been at least 4 or 5 shots to really give him more of a comfort zone. Everyone knows the closing holes at this course are tough. I'm talking moreso about his wayward shots on the earlier holes. Regardless of how people closed out those holes, there overall score was under par. Romero, Harrington, Els all took advantage of the conditions and the two guys in the final pairing post over par. SUNDAY PRESSURE!!!! "Mental midgit" and "pathetic"??? Ok...a bit harsh but just because the commentators on the Golf Channel didn't say it ON-AIR doesn't mean it wasn't said. Of course they wouldn't say it on air. Rather, they used the term "Sunday Pressure"

And Tiger Woods DID win the Open WIRE TO WIRE in 2005. How old was Sergio then?

Hmm...you're right about Woods at St Andrews. But wrong about everything else

Mmmmm Hmmmm...you just can't handle the truth. Seriously though...its not as if Garcia doesn't have the game to win a major, so obviously it has to be between the ears for him.. Do you disagree that the pressure got to him or do you think he just had an off day?

The best golfer's who've yet to win a major, according to Golf.com:

Adam Scott
Henrik Stenson
Luke Donald
KJ Choi
Sergio Garcia
Rory Sabbatini
Steve Stricker
Paul Casey
Trevor Immelman
Niclas Fasth

http://www.golf.com/golf/gallery/article/0...1645835,00.html

Clearly the pressure got to him; everyone knew a 70 or 71 would be more than enough, and he couldn't pull it off.

Did he have the worst choke of the day? Not even close. Andres Romero had 10 birdies and lost the tournament because of an Van De Velde-ian club choice on 17. Harrington hit in the burn TWICE on the 72nd hole with a one-shot lead; at least Garcia put himself in a position to win the tournament on his 72nd hole, even if he missed the putt. (By the way, Padraig bogeyed the final three holes of the 2006 US Open to miss a playoff by one shot; he also bogeyed the 72nd hole at the 2002 British to miss a playoff by one shot.) Again, the characterization of the best golfers in the world as "mental midgets" for not being bulletproof down the stretch is unfair and misguided.


This was Sergio's first time leading a major coming into the final round. The traditional 'waiting period' in golf has been obscured by Tiger Woods' unbelievable success, but mere mortals tend not to win their first major until their 30s. Almost every top player goes through a period of coming close and missing before learning how to close the deal -- look how long it took Phil Mickelson.