View Full Version : U.S.Open discussion
My favorite sportswriter, Tom Boswell, has a terrific article in this morning's Post on Jeff Brehaut, a journeyman golfer who tied for the lead at the U.S.Open when play was suspended.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/18/AR2009061802026.html
gw67
Sorry! I linked to article on Virginia baseball rather than Boswell's article.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/18/AR2009061803698.html
gw67
BlueDevilBaby
06-19-2009, 11:54 AM
He's hanging in there so far. Makes a nice living even though not on the PGA TOUR.
Not to hijack, but is anyone watching? Why is Tiger struggling - not driving straight, hitting greens, putting? Just curious since I am stuck at work.
Schwarz
06-19-2009, 12:13 PM
Not to hijack, but is anyone watching? Why is Tiger struggling - not driving straight, hitting greens, putting? Just curious since I am stuck at work.
I'm not watching either, but here are Tiger's stats for round 1.
8/14 fairways hit
10/18 greens hit
1/4 on sand saves
31 putts
BlueDevilBaby
06-19-2009, 12:22 PM
:eek:Not a good start.
JasonEvans
06-19-2009, 03:20 PM
Around 9:45am this morning, I watched tiger birdie 14 to get to even and tied for third. I figured he would finish, at worst 1 or maybe 2 over on the round and be in nice position to be around the top of the leaderboard at the end of day two.
A few hours later... blech!
-Jason "Phil 2-under thru 11 and David Duval 1-under thru 13 are amazing stories tho!" Evans
OZZIE4DUKE
06-19-2009, 03:49 PM
Around 9:45am this morning, I watched tiger birdie 14 to get to even and tied for third. I figured he would finish, at worst 1 or maybe 2 over on the round and be in nice position to be around the top of the leaderboard at the end of day two.
A few hours later... blech!
-Jason "Phil 2-under thru 11 and David Duval 1-under thru 13 are amazing stories tho!" Evans
As long as Tiger makes the cut, and I'm more than pretty sure he will, I still consider him the favorite to win.
hurleyfor3
06-19-2009, 03:59 PM
Here's the current leaderboard, edited for the convenience of the majority of DBR readers:
Someone who isn't Tiger: -5
2 people who aren't Tiger: -3
6 people who aren't Tiger: -2
4 people who aren't Tiger: -1
12 people who aren't Tiger: Even
20 people who aren't Tiger: +1
17 people who aren't Tiger: +2
22 people who aren't Tiger: +3
17 people who aren't Tiger: +4
Tiger: also +4
54 people who aren't Tiger: worse than +4
DUKIECB
06-19-2009, 04:59 PM
Duval in the clubhouse at (-3) 67. Phil almost finished, currently at (-1). What would be the bigger story, Phil or Duval in contention on Sunday? Personally, I think if Duval were to continue to hang around the top of the leaderboard, that would be the bigger story.
Even bigger story would be Tiger coming back from 8 shots down after round 1!
BlueDevilBaby
06-19-2009, 05:32 PM
Phil the more heartwarming story, Duval the bigger surprise since he has been struggling for so long now. Should be a fun weekend.
Schwarz
06-19-2009, 06:17 PM
Don't forget Rocco Mediate at -2.
Tiger missing the cut would be like Nadal losing in the round of 16 at the French Open.
Even bigger story would be Tiger coming back from 8 shots down after round 1!
Make that 10. Mike Weir, 64, dang! Tiger coming back from 10 strokes after the first round still wouldn't shock me nearly as much as Duval being legitimately in the running on Sunday (or more likely Monday) would, though. The gallery would go absolutely bonkers if that guy could find the magic again and hang onto it.
OZZIE4DUKE
06-19-2009, 07:07 PM
Make that 10. Mike Weir, 64, dang! Tiger coming back from 10 strokes after the first round still wouldn't shock me nearly as much as Duval being legitimately in the running on Sunday (or more likely Monday) would, though. The gallery would go absolutely bonkers if that guy could find the magic again and hang onto it.
A friendly wager that Tiger finishes ahead of David Duval, and most everyone else, too. You know I'm not a betting man, so don't even think about asking me to put any money on it.
77devil
06-20-2009, 11:48 AM
Tiger now 12 back and will finish his second round in the rain-if he finishes today. The 6 foot birdie he just missed on 11(2nd hole) was big. As Johnny Miller said, it was read wrong and poorly stroked. Tell us what you really think Johnny.
Boswell has an interesting point in the Wash Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/19/AR2009061903787.html).
No one who played in the same half with Tiger is in the top 10.
-jk
Tiger's in the barn at 69, even par for the tourney, and currently tied for 7th. (Ozzie, Duval is one shot ahead of Tiger at this point, so good thing you wagered imaginary money!) Phil Mickelson tied for the lead thru 14 at -4, but as we all know, that may or may not be a good thing for Phil.
BlueDevilBaby
06-22-2009, 01:49 PM
Now Duval is tied for the lead! Fisher and Barnes still have a chance. Wish I were sick today.
JasonEvans
06-22-2009, 03:12 PM
Glover played smart and steady down the stretch, he deserved to win.
That said, if not for some really bad putting today by Tiger and Phil or that crazy plugged ball in the trap for Duval, we might have a HUGE story on our hands.
--Jason "I am going to be quite interested in seeing what Duval and Barnes do going forward-- will this be a springboard for them?" Evans
Don't know how anyone couldn't have been rooting for Phil today. It would have been the best feel good sports story of the year if he would have pulled this one off. And it's so frustrating because it was right there for the taking, but those pesky 6 to 10 foot putts were his undoing - once again.
I completely agree with Jason that Glover played very smart (and extremely conservative) on the last 2 holes. I'd have loved to see him have to play those two holes knowing he only had a one stroke lead over someone like Phil who was already in the clubhouse. My gut tells me he would have bogeyed one of those two final holes had that been the case. As it was, he really didn't have a lot of pressure with that 2 stroke lead down the stretch. Neither 17 nor 18 were playing exceptionally tough. Pars on both were relatively simple if you played conservatively. Glover did just that.
I know most of the drama was sucked out of the arena when Mickelson and Duval stumbled coming home. But did it seem to anyone else that Glover might have mistakenly thought he'd just won his first round match at his local club's tournament? I mean, kudos on the performance, and maintaining the incredible focus it takes to pull if off, but Dude, it's the U.S. Open!!!
I didn't see anything post-tourney, or awards ceremony or anything. Did he display a discernible personality at some point?
hurleyfor3
06-22-2009, 07:50 PM
I know most of the drama was sucked out of the arena when Mickelson and Duval stumbled coming home. But did it seem to anyone else that Glover might have mistakenly thought he'd just won his first round match at his local club's tournament? I mean, kudos on the performance, and maintaining the incredible focus it takes to pull if off, but Dude, it's the U.S. Open!!!
I didn't see anything post-tourney, or awards ceremony or anything. Did he display a discernible personality at some point?
I guess we're all used to fist pumps now.
I've been at work all day, so couldn't see his reaction or lack thereof, but maybe he's from the Bear Bryant school of celebration. Let the trophy speak for itself. I'm cool with that.
roywhite
06-22-2009, 08:31 PM
I know most of the drama was sucked out of the arena when Mickelson and Duval stumbled coming home. But did it seem to anyone else that Glover might have mistakenly thought he'd just won his first round match at his local club's tournament? I mean, kudos on the performance, and maintaining the incredible focus it takes to pull if off, but Dude, it's the U.S. Open!!!
I didn't see anything post-tourney, or awards ceremony or anything. Did he display a discernible personality at some point?
Yeah, an emotional hug with his wife as he walked off the 18th green. And then Glover hustled off to the tent, or wherever they go, with the NBC guys commenting that he was about to burst into tears.
I guess we're all used to fist pumps now.
I've been at work all day, so couldn't see his reaction or lack thereof, but maybe he's from the Bear Bryant school of celebration. Let the trophy speak for itself. I'm cool with that.
For the record, I'm not demanding he moonwalk or stick a finger in Barnes's face or anything. I like my celebrations on the muted side, too. But this one (granted, viewed on-line at the office) seemed non-existent. He didn't even look like he knew it was over. I'm sure it was all pretty overwhelming. I'd just like to know he's a human being. Winning a golf tournament's a different mental endeavor than coaching a football team to a victory. I think it's OK to release a little emotion after you've spent four days completely smothering it.
JasonEvans
06-22-2009, 11:04 PM
As an aside, was Ricky Barnes' meltdown one of the most horrible things you have ever seen or what?!?! Wasn't he 11-under at one point late in the 3rd round?
-Jason
kmspeaks
06-22-2009, 11:49 PM
Barnes' implosion was absolutely astounding. The guy sets a 36 hole scoring record and has only one bogey in the first two rounds. After 42 holes he's at 11 under and then the wheels come off. He makes bogey on almost half (12) of his remaining 30 holes!
Now I just recently started following golf but that's got to be up there on the list of biggest meltdowns in history. Any golf history buffs out there who would care to give their opinion on where Barnes' performance would rank?
rthomas
06-23-2009, 12:21 AM
I know most of the drama was sucked out of the arena when Mickelson and Duval stumbled coming home. But did it seem to anyone else that Glover might have mistakenly thought he'd just won his first round match at his local club's tournament? I mean, kudos on the performance, and maintaining the incredible focus it takes to pull if off, but Dude, it's the U.S. Open!!!
I didn't see anything post-tourney, or awards ceremony or anything. Did he display a discernible personality at some point?
He hugged his wife for about 10 seconds and then hugged his dad for maybe 15 seconds. But despite the lack of theatrics at winning the biggest tournament of his life, CONGRATS to a Clemson dude. (Maybe he was acting like he had been there before and decided not to rush the floor, cut down the nets, or pour champagne over his head!)
NYC Duke Fan
06-23-2009, 05:47 AM
Barnes' implosion was absolutely astounding. The guy sets a 36 hole scoring record and has only one bogey in the first two rounds. After 42 holes he's at 11 under and then the wheels come off. He makes bogey on almost half (12) of his remaining 30 holes!
Now I just recently started following golf but that's got to be up there on the list of biggest meltdowns in history. Any golf history buffs out there who would care to give their opinion on where Barnes' performance would rank?
Don't know where it would rank, but Greg Norman's meltdown at Augusta ranks way up there.
NYC Duke Fan
06-23-2009, 05:53 AM
, ifI was at Bethpage yesterday. Got there early and sat in the stands at the 18th hole for the entire time. It was awesome. We were all cheering when they were posting Phil's birdies and eagle on 13, and moaning when they posted his bogeys on 16 and 17. THe stands got their feet the moment after his drive on 18 and continued until he was about to hit his second shot.
When Phil finished and the crowd gave him a standing ovation, his playing partner Hunter Mahan joined the crowd in applauding Phil.
At the end if Phil couldn't it outright, we were all hoping for a Mikkleson-Duval playoff.
Yesterday, Phil was more popular than Tiger. I read somewhere that after Sunday's play, Phil stayed outside his rented home and signed autographs for 40-50 youngsters
roywhite
06-23-2009, 10:49 AM
Barnes' implosion was absolutely astounding. The guy sets a 36 hole scoring record and has only one bogey in the first two rounds. After 42 holes he's at 11 under and then the wheels come off. He makes bogey on almost half (12) of his remaining 30 holes!
Now I just recently started following golf but that's got to be up there on the list of biggest meltdowns in history. Any golf history buffs out there who would care to give their opinion on where Barnes' performance would rank?
Not a golfer myself, but I found discussion of Barnes' swing by Johnny Miller and the other commentators to be interesting. They said basically it was not a sound swing, that he did at least two things wrong which often would compensate for each other so that at the point of impact the clubface was where it should have been.
However, under pressure, the swing was likely to get erratic. It did.
hurleyfor3
06-23-2009, 12:21 PM
Don't know where it would rank, but Greg Norman's meltdown at Augusta ranks way up there.
Also: Gil Morgan ('92 Open); Arnold Palmer ('66 Open); Ed Sneed ('79 Masters); Tom Watson ('78 PGA); TC Chen ('85 Open); Jean van de Velde ('99 Open Championship). This happens every few years, even in the era before Tiger Woods invented golf at the 1997 Masters. Speaking of which, I'm sure Tom Weiskopf blew a Masters somewhere in there too. Weiskopf was to the Masters what Mickelson is to the Open. Arnie's collapse was probably the worst.
Wow, what a list - I'd forgotten about TC Chen and his double chili dip. Absolutely true - I wonder some old head sportswriter hasn't written up an in-depth Weiskopf - Mickleson comparison; IIRC there might be a lot more parallels than second place...
Mrs Turk: "Mickelson is wearing STRIPED PANTS!?! Who dresses that guy?!?"
Me: "They probably pay him a lot of money to wear that."
Her: "However much it is, it's not enough. Maybe if he wore better looking clothes he wouldn't finish in 2nd all the time."
I wanted to rip on Barnes' goofy sawed-off ballcap but couldn't come up with anything good...
Channing
06-23-2009, 02:13 PM
Also: Gil Morgan ('92 Open); Arnold Palmer ('66 Open); Ed Sneed ('79 Masters); Tom Watson ('78 PGA); TC Chen ('85 Open); Jean van de Velde ('99 Open Championship). This happens every few years, even in the era before Tiger Woods invented golf at the 1997 Masters. Speaking of which, I'm sure Tom Weiskopf blew a Masters somewhere in there too. Weiskopf was to the Masters what Mickelson is to the Open. Arnie's collapse was probably the worst.
van de velde- now that was painful watching
Barnes falling off was hardly even noteworthy in my mind, much less a collapse of epic proportions, for two reasons: one, it's the U.S. Open - big scores in Round 4 are the design, and by the end of Round 3 he didn't have much margin to work with. And more importantly, two, it was (unfortunately) rather predictable. He won the U.S. Am, so he knows how to win, but that was 7 years ago and Barnes hasn't found a home on the PGA Tour since. He's not ready to be winning the toughest tournament out there, especially not with a funky swing with a ton of lateral movement to it. He hung on about 9 holes longer than the unknown guy who goes out and blitzes Augusta for two days every year and falls apart on Saturday. Tons of credit to Barnes (he actually played one under on the back yesterday to finish strong and give himself a chance at the end), and I hope this performance springboards him to longterm success and a better cap sponsor. But I have to say that, even when he was at -11, I never really thought he was going to win.
It's the surprising collapses that go down as historic. That's what makes Norman's collapse at the Masters so big (although, to be fair, a large part of it was Faldo playing brilliantly). Van de Velde at the British was the most shocking I've seen, since it was just so preposterous. Impossible. No one's yet mentioned Mickelson's double bogey on 18 at Winged Foot after hitting his drive in a garbage can, but I'd put that up there with recent collapses.
Back to the Glover notes above, I'll bring it up once more and then let it go, as it appears no one agrees with me (other than the WSJ). I know he embraced his wife and hugged his parents. I guess that marks him as clearly human, although even the players who finish second and beyond tend to do that when leaving the 18th green. I'm still a little weirded out that he barely acknowledged the gallery. He doesn't owe anyone anything, but I find it hard to share the joy with him when he barely even smiles. And isn't that the payoff for watching televised golf? To vicariously feel the thrill those guys must feel winning? I mean, golfers have been tossing putters in the air, covering their faces with their hands after sinking the final putt, staring in disbelief, and circling the green with high fives, for decades. Letting out a little emotion after finishing off a Major isn't just obnoxious Tiger-era overexuberance, IMHO.
Whatever. Maybe it was just the camera angles - a lot was from behind him, so I guess I'll just believe that he was hustling out of there to avoid collapsing in tears of joy.
JasonEvans
06-23-2009, 03:44 PM
Also: Gil Morgan ('92 Open); Arnold Palmer ('66 Open); Ed Sneed ('79 Masters); Tom Watson ('78 PGA); TC Chen ('85 Open); Jean van de Velde ('99 Open Championship). This happens every few years, even in the era before Tiger Woods invented golf at the 1997 Masters. Speaking of which, I'm sure Tom Weiskopf blew a Masters somewhere in there too. Weiskopf was to the Masters what Mickelson is to the Open. Arnie's collapse was probably the worst.
Van de Velde was just one hole-- but OH WHAT A HOLE!!
Palmer's legendary loss in the 1966 Open was hardly a collapse as much as it was Billy Casper just going insane. He shot a 32 on the back nine. Palmer shot a 71 that day, which is not that bad. Then again, Arnie led by 5 strokes with 4 holes to play and managed to lose-- which is pretty bad.
Greg Norman's 78 on the last day at Augusta in 1996 was a pretty massive choke too.
And how about Scott Hoch at the 1989 Masters where he had 2 puts inside of 3 feet to win the tournament on the first playoff hole and missed both of them. His second miss was so bad he had like a 5 or 6 footer left to save his bogey and continue the playoff with Faldo. He hit that but lost to Faldo on the next hole.
-Jason "I will freely admit to recalling some of these from memory and reading about some of the others" Evans
rthomas
06-23-2009, 04:06 PM
I would say that Tiger blew it as much as anyone. How many birdie putts did he have that he missed?
hurleyfor3
06-23-2009, 05:13 PM
Palmer's legendary loss in the 1966 Open was hardly a collapse as much as it was Billy Casper just going insane. He shot a 32 on the back nine. Palmer shot a 71 that day, which is not that bad. Then again, Arnie led by 5 strokes with 4 holes to play and managed to lose-- which is pretty bad.
Nah, Arnie collapsed. I think Olympic played to a par 71 back then, so he shot even, but he was a few under on the front nine and had a seven-shot lead at the turn. He made several bad shots, including his drive on 16 which hooked into a tree and couldn't have traveled 100 yards.
And this was Arnie! If it were Tiger with the seven-shot lead at the turn over Some Other Guy No One Wants To See Win, wouldn't we be calling it a choke of epic proportions? Wouldn't espn be running its 10 Greatest Back-Nine Chokes and stuff?
Tom B.
06-23-2009, 07:38 PM
Van de Velde was just one hole-- but OH WHAT A HOLE!!
The other bizarre aspect of Van de Velde's collapse on the 18th at Carnoustie was that he actually had to make a clutch putt (7-8 feet or so, I think -- can you call it "clutch" when it's a putt to save triple bogey?) to force a three-way playoff with Justin Leonard and eventual winner Paul Lawrie.
Van de Velde's sequence of shots on that lost hole was epic:
Drive into the rough, just missing going into the burn that snakes across the fairway.
Second shot out of the rough, over the Barry Burn, clanks off the granstand, bounces off the top of the burn's stone retaining wall, ends up on dry land in tall rough short of the burn.
Chunks third shot into the burn. This time it stays there.
Thinks about playing his next shot out of the burn. Takes off his shoes and socks, climbs down into the burn, looks at his ball, thinks about it, then decides to pick it up and take a drop.
Drops ball short of the burn -- now laying four, hitting five. Clears the burn with his fifth shot, which lands in a greenside bunker.
Blasts out of the bunker, leaving himself with a tricky seven-footer for a crowd-pleasing triply bogey, which he promptly nails.
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