THE MASTERS
- Thread starter cawoodsct
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Looks like it's going to be tougher for LIV players to get world points. Hate to see it.
April 6 (Reuters) - The DP World Tour has won its legal battle to be able to suspend and fine LIV Golf players who featured in conflicting events without permission after the independent UK-based panel of Sports Resolutions found in its favour on Thursday.
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/s...l-battle-against-liv-golf-players-2023-04-06/
What's actually good for the game is a guy like Rahm that came on Tour as a psycho wearing his emotions on his sleeve all day to becoming a Masters champion that put Koepka in a box as he strutted right past him to the green jacket.
April 6 (Reuters) - The DP World Tour has won its legal battle to be able to suspend and fine LIV Golf players who featured in conflicting events without permission after the independent UK-based panel of Sports Resolutions found in its favour on Thursday.
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/s...l-battle-against-liv-golf-players-2023-04-06/
What's actually good for the game is a guy like Rahm that came on Tour as a psycho wearing his emotions on his sleeve all day to becoming a Masters champion that put Koepka in a box as he strutted right past him to the green jacket.
Nobody put a gun to these guys' head to make them drop out of the PGA and DP tour, they chose their path, and were forewarned of the consequences. And many of the top LIV guys can still play in the majors, several are past Masters champions and will always be able to play, for example. As another example, Cam Smith has an automatic invite for 5 years to most of the majors by winning the British Open, Koepka won several majors so he can get in some events.
But, OTOH, I don't see why young up and comers who are earning their way into events by PGA and DP performance should be displaced by LIV guys who simply chose to cash out (which is exactly what LIV player Harold Varner says)
Phil- Horses for courses, one of all time greats, nothing in his recent play suggested he had a round in him like that.
You see it every year though, some old guy makes a run because he knows the course but may not be able to be competitive anywhere else. Maybe Phil can elsewhere, but again, his form of the last year and a half says otherwise.
LIV will have similar numbers for the next few majors, 17-20. Some did great, some did awful, like PGA.
No LIV player got an exemption out of the Masters for 2024 for which they did not already have one, Reed and Koepka.
You see it every year though, some old guy makes a run because he knows the course but may not be able to be competitive anywhere else. Maybe Phil can elsewhere, but again, his form of the last year and a half says otherwise.
LIV will have similar numbers for the next few majors, 17-20. Some did great, some did awful, like PGA.
No LIV player got an exemption out of the Masters for 2024 for which they did not already have one, Reed and Koepka.
I told you guys Cantlay was the one driving Rahm and Koepka crazy with his slow assed play.
No doubt, but he is also a kid playing in his first Masters in the final group with Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka, I will give him a pass.
Cantlay, OTOH, is a seasoned pro and should know better.
100% I was right and it was Cantlay driving them crazy:
'Jon Went To The Bathroom Seven Times And We Were Still Waiting' - Koepka Slams Pace Of Play
The group in front was Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay, who teed off at 2.24pm, nine minutes earlier than the final pairing. However, Koepka, who is no stranger to singling out slow players, having previously taken aim at Bryson DeChambeau, left it at that, clearly still smarting.
He stopped short of naming who he thought was the culprit, although during coverage, Norway's Hovland could be seen playing shots before Cantlay was even remotely close, suggesting that the American may have been dragging his heels.
'Jon Went To The Bathroom Seven Times And We Were Still Waiting' - Koepka Slams Pace Of Play
The group in front was Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay, who teed off at 2.24pm, nine minutes earlier than the final pairing. However, Koepka, who is no stranger to singling out slow players, having previously taken aim at Bryson DeChambeau, left it at that, clearly still smarting.
He stopped short of naming who he thought was the culprit, although during coverage, Norway's Hovland could be seen playing shots before Cantlay was even remotely close, suggesting that the American may have been dragging his heels.
Bennett will be like several of these young guys (Will Z being one currently) who has back/neck issues in their 20's because of the way they swing. I have no clue why they are listening to these coaches telling them to get so open in their downswing that they have to contort their bodies in ways that makes no sense. Guess it's a deal of make their money while they can execute these swings which works both from a power and accuracy standpoint before the injuries start popping up.
) was chapped that Phil caught fire.Ol' Rory just running his mouth all the time and then not backing it up. Guy's a clown.
JB Holmes could answer your question. Maybe. Really doesn't help the sport. Similar to pitching in baseball.
Wasn't asking why can't he be slow. Whether playing golf, or when I was pitching, I've always been fast (unfortunate for my girlfriend).
I was trying to ask what is he doing to be so slow? Does he just stand over the shot for minutes, does he take a bunch of practice swings, or what? I only take a practice swing on a shot less than a full wedge or on a chip or bump-n-run.
For one Cantlay's putting routine is glacial. He was also moving slower than he usually does in the fairways.
I actually think he was purposefully (and maybe successfully) trying to trigger Koepka because Brooks is a notoriously fast player and the root cause of his dustup with Bryson was slow play, so maybe Cantlay was trying to get under his skin but it was pissing off Hovland as well. Cantlay is slow but that was the slowest he's ever played that I've seen him.
FWIW I love both Scheffler and Cantlay for our Ryder Cup team so I hope it all blows over.
I actually think he was purposefully (and maybe successfully) trying to trigger Koepka because Brooks is a notoriously fast player and the root cause of his dustup with Bryson was slow play, so maybe Cantlay was trying to get under his skin but it was pissing off Hovland as well. Cantlay is slow but that was the slowest he's ever played that I've seen him.
FWIW I love both Scheffler and Cantlay for our Ryder Cup team so I hope it all blows over.
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Which is worse, to be paired with a slow player or to be behind one?
I say to be paired with him.
I say to be paired with him.
Tough call but I go with playing behind them because then your co-hate feeds on everyone in your group. Whereas if they are playing with you then at least you can exact revenge here and there like Hovland did whereas Brooks/Rahm were helpless.
Good question. I would say behind one because you do not have any control over it other than calling a ranger, yelling at them or hitting into them and who knows what happens after that. Had a guy I used to play a good amount with who was slow and I could at least make snide comments to him to get into his head and he usually would speed up a bit.
Outside of DJ's onslaught of -20, the scores at Augusta have pretty much remained in line with what the course and mother nature allow....rolling back the ball is ludicrous. Augusta can always play w/ the rough, green speeds, etc, and let mother nature take care of the rest. Augusta has never been a US Open type course, but it also isn't a Korn Ferry scoring fest. It penalizes...it rewards.
Last 12 yrs....and the prior 12 pretty much show the same types of scores.
Rahm -12
Scheffler -10
Hideki -10
DJ -20
Tiger -13
Reed -15
Sergio -9
Willett -5
Spieth -18
Bubba -8
Scott -9
Bubba -10
Last 12 yrs....and the prior 12 pretty much show the same types of scores.
Rahm -12
Scheffler -10
Hideki -10
DJ -20
Tiger -13
Reed -15
Sergio -9
Willett -5
Spieth -18
Bubba -8
Scott -9
Bubba -10
DJ won by 4 strokes and so did Jordan at -18 so I think it at least deserves to be mentioned with DJ.
This doesn't take into account Augusta lengthening the course by more than 550 yards since 2000. If they had played the Masters this year at 6900 yards but with today's modern ball, do you think scores would've been lower?
Actually, it all factors in if you look at the history and the randomness of the scores....Bubba went -8 and Jordan went -18 at the same distance the next year, for example.
Zach went +1 in 2007 due to weekend weather conditions, and Immelman -8 the next year.
Tiger -18 in 97 and then O'Meara -8 the following year.
Distance isn't the issue....it's all relative. But if the critics want to roll back the ball, then they will need to go back to the distances that equate.
A slew of guys who move the ball out there didn't fare too well....
Rory...MC
Bryson...MC
DJ...+8
Champ...MC
Kokrak...MC
Conners...MC
Bubba...MC
You may not see it as THE issue but it is AN issue. And I agree with your 2nd point... if there are additional restrictions on the ball then I would hope and expect for courses to stop lengthening at an unsustainable level and even decrease the length (taking club technology into account).