The Golf Thread

[Molehill]

Wins and sets new season money record with 3 months to go

He must thank his lucky stars for LIV as he still wins when not playing particularly well which doesn’t say much for the depth of the PGAT

Seriously, who on LIV would challenge Scheffler in this form? Rahm is a mess, Smith nowhere near the player he was 2 years ago, Koepka can never be arsed with Tour events anyway, I really think it would only be DeChambeau, and he's not exactly winning regularly on LIV.

I think they almost lost the course yesterday, which took some doing given how soft the fairways still were. They'd firmed the greens up too much, became a serious US Open style test....good practice for this week.

 

[Molehill]

Still can’t get over that collapse by Soderberg

11 shot lead on final day & shoots the worst round of the day including missing 2 putts from less than 2 feet

Right up there with the biggest meltdowns in golf history

He never had an 11 shot lead, that's how many he started ahead of Grant (she wasn't 2nd). He started 8 ahead of Hill in 2nd. It was his second shot into 18 from the fairway that got me. Pin on the right hand side, only needs par to win, he's got literally 40ft of green to the left of the pin to aim at, yet he somehow misses it right and gets a plugged lie. Even lining up that final 2 foot putt you could tell he wasn't right and he might miss it. I really hope he's ok because that kind of stuff will mess with your mind for a long time.

As I mentioned, Kaymer did similar in the Middle East a few years ago, think he was 10 ahead at one point on the final day and got caught. He has never been the same since.

I think Grant's 11 shot turnaround on the final day is the biggest ever on Tour, overtaking Lawrie's 10 shots on Van de Velde in the Open.

 

[Tom Flint]

I was getting confused reading that as to why you were mentioning he and she in the same tournament and then read on BBC it was mixed.
How does that work? Do the women go off the ladies tee?

 

[Molehill]

I was getting confused reading that as to why you were mentioning he and she in the same tournament and then read on BBC it was mixed.
How does that work? Do the women go off the ladies tee?

Yes, it's the only tournament I'm aware of where they do it. They've played it 3 times now and Grant has won it twice, although perhaps helps that it's in her home town. But then she's also probably the highest calibre golfer in it too, given she's a regular on the LPGA unlike anyone else in the field (Men's or Women's). Seems like a genuinely nice person, extremely attractive with a gorgeous swing, there isn't exactly a lot not to like about her.

 

[social]

Yes, it's the only tournament I'm aware of where they do it. They've played it 3 times now and Grant has won it twice, although perhaps helps that it's in her home town. But then she's also probably the highest calibre golfer in it too, given she's a regular on the LPGA unlike anyone else in the field (Men's or Women's). Seems like a genuinely nice person, extremely attractive with a gorgeous swing, there isn't exactly a lot not to like about her.

They play many mixed events in Australia including the Australian Open. However, AO is really 2 separate events within the same tournament while others aren’t

Proven to be popular with the public and sponsors but hard to stage as:

a. You need 2 courses for the first 2 rounds for full field events due to number of participants; and

b. Need courses which are equally as challenging for males and females when competing against each other

 

[social]

On a more serious note

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1800210206347137136

 

[Molehill]

On a more serious note

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1800210206347137136

I have a video of a mate in Spain up against a tree who decides to try and play it into the tree and rebound it onto the green. The ball goes nowhere but the noise it makes is just wonderful, much like this one here. There's something quite special about the sound when a golf ball hits a solid chunk of wood properly.

 

[Molehill]

They play many mixed events in Australia including the Australian Open. However, AO is really 2 separate events within the same tournament while others aren’t

Proven to be popular with the public and sponsors but hard to stage as:

a. You need 2 courses for the first 2 rounds for full field events due to number of participants; and

b. Need courses which are equally as challenging for males and females when competing against each other

Yeah, it's quite tough to set a golf course up for pro's so that it's even off both tees. There were 4 ladies in the Top 10 and Grant has won it twice out of 3 so suggests they've done a pretty good job.

 

[Anil]

Rahm WDs…

 

[Molehill]

Rahm WDs…

Other than the odd $600m, LIV has been an unmitigated disaster for him. He may have secured the financial future for the next 5 generations of Rahm, but he's right royally ****ed up his own life when he didn't need to.....quite the sacrifice.

Having Phil Mickelson as a life advisor is probably not the ideal role model!!

 

[Molehill]

But in happier golf news, Rory and Erica have resolved their differences and are back together. Presumably, he's stopped ****ing Balionis (if indeed he ever was).

 

[social]

Other than the odd $600m, LIV has been an unmitigated disaster for him. He may have secured the financial future for the next 5 generations of Rahm, but he's right royally ****ed up his own life when he didn't need to.....quite the sacrifice.

Having Phil Mickelson as a life advisor is probably not the ideal role model!!

That’s nonsense

Why not mention Jordan Spieth?

Rahm has top 10s in 7/8 tournaments with the other being an injury withdrawal

In the meantime, Spieth received a massive equity stake in the PGAT (plus the obligatory PIP handout) and has followed that up by missing the cut in 5 of his last 10 tournaments

What’s more, he’s only won twice in the last 7 years and owes his ranking due to playing elevated events

Has he ****ed up his life by staying with the PGAT?

 

[Molehill]

That’s nonsense

Why not mention Jordan Spieth?

Rahm has top 10s in 7/8 tournaments with the other being an injury withdrawal

In the meantime, Spieth received a massive equity stake in the PGAT (plus the obligatory PIP handout) and has followed that up by missing the cut in 5 of his last 10 tournaments

What’s more, he’s only won twice in the last 7 years and owes his ranking due to playing elevated events

Has he ****ed up his life by staying with the PGAT?

Spieth has been rubbish for about 5 years now, him going to LIV would've made more sense on a personal level.

Rahm was the defending Masters Champion and in the prime of his life. He is clearly a guy who thrives on competition, he needs those juices flowing. Him being by far the best current golfer on LIV means he's been able to sleepwalk to those Top 10's, but he's been miles off it when it comes to the Majors. It's clearly not been a good move. I bet he'd have loved the opportunity to take down Scheffler at the Memorial last week (a course he loves) instead of hacking round Houston with a dodgy foot.

And what about Cam Smith? 2 years ago he'd be less than 20-1 for this, now he's more like 50-1.

Anyway, who do we fancy this week? Scheffler could easily waltz in again, but 3-1 is not exactly value now. Looks like accuracy with irons is going to be essential, so Morikawa and Hovland would be my picks (Sungjae Im as an outsider).

 

[social]

Spieth has been rubbish for about 5 years now, him going to LIV would've made more sense on a personal level.

Rahm was the defending Masters Champion and in the prime of his life. He is clearly a guy who thrives on competition, he needs those juices flowing. Him being by far the best current golfer on LIV means he's been able to sleepwalk to those Top 10's, but he's been miles off it when it comes to the Majors. It's clearly not been a good move. I bet he'd have loved the opportunity to take down Scheffler at the Memorial last week (a course he loves) instead of hacking round Houston with a dodgy foot.

And what about Cam Smith? 2 years ago he'd be less than 20-1 for this, now he's more like 50-1.

Anyway, who do we fancy this week? Scheffler could easily waltz in again, but 3-1 is not exactly value now. Looks like accuracy with irons is going to be essential, so Morikawa and Hovland would be my picks (Sungjae Im as an outsider).

It’s 2024 & Rahm isn’t the best player on LIV

Koepka is the best player of this generation and DeChambeau is the best this year

Rahm hasn’t been playing badly, LIV is simply top heavy with talent and you won’t win unless at your absolute best

The Open is a bit of a lottery if there’s no rain as the greens are brutal

Scheffler must be favourite but driving accuracy is going to be incredibly important as proven in previous tournaments here

If not Scottie, I would say Rory or DeChambeau

 

[Molehill]

Rahm hasn’t been playing badly, LIV is simply top heavy with talent and you won’t win unless at your absolute best

Haha. There's literally 4 players max who can compete in Majors from LIV. One of them isn't in this one, one of them has totally lost his form, the others are DeChambeau and Koepka (who rarely gives a **** outside a Major). One of them joined LIV as he thought his knee was ****ed and would never play top level golf again, the other went there as no one liked him on the PGA Tour and is clearly angling for a way back now he's changed his persona.

It's not top heavy at all, the big boys just can't be bothered most weeks as there's precious little to play for (bar money which they've already got loads of) in tournaments lacking any tradition.

 

[social]

Haha. There's literally 4 players max who can compete in Majors from LIV. One of them isn't in this one, one of them has totally lost his form, the others are DeChambeau and Koepka (who rarely gives a **** outside a Major). One of them joined LIV as he thought his knee was ****ed and would never play top level golf again, the other went there as no one liked him on the PGA Tour and is clearly angling for a way back now he's changed his persona.

It's not top heavy at all, the big boys just can't be bothered most weeks as there's precious little to play for (bar money which they've already got loads of) in tournaments lacking any tradition.

So what’s the excuse for all the big names on the PGAT whose games have fallen off a cliff?

And let’s not kid ourselves that the vast majority of PGAT events have any tradition

There’s 45 or so PGAT events per year & most are just filler as the top guys only play about 15 per year

 

[Anil]

So what’s the excuse for all the big names on the PGAT whose games have fallen off a cliff?

Players lose form all the time and for a variety of reasons, that's the nature of the game...why would the PGA tour need an excuse for that? As some players lose form, others regain it (like Morrikawa over his past 6-7 events, Hovland since he got back with his old coach etc). And some of those players who lose form do find their way back. Spieth is a 3 time major champion and is still young, he still has the time to make a good comeback. I am fairly sure though that if he goes to LIV, his chances of being an elite player again will be diminished significantly, for obvious reasons.

 

[Molehill]

So what’s the excuse for all the big names on the PGAT whose games have fallen off a cliff?

And let’s not kid ourselves that the vast majority of PGAT events have any tradition

There’s 45 or so PGAT events per year & most are just filler as the top guys only play about 15 per year

Players go through phases, but their form rarely drops off the face of a cliff like Rahm's has. There's normally a gradual decline (see JT who is now re-finding it again) often caused by swing changes, new coach etc etc. But moving to a different Tour is a new one and clearly Rahm is not the same player a last year.

As for those 15 top PGA tournaments, well that would be 15 more than LIV. Agreed about the filler (which are still better than LIV), but there's some real big ones too. Even Koepka used to get excited about Phoenix and that's not even a signature event.

 

[social]

Could be mistaken for thinking that they’re trying to make the broadcast as bad as possible

 

[Shan042]

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