The Golf Thread

[Anil]

Westwood and Poulter talked utter ****e when they joined LIV, if they'd just been honest and said it was for the money they might have held on to some respect. But they didn't. People switched off from them and now they've have become forgotten figures.

Poulter was full of **** as is his wont and I know they all had to mouth some platitudes that their Saudi overlords (probably contractually) made them say, but I thought Westwood also gave an honest appraisal of where his game was at, essentially admitted it was a quick cash-grab as his career was sunsetting...? Maybe I am misremembering it. I do understand why loyal fans could've been still pissed off with him...

 

[Molehill]

Poulter was full of **** as is his wont and I know they all had to mouth some platitudes that their Saudi overlords (probably contractually) made them say, but I thought Westwood also gave an honest appraisal of where his game was at, essentially admitted it was a quick cash-grab as his career was sunsetting...? Maybe I am misremembering it. I do understand why loyal fans could've been still pissed off with him...

Possibly, although Westwood had had a decent season the year before, challenging at both Bay Hill and The Players. He was at the end of his career, he went for money, I think we all get that.

Back on the PGA Tour, McIlroy's return to the Policy Board has seemingly been blocked by a faction who were opposed because he left it previously. When the likes of Streelman and Hahn start wielding more power than Rory then you know it's got problems. It really does seem to be imploding, LIV must be licking their lips......Rory is definitely the one that would turn the dial and get more watching (myself included potentially).

 

[social]

Possibly, although Westwood had had a decent season the year before, challenging at both Bay Hill and The Players. He was at the end of his career, he went for money, I think we all get that.

Back on the PGA Tour, McIlroy's return to the Policy Board has seemingly been blocked by a faction who were opposed because he left it previously. When the likes of Streelman and Hahn start wielding more power than Rory then you know it's got problems. It really does seem to be imploding, LIV must be licking their lips......Rory is definitely the one that would turn the dial and get more watching (myself included potentially).

Keeping in mind that the Netflix series was obviously edited, it painted Rory as being quite naive

Monahan basically knifed him in the back and Rory thought they were close

Funny what a 150% pay rise will do to priorities

Now the rumour being floated is that Cantlay controls a board on which Tiger sits and it was his decision not to allow Rory back

Give me a fkn break!

PGAT is playing with fire as Rory is their biggest draw besides Tiger

He’s also a global superstar who plays around the world and is building a massive home outside London because that’s where he eventually wants to settle

 

[social]

And there you have it

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1788371198251868209

 

[social]

Westwood is playing in the US Senior Open as he’s has an exemption because of his Ryder Cup play

However, he’s not playing in the British Seniors as he’s still banned by the DPWT

 

[Molehill]

Westwood is playing in the US Senior Open as he’s has an exemption because of his Ryder Cup play

However, he’s not playing in the British Seniors as he’s still banned by the DPWT

But he does have an extra £50m in the bank to buy a few racehorses with. He could just pay his fine to DPWT which would make him eligible.

Don't suppose you saw the Schauffele rules thing last night? Talk about taking rules to the limit, thought his playing partners should've stepped in and said he was taking the piss. Questions will be asked if he goes on to win this. I don't see how line of sight comes into it when you have to go through 3 bushes to get to that obstacle, and it was never the shot he was going to take anyway.

Just downloaded the app for the PGA next week (I'm away so won't be able to watch any of it). Valhalla is long, surely must suit one of the big boys.

 

[social]

But he does have an extra £50m in the bank to buy a few racehorses with. He could just pay his fine to DPWT which would make him eligible.

Don't suppose you saw the Schauffele rules thing last night? Talk about taking rules to the limit, thought his playing partners should've stepped in and said he was taking the piss. Questions will be asked if he goes on to win this. I don't see how line of sight comes into it when you have to go through 3 bushes to get to that obstacle, and it was never the shot he was going to take anyway.

Just downloaded the app for the PGA next week (I'm away so won't be able to watch any of it). Valhalla is long, surely must suit one of the big boys.

Agree with you but his argument is that an official made the ruling

Assuming that he will play a miracle shot through a jungle to hit a chord hanging down from a camera is really stretching things

Then to give him a free drop with a clear shot to the green capped it off

I actually thought that claiming those big rocks as movable objects was taking the piss in the first place

Someone correctly pointed out that there would be an outcry if Reed did the same

Meanwhile, every weekend golfer would either have taken an immediate penalty or hacked around in the bush before taking 9

 

[Molehill]

Agree with you but his argument is that an official made the ruling

Assuming that he will play a miracle shot through a jungle to hit a chord hanging down from a camera is really stretching things

Then to give him a free drop with a clear shot to the green capped it off

I actually thought that claiming those big rocks as movable objects was taking the piss in the first place

Someone correctly pointed out that there would be an outcry if Reed did the same

Meanwhile, every weekend golfer would either have taken an immediate penalty or hacked around in the bush before taking 9

To be fair, he's taking plenty on X, and rightly so. No issue with the rocks mind, if you can move them then move them. We've seen bigger ones than that moved in the past.

I thought Lowry and Clark were poor. At no point did they get involved and look at his ball location. It's part of their responsibility to protect the field against this sort of ****. Surely, one look and they'd have said you're taking the piss here Xander, you have one shot and the one in line with the Shotlink Tower is not it. I'm not sure he even had a swing in that direction either. It'll be interesting to see how he plays the rest of the weekend, he's not one that generally does well from in front anyway.

 

[social]

@Molehill these people have been living in denial and it’s incredible to me that it’s been so badly handled

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1788851799916446022

 

[Son Of Coco]

Someone correctly pointed out that there would be an outcry if Reed did the same

He is an obnoxious **** with a history of doing dodgy stuff on the course though, so it would probably be fair.

 

[Molehill]

@Molehill these people have been living in denial and it’s incredible to me that it’s been so badly handled

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1788851799916446022

Of that there is no doubt. I don't think they really understood the money they were trying to compete with. They couldn't compete with money, they needed to improve their product (which wouldn't have been difficult). Rory knew what the solution was, be more global. But various US players didn't want that (and still don't).

The actual LIV product is desperately poor though, I don't really understand why golf fans would watch it (and truth be told, not many are outside countries starved of quality golf). It should've been quite easy to resolve, but Monaghan and co have ****ed it up.

The best way out now is just let the LIV guys back. Create a more Global Tour that has the top players competing against each other more often. It will kill off LIV (which really no one will lament) but let the Saudis have a share of the PGA instead. No doubt some on the PGA Tour will be annoyed at having missed out on a ton of money, but then they're hardly poor anyway.

 

[social]

Of that there is no doubt. I don't think they really understood the money they were trying to compete with. They couldn't compete with money, they needed to improve their product (which wouldn't have been difficult). Rory knew what the solution was, be more global. But various US players didn't want that (and still don't).

The actual LIV product is desperately poor though, I don't really understand why golf fans would watch it (and truth be told, not many are outside countries starved of quality golf). It should've been quite easy to resolve, but Monaghan and co have ****ed it up.

The best way out now is just let the LIV guys back. Create a more Global Tour that has the top players competing against each other more often. It will kill off LIV (which really no one will lament) but let the Saudis have a share of the PGA instead. No doubt some on the PGA Tour will be annoyed at having missed out on a ton of money, but then they're hardly poor anyway.

The whole thing has had a stink about it from the beginning

Anyone who has dealt in that world knows you don’t just blow off those people

Then Monahan hung Rory out to dry before doing a deal with the devil hedge funds and getting a massive pay rise in the process

Won’t be surprised if Tiger ends up controlling the PGAT with Saudi money while the hedge fund guys walk away with massive profits

 

[Anil]

Between Schauffele, McIlroy and Im tomorrow...

 

[Anil]

Rory coasts to victory at Quail Hollow, again! Zhang takes the Founders Cup, well done! Talk about a two horse race, the difference between 2nd and 3rd was 13 shots!

 

[social]

Rory played an amazing round

Hopefully Rory or at least someone other than Scheffler wins the PGA as it would be better for golf

Zhang has got an amazing swing

Can’t remember peak Tiger being thrashed by someone 5 years his junior but that’s what she just did to Korda

 

[Anil]

Scheffler, McIlroy and Koepka should be the top 3 favorites. Of course you can't count out someone completely random winning it, the PGA does that every now and then.

 

[Molehill]

Both weekend tournaments had shades of that Stenson/Mickelson duel at Troon when they seemed to be playing a different course to everyone else. But Schauffele it seems cannot play on Sundays and it was no surprise that he gradually capitulated. Having said that, given the golf Rory played from the 8th to the 15th it was hardly a surprise. Next year's PGA is back at Quail Hollow, it's fair to say that course quite suits him.

Tough on Sagstrom beating the 3rd by 13 shots and still losing. Korda was due a quiet one, but she still had a top 10.

Still not entirely certain if Scheffler turns up this week, and what frame of mind is he in if he does? Can't see him winning this one. If we assume that Valhalla and Quail Hollow are both suited to McIlroy, then the likes of Homa and Clark could well enjoy Valhalla too. Koepka and Niemann look the most obvious to contend from LIV with Rahm seemingly struggling at the mo.

 

[social]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1790023913382027755

 

[Molehill]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1790023913382027755

Somewhat ignoring the 14 other tournaments Rory has won, like 4 Dubai Classics, 2 Dubai Tour Championships, a PGA at Wentworth, an Australian Open....not exactly weak fields at any of those.

No doubt he's been the best golfer over the last 15 years, but for some reason hasn't translated it into Major wins. Which is weird, coz it's not like he doesn't know how to win.

 

[social]

Somewhat ignoring the 14 other tournaments Rory has won, like 4 Dubai Classics, 2 Dubai Tour Championships, a PGA at Wentworth, an Australian Open....not exactly weak fields at any of those.

No doubt he's been the best golfer over the last 15 years, but for some reason hasn't translated it into Major wins. Which is weird, coz it's not like he doesn't know how to win.

Crazy that it’s not that far fetched to call a 4 time major winner an under achiever but it’s pretty close

Norman definitely was with 2