British Open Thread

[MUBurrow]

I don't think the guy who yelled in Tiger's backswing on 18 should be punched in the face.  A series of elbows to the rib cage by everyone who passes him and a pint or two dumped on his head...yeah I'm okay with that.

And then the toddler parked three feet behind Schauffele? For real?

[MUEng92]

And then the toddler parked three feet behind Schauffele? For real?

I was physically cringing during his practice swings thinking the kid was going to scream.  And I thought the parents at mass this morning waited too long to take their crying kid out of church...

[nyg]

Molanari's last four starts:

Win in Europe, believe BMW
Win at Tigers PGA
Second at John Deere
Win at The Open

That's an awesome streak and good for golf being first from Italy to win a major.  Tour players call him Frankie and guess he is well liked. 

[Herman Cain]

Great performance by Molinari. The Champion Golfer of the Year.

[WarriorDad]

I don't think the guy who yelled in Tiger's backswing on 18 should be punched in the face.  A series of elbows to the rib cage by everyone who passes him and a pint or two dumped on his head...yeah I'm okay with that.

Bush league move, but Johnny Miller correctly said if Woods given a chance to rehit no way he would. That was a good drive.

[jesmu84]

Tiger took the outright lead on Sunday. And no one folded. Good call

[GGGG]

Great performance by Molinari. The Champion Golfer of the Year.

His father would have been proud.

[MU82]

The most enjoyable finish to a major in quite some time.

Kudos to Molinari, who had many, many, many chances to fold but refused to do it. Even on the very last hole, if he gets a bogey and Tiger gets a birdie, it's pandemonium. But, as many of us said, the Tiger Intimidation Factor, once 100, is now about 3. Molinari stared him down, made better shots, got the birdie while Tiger could only par, and clinched the championship. Impressive.

Kudos to Tiger. He played very well and if I were a Tiger fan (and I am!), I would be encouraged by this. Still, Tiger has given himself an impossible standard in that nothing other than major championships matter. So going 10 years without one, and falling apart for a couple holes after he briefly took the lead in this one, I'm sure he's thinking about the "one that got away."

Kudos to Justin Rose. An amazing final 36 holes for one of the great battlers in golf (and one of the great golfers in golf, too).

Kinda kudos to Rory. That eagle on 14 was absolutely thrilling, and for a second I thought he was gonna win it. Like Tiger, he has given himself a very difficult standard, so not finishing strongly after the eagle can only be judged a failure. But the guy has just incredible talent.

I'd say kudos to 9-9-9, as well, because he wasn't that far off on saying if Tiger shot a 69 he would win. But ultimately, 9-9-9 was wrong despite trying to sound so sure of himself. And Tiger's wheels were the ones that fell off. Maybe next time!

Self-evaluation: I also was wrong because I said: "Could he win? Sure. So could Molinari and Noren, but I don't think they will, either." Molinari proved me wrong (although I didn't say it with total certainty, like 9-9-9 did about Tiger), and it was fun watching him do it!

[tower912]

Kudos to the R&A.   Cut the greens to 10 and played the course as it was.    Fairways firmer and faster than the greens.    Erratic fescue.    Relatively benign conditions.     And yet the winning score was only 5 shots lower than the grind that was Shinnecock. 276-281   Can you imagine what the winning score might have been if the wind had blown all 4 days like it did today?    It would be dumber than dirt to take Carnoustie out of the rota.   As much as I dream of playing it, the Old Course is the one that doesn't stand up to the modern golfer, unless there are gales.     I wonder what the old guys will shoot there next week.   

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

Eddie Pepperell, my new favorite golfer.

Pepperell was another Sunday charger, teeing off before midday and shooting a 67, only to admit later he wasn't exactly feeling his best.

"I was a little hungover," Pepperell said. "I won't lie. I had too much to drink last night."

[CreightonWarrior]

Tiger took the outright lead on Sunday. And no one folded. Good call

Molinari had a great, consistent weekend and did a great job of keeping composure as fans rallied around Tiger. The 2 pairings that teed off after them as Tiger and Molinari crept up or stayed at the top of the leaderboard all shot their worst rounds of the weekend and averaged a 74.25.

[tower912]

Eddie Pepperell, my new favorite golfer.

Pepperell was another Sunday charger, teeing off before midday and shooting a 67, only to admit later he wasn't exactly feeling his best.

"I was a little hungover," Pepperell said. "I won't lie. I had too much to drink last night."

Something to that.  Loaded up on ibuprofen.  The edge is off.  Lethargic.  Mind is fogged and calmed.  Assuming a normal swing is possible, just hit the ball, find it, hit again, not really give a crap, and presto.

[Goose]

MU82

I am a big, big, big time Tiger fan and found the last two rounds to be very encouraging. I feel more confident that he can a very successful second career on the PGA tour. Definitely enjoyed watching all weekend long. I spent far too much time in front of the TV, but it was a fun final round to watch.

[CreightonWarrior]

Networks excited to have him back. Best overnight rating since 2000 and tied with rating from 2006. Tiger won both those years. Ratings also up 38% from last year.

[MU82]

MU82

I am a big, big, big time Tiger fan and found the last two rounds to be very encouraging. I feel more confident that he can a very successful second career on the PGA tour. Definitely enjoyed watching all weekend long. I spent far too much time in front of the TV, but it was a fun final round to watch.

I also was encouraged by the showing (and said so earlier in this thread).

I didn't see Tiger's interview immediately after the round but I did see it later on SportsCenter. His first words were that he was "pissed" at himself for screwing up - which also is encouraging in its own way.

He had been mostly shrugging his shoulders and being happy to simply be playing again, but now the uber-competitive Tiger is back and that's very good for golf!

[rocket surgeon]

no sooner than the open had ended(or possibly before), tiger came out as the favorite to win the pga  at bellerive - 16/1 

  not only is tiger good for the game, but he gives me hope that i can get my game back from before i was injured

[🏀]

The PGA at Bellerive shouldn't even be a major.

[tower912]

no sooner than the open had ended(or possibly before), tiger came out as the favorite to win the pga  at bellerive - 16/1 

  not only is tiger good for the game, but he gives me hope that i can get my game back from before i was injured

Will Tiger be able to hit irons off the tee and putt slow flat greens?

[🏀]

Will Tiger be able to hit irons off the tee and putt slow flat greens?

Bellerive is tight fairways surrounded by bunkers. It was uninspired at best when created and the always formulamatic Rees Jones added water, jacked up the green complexes and tightened up all the edges. The exact same renovation formula that killed Dubsdread at Cog Hill.

If Tiger isn't pulling driver, he's in trouble. A baked out STL course in August? Big hitters should come out. This isn't a championship course.

PS - I've really been obsessed in course design lately. If I could go back 10 years ago, I would've selected this direction after college.

[tower912]

I get the love of golf architecture.  I appreciate creative design.

[🏀]

I get the love of golf architecture.  I appreciate creative design.

Bellrieve claims their use of coloring in the concrete to repave their cart paths as one of the creative and innovative highlights of their renovations. Ooooookay.

[tower912]

When it comes to hosting majors, the course is only one factor.   Surrounding infrastructure,  ability to accommodate hospitality tents, move 100K fans every day, nearby accommodations.  I was surprised Erin Hills pulled it off.   Merion struggled with it.   Arcadia Bluffs would be a great course to host a tourney from a purely golf standpoint, but it could not handle the rest.  Bellrieve can.

[JWags85]

no sooner than the open had ended(or possibly before), tiger came out as the favorite to win the pga  at bellerive - 16/1 

  not only is tiger good for the game, but he gives me hope that i can get my game back from before i was injured

Tiger WAS good, more like incredible, for the game.  I would argue he is only good for network ratings now.  Golf is strongest when there is a crop of great players that fans are interested in and follow and appreciate.  The Tiger obsession, when its very obvious its not 2005 anymore, hurts golf overall more than it helps it.  I'm sure plenty will disagree with me, but unless he starts winning consistently again, he's just a sideshow that ruins a lot of golf coverage.

[🏀]

When it comes to hosting majors, the course is only one factor.   Surrounding infrastructure,  ability to accommodate hospitality tents, move 100K fans every day, nearby accommodations.  I was surprised Erin Hills pulled it off.   Merion struggled with it.   Arcadia Bluffs would be a great course to host a tourney from a purely golf standpoint, but it could not handle the rest.  Bellrieve can.

It can, but doesn't mean it should. Plenty of better courses than offer the same, if not more.

I'd like to see the PGA start sticking to a rotation. East coast, Midwest, West coast.

For example a 9-year rotation could look like Bethpage, Straits, Oakland Hills, Oak Hill, Medinah, Harding Park, Baltrusol, Valhalla, Olympic Club.

West coast is a struggle for sites, east coast is stacked. Midwest is deep enough where Bellerive can be forgotten.

[tower912]

Oakland hills is closing for two years. With the PGA moving to May, the Midwest is going to be tricky, as will the northeast.  Whistling straits in May? Hazeltine?   Eek.