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Reputation:91
Level:All-Star
Since:Jan 30, 2008
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Phil has got to be the odds on favorite without Tiger in the field. He certainly has the talent and the ability to get the job done, if he can keep himself from imploding! I say he fights off his golfers A.D.D. this week and cruises to a 4 shot victory!
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Reputation:95
Level:Superstar
Since:Aug 19, 2007
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I can't see him winning. His drives are not that good and his putting is off lately.
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Dec 31, 2006
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No chance for Phil...Tiger or no Tiger.
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Reputation:26
Level:Rookie
Since:Apr 22, 2008
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Tiger needs far more people than Tiger to drop out before he is going to have a shot
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Reputation:94
Level:All-Star
Since:Feb 17, 2008
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No way Phil can win this one. Way too many holes on this course that require just a tad bit of self control. Phil isn't loaded with self control. Lack of it at Sawgrass will bite you.... hard.
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Aug 11, 2006
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This thread is cracking me up...
I can't see him winning. His drives are not that good and his putting is off lately.
ILG you are stuck on this driver thing aren't you. Obviously Tiger and Phil don't need driver accuracy to win much of anything.
No chance for Phil...Tiger or no Tiger.
No chance for the DEFENDING CHAMP? Was Tiger in the field LAST YEAR when Phil WON?
Tiger needs far more people than Tiger to drop out before he is going to have a shot
Say what?
No way Phil can win this one. Way too many holes on this course that require just a tad bit of self control. Phil isn't loaded with self control. Lack of it at Sawgrass will bite you.... hard.
DEFENDING CHAMP cannot win this tournament...doesn't have what it takes.
You guys crack me up...LOL!
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Reputation:49
Level:Rookie
Since:Apr 8, 2007
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The commentators on the LIVE @ 17 coverage had some interesting comments about Phil's strategy last year. They said that, unlike most other thumpers, Phil bombed a LOT of DRIVERS from the tees. And while he missed a LOT of fairways, he managed to play well from fairway bunkers and the rough ... and managed to miss water and trees. The suggestion was that in some respects he was lucky ... trees didn't get in the way, etc.
I would add that when playing TW 2007 and 2008 at SawGrass I thought that it would be GREAT to be a lefty with an easy fade on MANY holes ... so the course may setup for Leftys.
I'm not sure if he's using the same strategy this year or not. My guess is, if it ain't broke ...
He had a good round one yesterday, but that was played in the morning when the winds were CALM. It was a whole different world for those with afternoon tee times. I think both Sergio and Phil will find it tougher today in the afternoon winds. Lucky for them, today's morning players do NOT have calm conditions (winds - according to the weather channel - are in the 17 mph range already).
BTW ... the commentators pointed out that greens and fairways are MUCH dryer and faster this year, and the type of game that Phil played last year will be MUCH tougher to execute. Fir instince, shots from fairway bunkers and rough will NOT hold the green as well.
That said, Phil's short game is as good as anyone's ... and they'll all be playing the same conditions, so I think Phil will likely be in the hunt come sunday.
...BabyG
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Aug 11, 2006
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BG,
I am not sure exactly what to make of your post. If I consider some of our past "discussions" about Mick I think I have a pretty good idea but I don't want to read too much into it if it's not there.
The suggestion was that in some respects he was lucky ... trees didn't get in the way, etc.
I actually heard them saying similar things today like on 16. I wonder if they think some people get lucky more than others? Faldo virtually came right out and said it. I am of the opinion that luck is COMPLETELY random...and YES it does take some luck (sometimes) to win a golf tournament. Or bad luck to lose one.
I would add that when playing TW 2007 and 2008 at SawGrass I thought that it would be GREAT to be a lefty with an easy fade on MANY holes ... so the course may setup for Leftys.
He had a good round one yesterday, but that was played in the morning when the winds were CALM. It was a whole different world for those with afternoon tee times. I think both Sergio and Phil will find it tougher today in the afternoon winds. Lucky for them, today's morning players do NOT have calm conditions (winds - according to the weather channel - are in the 17 mph range already).
It seems as though the luck of the draw was morning/afternoon as opposed to afternoon/morning...so in that manner Phil was lucky.
BTW ... the commentators pointed out that greens and fairways are MUCH dryer and faster this year, and the type of game that Phil played last year will be MUCH tougher to execute. Fir instince, shots from fairway bunkers and rough will NOT hold the green as well.
If there is one part of the game that I have never been able to figure out...it's playing from fairway bunkers. Greenside bunkers I can manage. One thing is for sure...if you play that course as an ameteur you are going to be in your fair share of fairway bunkers. They seem to line at least half the length of many of the fairways. Maybe that is another reason I didn't play well. I am horrible at playing out of them.
That said, Phil's short game is as good as anyone's ... and they'll all be playing the same conditions, so I think Phil will likely be in the hunt come sunday.
Interesting synopsis. I take it you either think he will be lucky again as the analysts suggested or you think like I do...that there was a little luck involved but mostly skill.
Did you see his shot on 16 or the drive on 18? I think those were the ones that had Faldo making the comments about luck. Although I do think there was SOME luck on those two shots I still think luck is random and does not favor anyone. There were also some comments of his skill and ability to make them happen...at least the shot at 16. There was only one place for that ball to land that would have kicked it straight right into the water but that was the focus of the analysts. The other scenarios were greenside bunker, landing where it did, or landing a bit further up in the swail which would have killed the momentum of the ball. In my opinion it would have been extremely unlucky for that ball to have hit in such a spot that it would have kicked directly to the right and in the water. Yet the comments were more about the luck that it took to miss that spot. Just my observation...but I am not suggestiing there wasn't a little luck too.
It's shaping up to be a good one!
Could be...even though I have played there I never really considered some of these things. I am sure you would have been a little more attentive than I...but now that you mention it I wish I had paid more attention to it. As if I didn't have plenty of other problems to consider at the time:) I am around a 7 handicap on average over the years and I shot a 92 from the up tees. That was about 1 month prior to the tourney if I recall. It was tough but I played horribly too. I think I could have managed low 80's (from the up tees) if I was on my game. The other two times I was in a best ball format with optional mulligans available for purchase.
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Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Aug 11, 2006
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That post came out kinda weird. I hope you can piece it together. I have NO phugging clue what happened. See if you can match my comments to the proper quote box:)
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Reputation:49
Level:Rookie
Since:Apr 8, 2007
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CHER... I wasn't taking a shot at Phil. I admired his two Driver strategy at Augusta, and I admire that he went against the traditional thinking on how BigHitters should play Sawgrass. He obviously saw possibilities that others didn't, and I admire that creativity.
My point about him getting "lucky" were the result of both the analysts comments, as well as my TW Game experience at Sawgrass. One lie behind a tree, bad fairway bunker lie or position, whatever, could have been very costly. As you pointed out, taking the commentator's with a grain of salt is in order.
Frankly, becuz sooOOoooo many excellent players are GENUINELY in the mix at Sawgrass (Long AND Short Hitters), I think it's necessary to do two things to separate from the pack:
1. Take calculated risks
2. Get Lucky.
Looks to me like Phil did BOTH last year ... and that is a credit to him. That combination separated him. However, pulling that off twice in a row would SEEM to be very unlikely ... UNLESS the course really DOES setup better of a Lefty like Phil.
I can't comment on the commentator comments that YOU commented on cuz I wasn't watching. Sounds like Faldo isn't a huge PhilPhan.
Phil has played well in spurts ... and DOES take these events seriously. So, with him being the defending Champ, I have no doubt that he's well prepared. And if he executes AND gets a little lucky, he could do it again.
Regarding the TW Games. I played Sawgrass with both the 2007 and the 2008 TW versions. Visually, the 2008 game is FAR more appealing than the 2007 version ... but the '08 version is too easy.
The 2007 version is far more INTIMIDATING than the 2008 version. The view from the teebox is VERY intimidating on MANY holes ... with trees and the like causing you to have second thoughts about the shot to play. VERY effective intimidation. The same is true for many second shots into greens. The player's eye view just scares the shak out of you at times ... with overhanging tree limbs, flag-protecting bunkers, etc. Very effective and realistic intimidation. You RARELY get the same sense in the 2008 version.
It's that 2007 visual perspective from the teebox that led me to wish that I was a lefty on a number of holes. I'm gonna see if I can create a left-handed golfer to play Sawgrass and see if I get different perspective.
Lastly ... Gotta LOVE Anthony Kim's game! The kid can PLAY! He's the guy I'm gonna watch. He seems to have a little Tiger in him.
Oops ... LASTLY ... Zach was disappointing. I didn't pick him for my fantasy team cuz he hasn't been performing too well lately. Nonetheless, I would have thought that this course would be IDEAL for his game. I'm NOT givin' up on him for the rest of the year ... yet.
...BabyG
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Reputation:49
Level:Rookie
Since:Apr 8, 2007
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I feel a NEED to comment further about MY impressions of Anthony Kim ...
I'm not sure I can make sense of my EARLY impressions of Kim other than to say that I see a bit of Tiger in him, AND a Bit of Sergio in him.
I FEEL a similar HOPE in Kim that I felt in Sergio at one time.
I saw GAME in Sergio. HEART and Game. He was like a Tiger Cub ... aggressive, but immature and playful ... but, a bit of a runt.
I was HOPING that Sergio would mature in his approach to The Game. I think he tried ... but he came up short.
Sergio TRIED ... and tried VALIANTLY to overcome his shortcomings. He eliminated his waggle, waggle, waggle, waggle, waggle, waggle (ad infinitum) shot setup. He worked his arse off!
Sergio was GREAT off the tee ... for his stature. He hit it LONG ... for his stature. He got EVERY OUNCE out of his tee shots ... and was impressive ... for his stature. But he was maxxed-out. Tiger had a 12 inch longer natural swing reach! He couldn't HOPE to compete with Tiger.
Sergio was ALSO a great SECOND-shot player. His length off the tee was a HUGE help in hitting greens with his second. The PROBLEM was that while he MAY have been hitting his SECOND shot from somewhere near where Tiger was hitting, he was hitting a longer club into the green. Tiger's stature ... height and swing-reach ... is and was a HUGE advantage over Sergio's. From the fairway or the rough, Sergio was hitting a LONGER club from the SAME distance into the green. Sergio had to be BETTER than Tiger to end up in the same place ON THE GREEN as Tiger. Advantage Tiger.
Sergio, understandably, lost a fraction of a stroke to Tiger on every second shot ... especially from the rough.
Sooo ... Off the tee ... roughly equal. Second shot ... advantage Tiger. What now?
Putting.
Sergio HAS gone through periods when he has putted VERY well. When he DOES putt well (AND plays well otherwise), Sergio CAN give Tiger a run for his money. The problem that I-Me-My see is that Sergio doesn't have Tiger's Eye for The Hole.
Tiger's Eye-for-the Hole?
I've seen a LOT of TV golf ... but, I have NEVER seen a better putter than Tiger. Never EVER.
Best putter ... EVER?! SOME would argue that Tiger's putting "STATZ" don't support my claim. That's TRUE. But Statz LIE!
What the typical stats do NOT show are the internals. They do NOT reflect the FACT that Tiger putts almost EXCLUSIVELY on the toughest greens played. He doesn't play LPGA greens. Furthermore, his APPROACHES are from the TOUGHEST courses on The Tour ... NOT from PowderPuff desert courses!
The courses that Tiger plays makes getting his approach CLOSE (proximity) to the hole more DIFFICULT, but ALSO makes the remaining putts FAR more difficult. His Putting Statz SUFFER.
Sergio ... even when he's as HOT as a ... lmao ... I can't say it here. EVEN Sergio's BEST putting PALES by comparison to Tiger's most mundane putting.
The long and short of it is that ... the closer to the Hole Sergio gets, the deeper the hole he has to climb out of in comparison to Tiger.
LMAO ... Where is Anthony Kim in all this?!
Anthony Kim faces barriers VERY similar to Sergio. Sure ... he's TALENTED. AND ... he's maturing. But, Tiger was BORN mature ... and Tiger is STILL maturing. How do ya compete with THAT?! How do ya compete with the 12-inch swing reach advantage? How do ya compete with The Eye of the Tiger on the Greens?!!
Ya can't.
The best ya can do is wait it out. Wait for Tiger to get old and decrepit ... and hopefully senile from Elin humping his brains out. Short of that, ya ain't got a Chihuahua's chance of impregnating a rabid, hyper-active Great Dane ... EXCEPT on a Tiger off-day.
All that said ... IF Kim can keep his wits about him and mature gracefully, he MAY have a CHANCE of being handed Tiger's Dimming Torch.
Kim is GOOD ... but he doesn't suck like Tiger.
...BabyG
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Reputation:96
Level:Superstar
Since:Dec 28, 2006
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