Dariusz J.
New member
Yes, very much. Of course there is no euphory here when our team is out, but people just are making lots of fun. My town is not one of the 4 towns where matches are being played but our TV shows everything in detail.
Cheers
My least favorite major
- Thread starter mgranato
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Yes, very much. Of course there is no euphory here when our team is out, but people just are making lots of fun. My town is not one of the 4 towns where matches are being played but our TV shows everything in detail.
Cheers
It's great when everybody behaves themselves, isn't it?
Cheer for England if you can. We're gonna need all the support we can get
Dariusz J.
New member
It's great when everybody behaves themselves, isn't it?
Cheer for England if you can. We're gonna need all the support we can get
I am being brought up as a soccer player on English soccer and I am always rooting for England or Scotland.
There was a serious incident before Poland-Russia match but hopefully it was the first and the last one. The best fans are from Ireland though. Spaniards did not know what's going on when they were winning 4:0 and the Irishmen sang loudly as if they were winning. Great to watch and hear.
Cheers
i'm not disagreeing here but is there any evidence to back this up?
agree on this, they could talk about the "history" of the match-play format, also make it fun, kind of like the NCAA basketball tourney.
Jared Willerson
Super Moderator
Nope
Match play is an inferior way of identifying the best golfer any particular week. To much luck involved. Major Championships are 4 round events. The fact that you could play one of the best rounds of the field in the 1st round and be eliminated proves that. The only match play format as fair as Stroke Play would be a Round Robin format, but that would take several months with over a 140 player field.
As if stroke play will identify the best golfer. everyone on tour seems to be able to win a major now (except for Lee it seems). 15 1st time major winners in the last 15.
Dariusz J.
New member
Plenty of first-hand evidences from eye-witnesses -- either other players/competitors or journalists and golf fans. For me it is completely enough. I ve read recently Middlecoff's great book where he discusses swing motions and playing characteristics of his most notable rivals. Great read and source of knowledge. Historia magistra vitae est.
Cheers
birly-shirly
New
^^this^^. What happened to identifying the best players in the world? How can you claim to be doing that if you have zero repeat winners? 15 first time champions (that even sounds incongruous, doesn't it) begins to look just a bit random for my tastes. Either that, or major championship golf is now a test for scar tissue - and only the untested are naive enough to come through.
drewyallop
New
M
Agree Mike. Until late on the last day it didn't seem as if anyone wanted to go for a birdie. Just bunt it along and hope nothing bad happens. I too will never play the open ... If nominated I will not run. If elected I will not serve.
I understand its "role" in the 4 majors, but the U.S. Open is my least favorite of the lot. I have never been a fan of playing not to lose, but that seems to be the mindset forced upon all those in contention. I like watching sporting events where someone actually tries to win, and takes the necessary chances to "make it happen". With very few exceptions, the U.S. Open seems to crush that spirit of risk. Watching the most gifted golfers on the planet play 4 days of protection is not compelling sport to me. When the guys who are playing the best (the leaders) are choosing to hit hybrids off a 580 yd par 5, what does that say about the test?
I don't watch basketball to see which team can make the fewest turnovers and fouls. Don't watch football to see which team can avoid running out of bounds the most. Don't watch tennis to see which player makes the fewest errors. Don't watch F1 to see which driver drives in the straightest line. Defense (in different forms) is a vital part of every sport, but it shouldn't foster a fear of playing to win.
Like every golf junkie, I buy into the pre-tournament hype of the second major every year. And nearly every year, Lucy yanks the football away right at the last minute. If we didn't have the Master's, I'd be really envious of you Brits and your Open Championship.
In fact, the requirement of playing not to lose is a mindset I just can't buy into... and probably what will ultimately keep me from winning a US Open title.
Agree Mike. Until late on the last day it didn't seem as if anyone wanted to go for a birdie. Just bunt it along and hope nothing bad happens. I too will never play the open ... If nominated I will not run. If elected I will not serve.
drewyallop
New
Carl at the majors! Someone call Gervais ASAP.
faux_maestro
New
It's actually 15 majors played, 15 different champions. For accuracy sake it's only 9 first timers in a row. It's still a lot.
I understand its "role" in the 4 majors, but the U.S. Open is my least favorite of the lot. I have never been a fan of playing not to lose, but that seems to be the mindset forced upon all those in contention. I like watching sporting events where someone actually tries to win, and takes the necessary chances to "make it happen". With very few exceptions, the U.S. Open seems to crush that spirit of risk. Watching the most gifted golfers on the planet play 4 days of protection is not compelling sport to me. When the guys who are playing the best (the leaders) are choosing to hit hybrids off a 580 yd par 5, what does that say about the test?
I don't watch basketball to see which team can make the fewest turnovers and fouls. Don't watch football to see which team can avoid running out of bounds the most. Don't watch tennis to see which player makes the fewest errors. Don't watch F1 to see which driver drives in the straightest line. Defense (in different forms) is a vital part of every sport, but it shouldn't foster a fear of playing to win.
Like every golf junkie, I buy into the pre-tournament hype of the second major every year. And nearly every year, Lucy yanks the football away right at the last minute. If we didn't have the Master's, I'd be really envious of you Brits and your Open Championship.
In fact, the requirement of playing not to lose is a mindset I just can't buy into... and probably what will ultimately keep me from winning a US Open title.
Imho, all of the majors are special because each examines the golfer under the premise that there should be real consequences to misses. Few, if any, of the regular tour stops on either tour do so, so they end up being putting contests.
I love the US Open and its my 2nd favourite behind our Open. We see enough birdie fests and its so refreshing to see the pros have to think there way around a course and get punished if they hit a bad shot. Its how golf should be and not the bomb and gouge we see most weeks.
Par is just a number and we get too hung up on it. For example, some of the par 72's on the tours are more like par 68's to the pros. All we should be worried about is who takes the least number of shots
Par is just a number and we get too hung up on it. For example, some of the par 72's on the tours are more like par 68's to the pros. All we should be worried about is who takes the least number of shots
mgranato
New
How the majors should be
So just to be clear... you're not in favor of 39 gram graphite shafts?
The Masters is perfect in every way. It tests driving, has incredibly difficult approaches, and is the best test of putting. It's perfect. But as an American, I'm tired of our national championship ending with an apology from the USGA. They get it right 1 out of every 5, that's a joke. What they did at Winged Foot should have been enough to take away their keys to the car.
I'm with you on the Open Championship. For a country that struggles with a few simple concepts (ice cubes and reliable cars), the Brits do know how to put on a championship. I just want a national championship I can be completely proud of, so if I'm ever made King of Golf this is what I'd do for the majors...
The Masters: it's perfect, happens at a perfect time, wouldn't change a thing.
The US Open: revoked, discontinued. USGA go help the NCAA, you guys would get along good together.
The Open Championship: it moves up in the calendar to replace the US Open. Love the rota, wouldn't change a thing.
The World PGA Championship: This replaces the US PGA. It will be held on a rota of Ireland's brilliant links courses and Bandon Dunes. Golf was born out of that style, and should be represented with two majors.
And to finish the season off right...
The Augusta National Open: To be held in the fall, and qualified for like the current two Opens. Unlike the Masters, the course setup will be wall-to-wall TIGHT lies with no rough.
Pure coincidence that two of the majors will be held in Georgia each year.
So just to be clear... you're not in favor of 39 gram graphite shafts?
The Masters is perfect in every way. It tests driving, has incredibly difficult approaches, and is the best test of putting. It's perfect. But as an American, I'm tired of our national championship ending with an apology from the USGA. They get it right 1 out of every 5, that's a joke. What they did at Winged Foot should have been enough to take away their keys to the car.
I'm with you on the Open Championship. For a country that struggles with a few simple concepts (ice cubes and reliable cars), the Brits do know how to put on a championship. I just want a national championship I can be completely proud of, so if I'm ever made King of Golf this is what I'd do for the majors...
The Masters: it's perfect, happens at a perfect time, wouldn't change a thing.
The US Open: revoked, discontinued. USGA go help the NCAA, you guys would get along good together.
The Open Championship: it moves up in the calendar to replace the US Open. Love the rota, wouldn't change a thing.
The World PGA Championship: This replaces the US PGA. It will be held on a rota of Ireland's brilliant links courses and Bandon Dunes. Golf was born out of that style, and should be represented with two majors.
And to finish the season off right...
The Augusta National Open: To be held in the fall, and qualified for like the current two Opens. Unlike the Masters, the course setup will be wall-to-wall TIGHT lies with no rough.
Pure coincidence that two of the majors will be held in Georgia each year.
So just to be clear... you're not in favor of 39 gram graphite shafts?
The Masters is perfect in every way. It tests driving, has incredibly difficult approaches, and is the best test of putting. It's perfect. But as an American, I'm tired of our national championship ending with an apology from the USGA. They get it right 1 out of every 5, that's a joke. What they did at Winged Foot should have been enough to take away their keys to the car.
I'm with you on the Open Championship. For a country that struggles with a few simple concepts (ice cubes and reliable cars), the Brits do know how to put on a championship. I just want a national championship I can be completely proud of, so if I'm ever made King of Golf this is what I'd do for the majors...
The Masters: it's perfect, happens at a perfect time, wouldn't change a thing.
The US Open: revoked, discontinued. USGA go help the NCAA, you guys would get along good together.
The Open Championship: it moves up in the calendar to replace the US Open. Love the rota, wouldn't change a thing.
The World PGA Championship: This replaces the US PGA. It will be held on a rota of Ireland's brilliant links courses and Bandon Dunes. Golf was born out of that style, and should be represented with two majors.
And to finish the season off right...
The Augusta National Open: To be held in the fall, and qualified for like the current two Opens. Unlike the Masters, the course setup will be wall-to-wall TIGHT lies with no rough.
Pure coincidence that two of the majors will be held in Georgia each year.
Our cars might not be reliable but at least they go round corners
Like the idea of World PGA. I would add in a couple of Australian courses such as Royal Melbourne and Moonah Links and Fancourt in South Africa
magicmarker
New
So true, everyone gets caught up in the +/- in relation to par, it could've been a par 72 with webb finishing at -7 and we still might've seen the exact same show. It would be interesting to see if and how the strategy would change if par was eliminated and players just figured out how to make the best number they could on each hole. I don't think pro's would change too much but I bet amateurs would play a lot smarter.
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