Lefty and Maid Merion

[jww]

Don't know how many of you followed the USOpen goulf tournament this past weekend, but Merion was taking no captives. It consistently swallowed up birdies and handed out par and bogeys instead. I watched most of the coverage on Saturday and have recorded yesterday's final round.

My heart breaks with Phil once again ending in the bride's maid role in this tournament -- not a distinction anyone wants. Maybe that's one of the reasons he has by far the largest loyal following of any of the pros on the tour. One of the top golfers around, and he's always seen as an underdog ..... I think there is something in him that we can all relate to. I'll sit down and watch a few holes from the PVR sometime this week.

On the other side of things, I am very happy for Justin Rose being able to win his first major tournament. So many good pros can't make that happen. I can't imagine he would have thought he would be able to ever win a major with a score above par?????

I'll miss the red wicker baskets and those unforgiving steel poles that robbed a few players on Saturday on the bounce.

[JayTrek]

Yes. Congrats to Rose on a well deserved tournament win.

Felt bad again for Lefty. I thought there for a while he would pull it off.

[JRTASTER]

Admittedly, my heart was with Phil, but he showed just how good he can play and I'm glad for that!

On the other hand, does my continued distaste for all things "Tiger" mark me simply as a totally
unforgiving S.O.B.? Or worse??

jr/John

[JayTrek]

I would say no, John. Many are tired of his act.

[maskaggs]

Admittedly, my heart was with Phil, but he showed just how good he can play and I'm glad for that!

On the other hand, does my continued distaste for all things "Tiger" mark me simply as a totally
unforgiving S.O.B.? Or worse??

jr/John

Not by my lights. I'd be much more prepared to support the guy if he didn't thrash and curse like 13 year old or have the media attitude of a brick wall. Although I admit that my allegiance to Sergio in the Sergio-Tiger dispute came to a fiery end with Sergio's racist remarks.

[JRTASTER]

To be honest, that brouhaha went right over my head. Glad it did because I'd probably have to pick sides

One of the less attractive trends in U.S.professional sports, which I had hoped golf might have escaped,
is all the trash talk and "in your face" crap. Perhaps it has always been there but the incessant, pervasive
and intrusive TV and other media coverage has brought it into our homes like never before.

Apparently we the public must love it, else the media would long ago have abandoned their emphasis on it.

jr/John

[jww]

Fortunately, there are some true gents on the tour still -- I neither bothered to read nor pay any attention to the Tiger/Serio feud. Never been a fan of Tiger, and Sergio has lost his edge as a player for me.

Next up British Open in July. Lefty traditionally fades quickly on the links in the UK, but he's had some wonderfully memorable moments there at the same time ..... remember the gorse bushes at St. Andrews in 2010? He had a shot up until part way through the 3rd round.

[gsgo]

It was back to the old US Open style that's for sure, Merion held it's own despite being under 7000 yards in length. While I enjoyed watching some of the coverage on both Saturday and Sunday I have to say that it can sometime be a bit tiresome when the players are hitting safety shots to get out of whatever rough they find themselves. While I understand the stern test the USGA is trying to layout, it does occassionaly lead to some pretty unspectacular golf.

Happy that another first time winner won again, love to see that trend continue and give us four first timers in '13. Another heart break for Phil but I will be pulling for him at Pinehurst next year. Now on to The Open where I am pulling for a third first timer to lift the claret jug.

[Kyle76]

After the Masters, the British Open (or The Open) is my favourite event (see what I did there?). I love to see the worlds top players take on the rota's enigmatic courses. Of course, no normal event can compete with the drama of the Ryder Cup. I was fortunate enough to be at Kiawah for "The War by the Shore," and no sporting event that I've attended before or since comes close to the Ryder Cup. Every shot is important, and as a team event, you are heavily vested in every match, not just those involving favorite players. Attending a Cup event in Europe is on my bucket list. I think the hospitality and camaraderie would be spectacular. It's amazing how a sleepy, little-noted event has become the premier spectacle in golf.

[JRTASTER]

Just read an article in a local paper about the USGA's efforts to speed up play ( in general, not just in tournament play).

According to the article 45,000 golfers have recently quit the game; the article goes on to say "tedious" play time was a reason cited for
their displeasure and reason for quitting. mmmm.

anyway, sorry for the thread hijack, but slow play recently made tour news after that teen golfer was penalized for same in a major!

Anyway, the British Open is one of my favorites and hopefully will continue to feature great play and drama.

[jww]

Methink's we should start a thread for The Open my personal favourite of all the majors by far. And true to form, I will be rooting for Lefty and razzing at he-who-was-named-after-a-large-cat-species. A newbie would be nice -- nicer still, a native newbie ...... perhaps Luuuuuuuke?

[divotmax]

Really enjoyed the US Open, and congrats to Justin Rose for hanging in there. Mickelson is certainly a sentimental favorite, but just shows how deep the field is these days. Too bad Rory McIlroy had to display his temper by bending an iron in frustration (notice that was not replayed very much); Nike has sure gotten it's exorbitant endorsement money from Tiger and Rory, hasn't it? One thing I did notice is that even on television you can still hear all the drunks screaming "in the hole" and other non-sensical comments. I really wish they would kick those pinheads off the course after the first offense. I'm also not a Tiger fan and really resent all the TV time he gets; I am sure that is the influence of the Golf Channel and Nike. I respect his record and (perhaps dwindling) talent, but his post-hydrant reputation will never go away.

[Kyle76]

One thing I did notice is that even on television you can still hear all the drunks screaming "in the hole" and other non-sensical comments. I really wish they would kick those pinheads off the course after the first offense.

Hear, hear!

[jww]

One thing I did notice is that even on television you can still hear all the drunks screaming "in the hole" and other non-sensical comments. I really wish they would kick those pinheads off the course after the first offense.

Hear, hear!

No kidding ....... jeez-loo-eeze already!

What ever happened to the polite "golf-clap" and barely a sound around the course until the last putt at the 18th hole in a one-shot final pairing?

[brothers]

As for talking trash, there was a gentleman who started it all back in around 1918-19, Mr. Johnny J. McDermott. He was ill, and it cost him a lot in terms of fame and fortune. His illness caused him to be somewhat schizophrenic and some of the things he said ( as a teenager who won the US Open twice) before he was institutionalized, made him less than wildly popular. It is said that he may have become one of the best ever to play the game, had it not been for his illness. Sounds like a fascinating story.