Impressive chip by Stenson to get it to 5 feet and then a clutch putt and then heartbreaking putt for Phil leaving it a half-a-ball short. No gain by Phil. Two down with two to go - running out of holes for Phil. I can't imagine what it would be like for Phil to shoot 66 and lost ground. This is reminiscent of Watson and Nicklaus at Turnberry in '77, when the both shot 65 on Saturday and then Watson shot 65 on Sunday to beat Jack by a stroke, with both birdieing the last hole.
OT: British Open
- Thread starter MadRU
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Impressive chip by Stenson to get it to 5 feet and then a clutch putt and then heartbreaking putt for Phil leaving it a half-a-ball short. No gain by Phil. Two down with two to go - running out of holes for Phil. I can't imagine what it would be like for Phil to shoot 66 and lost ground. This is reminiscent of Watson and Nicklaus at Turnberry in '77, when the both shot 65 on Saturday and then Watson shot 65 on Sunday to beat Jack by a stroke, with both birdieing the last hole.
At least Phil didn't blow this one. Just ran into a buzz saw in Stenson. What an incredible round of golf under pressure.
I'm still here , lol. And Stenson stays out of the bunker by 12 inches, lol. He's destined.
Wow, would have been great to see how this ended up if that went into the bunker.
Wow. Stenson hits a 3 wood 310 yards on 18. 311 yards and he would have been in a deep, impossible trap. Good thing he doesn't hit the ball far lol.
That would've been epic if he went into Norman's bunker. He might have a little stance issue, but the way he's playing, I think he'll be fine. Phil must birdie, unless Stenson does something really dumb, like going OB behind the hole.
As Feherty just said, Stenson didn't miss the center of the club face once today. Unimaginably great round to beat an incredible round by Phil. Well, Stenson deserves it, playing like that.
When I caddied in a PGA Championship qualifier my guy went 5 holes in a playoff for the last spot. Hit his drive left and ended up in a spot where the grass was thicker than anywhere else on that side of the fairway. Caught a flyer and it was over. A yard left or right and we may still be playing lol.
Truly a game of inches: Phil's eagle putt on 16 being maybe 1/2" off and Stenson's huge drive on 18 coming up probably an inch or two from having enough speed to trickle into the fairway bunker.
I was only half right. Who would have thought Phil would shoot the 65 and lose ground. A shame someone had to lose this one.
Being down one stroke before the final round, you'd have to think 65 is a winning score. That score being 3 shots short is mind boggling, given Stenson's 63, tying him with Johnny Miller as the only golfer to shoot 63 to win a major on Sunday (Oakmont, US Open in 1973 - one of the first tournaments I remember watching as an 11 year old). Simply astounding golf.
This is why The Open is my favorite tournament. The Masters is great but it's more about the course than the golfers.
You never know what you're going to get. Last year it was a group of guys near the top struggling to stay in it. This year it was two guys going head to head for 36 holes. I watched Phil's entire 18 Thursday and thought I'd not see a better round of golf for a long time. That "long time" lasted an entire 72 hours. Given the circumstances, Stenson played a round for the ages.
The USGA should finally take a page out of the R&A's book. It doesn't have to be about tricking up a course to make it crazy difficult or using strange venues like last year. It's about a fair test of golf whether the winner shoots even par or -20.
You never know what you're going to get. Last year it was a group of guys near the top struggling to stay in it. This year it was two guys going head to head for 36 holes. I watched Phil's entire 18 Thursday and thought I'd not see a better round of golf for a long time. That "long time" lasted an entire 72 hours. Given the circumstances, Stenson played a round for the ages.
The USGA should finally take a page out of the R&A's book. It doesn't have to be about tricking up a course to make it crazy difficult or using strange venues like last year. It's about a fair test of golf whether the winner shoots even par or -20.
I'm sure someone has looked up the stats, but how often do you see 2 guys lap the field like this? -20, -17 and then the next best score, by Holmes, was -6.
Interesting unrelated tidbit I just came across. Lydia Ko won again on the LPGA tour - she now has 14 tour wins at the age of 19. That's an incredible stat. Tiger had none at 19, although he won 21 of his first 81 after joining the PGA tour at 21.
Interesting unrelated tidbit I just came across. Lydia Ko won again on the LPGA tour - she now has 14 tour wins at the age of 19. That's an incredible stat. Tiger had none at 19, although he won 21 of his first 81 after joining the PGA tour at 21.
Korea and Japan have been dominating the LPGA tour for years They appear to have much better youth programs. My guess is the next up will be China. US women are being pushed back to the side.
I saw a stat that -17 would have won all but 2 majors going way back. Both times Phil finished 2nd if I saw it correctly.
Next up is Baltusrol where Phil won his PGA. I was there for the '80 "Jack is back" US Open. Not planning on attending. Tough place to find good sightlines as I remember.
Mickelson seems like the nicest guy in golf. Is that the case (according to you guys who follow this)? I only watch about a half dozen holes of golf a year. Mickelson always seems to be smiling.
There seems to be mixed opinions whether it's real or an act. He does things all the time that make you believe he can't possibly be "on" all the time but who knows? What other pro stands around for as long as it takes to sign every autograph for every kid after a round like he does? I know someone who has been in his company away from the media and cameras. She says he's the same off camera as on. That's good enough for me.
The Asian dominance of the LPGA has definitely been ongoing for a long time - I remember Se Ri Pak as the first Korean to break through to win a major back in '98. Can't say I mind the Asian Invasion in the least, lol. Google Shin Ae Anh. You're welcome.
Attended the last two rounds at Baltusrol for the PGA when Phil won, although I missed the ending, which was moved to Monday due to rain (watched on TV of course) - was a blast following the leaders around, mostly. Phil's flop shot from the rough around the 18th green to a couple of feet is still one of the greatest pressure shots I've seen.
I was at the '80 Open. On Saturday I started off following Arnie who had the earliest starting time. Somewhere on the back I switched to Trevino, then followed Jack in. What a thrill.
A couple things people may not know. Jack and Aioki from Japan were paired together all 4 rounds. They were tied for first after 54 holes.
After they finished Saturday, Jack was escorted by state troopers to a cart and whisked off with 4 troopers running along side. He went right by us and past a man and his kid. The kid waved to Jack who immediately made them stop the cart and back up to them. He sat there talking to the kid for a minute or so with some very nervous troopers surrounding them. It was later that night that an apparently very credible death threat against Jack was reported on the news. The police were everywhere Sunday. This is the reason you see Jack have to stop the police from rushing the 18th green after he made the winning putt. He didn't want then stepping on Aioki's line as he hadn't finished yet.
With everything going on he had time to make a kid's day and worry about his opponent.
I was at a practice round and Saturdays round last time the PGA was at Baltusrol. What I remember most was how hot it was. Seriously oppressive heat. But while "taking a break" (which involved getting a couple beers and sitting in a grandstand), I witnessed an ace from Charles Howell III on the 4th hole (I tnink).
Also, I think I've told this story before on here (I probably sound obnoxious about it, but it was one of the coolest days of my life). A few years ago, I had the opportunity to play all 36 holes at Baltusrol through a contact at work. It was an unforgettable experience. I have 3 main takeaways from that day. (1) the first hole of the day, my approach finished about 45 feet or so from the hold. The caddie recommended putting to a spot about 5 feet right and only 60% of the way to the hole. I saw almost no break and almost no slope. He just said "trust me" so I did and hit a great putt right to his mark. Finished 6" off the hole. I was amazed. (2) naturally I was wearing a RU golf shirt and during lunch between rounds I ran into Bill Raftery in the clubhouse. We had a quick nice chat about RU sports. (3) 36th hole of the day, 18th on the lower course I hit my best drive of the day which landed right next to the Jack Nicklaus plaque marking where he hit his famous 1-iron from in the 1980 US Open. Naturally, I proceeded to pull out my 4-iron (my favorite club at the time) and hit a terrible duck hook that went way left. I think I double bogeyed the hole.
Will be at the Thursday round--I went to Wednesday practice at Merion a few years ago but otherwise haven't been to a tournament in person. Any tips from you guys who have been? Definitely want to mix up camping at a spot for a while but also walking the course--not sure if you guys remember any really good viewing spots to see a couple different holes at a time.
4th hole. Par 3 over water is a very popular spot. They have multiple tees so that it can play anywhere from 140-200. I believe 5 and 17 greens are close together. It's an old course where the 9th doesn't come back to the clubhouse and a lot of trees that block your views. Other than that I don't remember there being many optimum spots. It's been a long time though since I've been there.