U.S. Open thread

[TruffleShuffle]

the weird thing is that tiger is basically unbeatable in majors when ahead going into the final round, but doesn't win when he's behind. i think there's a fair amount of flukiness on either side - he probably could've lost a couple of tourneys when going in ahead and probably was could've won a few tourneys when going into the final round a shot or two behind - but that's just been the trend with him. that putt on 13 was a great putt in that it was in the vicinity of the hole, but if it's more than a couple of inches left or right of the line that it traveled, it's heading 10 or 15 feet past and he's lucky to make birdie. on 17, if that chip doesn't hop into the hole, he's probably several feet past the hole. i suppose that's part of what makes him great though, he is just that talented, where he gives himself a chance to make shots like that. he has a lot better likelihood of going eagle-birdie-eagle on those three holes than anyone else on the planet.

 

hopefully it will be an interesting final round. i think part of the reason i never liked tiger was that he made a lot of big tournaments boring by how dominant he was, and i always wanted mickelson to win a major because i knew he was a great player suffering from some tough luck. now that i'm a little older and a little smarter, i've grown to appreciate the fact that tiger is the best golfer who's ever lived, even if i'm not a huge fan of him.

[Butterscup1679666578]

the weird thing is that tiger is basically unbeatable in majors when ahead going into the final round, but doesn't win when he's behind. i think there's a fair amount of flukiness on either side - he probably could've lost a couple of tourneys when going in ahead and probably was could've won a few tourneys when going into the final round a shot or two behind - but that's just been the trend with him. that putt on 13 was a great putt in that it was in the vicinity of the hole, but if it's more than a couple of inches left or right of the line that it traveled, it's heading 10 or 15 feet past and he's lucky to make birdie. on 17, if that chip doesn't hop into the hole, he's probably several feet past the hole. i suppose that's part of what makes him great though, he is just that talented, where he gives himself a chance to make shots like that. he has a lot better likelihood of going eagle-birdie-eagle on those three holes than anyone else on the planet.

 

hopefully it will be an interesting final round. i think part of the reason i never liked tiger was that he made a lot of big tournaments boring by how dominant he was, and i always wanted mickelson to win a major because i knew he was a great player suffering from some tough luck. now that i'm a little older and a little smarter, i've grown to appreciate the fact that tiger is the best golfer who's ever lived, even if i'm not a huge fan of him.

 

The thing with Tiger though is that while some of these huge shots may be somewhat lucky, he's so amazing at being able to read the speed and slope and break of a green. When he makes those putts, he knows exactly what he's doing. Sure, the ball could bounce a bit on the green, or it could hit some debris and kick off target a few inches, but when Tiger lines himself up for a big putt, if he reads it properly, as he usually does, and it doesn't hit something or get off line, he knows he's going to drain it because he's so good at visualizing it, and he's so ahead of the other players in that regard.

 

Like that eagle on 18. The announcers had no idea why he was set up that way. One of the announcers said "hes aimed a bit left, dont you think?" and the other followed up with "way left." Then, of course, he sunk it. He just sees things out there that no one else can.

 

Now that chip in, that was complete luck and he even admitted it while being interviewed later. But hey, when you're that good you get the shooter's bounce.

[TruffleShuffle]

the weird thing is that tiger is basically unbeatable in majors when ahead going into the final round, but doesn't win when he's behind. i think there's a fair amount of flukiness on either side - he probably could've lost a couple of tourneys when going in ahead and probably was could've won a few tourneys when going into the final round a shot or two behind - but that's just been the trend with him. that putt on 13 was a great putt in that it was in the vicinity of the hole, but if it's more than a couple of inches left or right of the line that it traveled, it's heading 10 or 15 feet past and he's lucky to make birdie. on 17, if that chip doesn't hop into the hole, he's probably several feet past the hole. i suppose that's part of what makes him great though, he is just that talented, where he gives himself a chance to make shots like that. he has a lot better likelihood of going eagle-birdie-eagle on those three holes than anyone else on the planet.

 

hopefully it will be an interesting final round. i think part of the reason i never liked tiger was that he made a lot of big tournaments boring by how dominant he was, and i always wanted mickelson to win a major because i knew he was a great player suffering from some tough luck. now that i'm a little older and a little smarter, i've grown to appreciate the fact that tiger is the best golfer who's ever lived, even if i'm not a huge fan of him.

 

The thing with Tiger though is that while some of these huge shots may be somewhat lucky, he's so amazing at being able to read the speed and slope and break of a green. When he makes those putts, he knows exactly what he's doing. Sure, the ball could bounce a bit on the green, or it could hit some debris and kick off target a few inches, but when Tiger lines himself up for a big putt, if he reads it properly, as he usually does, and it doesn't hit something or get off line, he knows he's going to drain it because he's so good at visualizing it, and he's so ahead of the other players in that regard.

 

Like that eagle on 18. The announcers had no idea why he was set up that way. One of the announcers said "hes aimed a bit left, dont you think?" and the other followed up with "way left." Then, of course, he sunk it. He just sees things out there that no one else can.

 

Now that chip in, that was complete luck and he even admitted it while being interviewed later. But hey, when you're that good you get the shooter's bounce.

 

right. i think the reason he put his head down and just kinda smiled at 17 was because he knew how lucky he'd gotten. the putt at 13 had a great line, but was going well long if the line was off, and the chip on 17 might've been hit a little more than he wanted. but golf is very much a game that's base on "feel", and it's impressive that he might win the whole thing after taking several weeks away because of the knee surgery.

[Butterscup1679666578]

the weird thing is that tiger is basically unbeatable in majors when ahead going into the final round, but doesn't win when he's behind. i think there's a fair amount of flukiness on either side - he probably could've lost a couple of tourneys when going in ahead and probably was could've won a few tourneys when going into the final round a shot or two behind - but that's just been the trend with him. that putt on 13 was a great putt in that it was in the vicinity of the hole, but if it's more than a couple of inches left or right of the line that it traveled, it's heading 10 or 15 feet past and he's lucky to make birdie. on 17, if that chip doesn't hop into the hole, he's probably several feet past the hole. i suppose that's part of what makes him great though, he is just that talented, where he gives himself a chance to make shots like that. he has a lot better likelihood of going eagle-birdie-eagle on those three holes than anyone else on the planet.

 

hopefully it will be an interesting final round. i think part of the reason i never liked tiger was that he made a lot of big tournaments boring by how dominant he was, and i always wanted mickelson to win a major because i knew he was a great player suffering from some tough luck. now that i'm a little older and a little smarter, i've grown to appreciate the fact that tiger is the best golfer who's ever lived, even if i'm not a huge fan of him.

 

The thing with Tiger though is that while some of these huge shots may be somewhat lucky, he's so amazing at being able to read the speed and slope and break of a green. When he makes those putts, he knows exactly what he's doing. Sure, the ball could bounce a bit on the green, or it could hit some debris and kick off target a few inches, but when Tiger lines himself up for a big putt, if he reads it properly, as he usually does, and it doesn't hit something or get off line, he knows he's going to drain it because he's so good at visualizing it, and he's so ahead of the other players in that regard.

 

Like that eagle on 18. The announcers had no idea why he was set up that way. One of the announcers said "hes aimed a bit left, dont you think?" and the other followed up with "way left." Then, of course, he sunk it. He just sees things out there that no one else can.

 

Now that chip in, that was complete luck and he even admitted it while being interviewed later. But hey, when you're that good you get the shooter's bounce.

 

right. i think the reason he put his head down and just kinda smiled at 17 was because he knew how lucky he'd gotten. the putt at 13 had a great line, but was going well long if the line was off, and the chip on 17 might've been hit a little more than he wanted. but golf is very much a game that's base on "feel", and it's impressive that he might win the whole thing after taking several weeks away because of the knee surgery.

 

i agree. if he wins this thing, I think it'll be a while before we see him again. he doesn't look great out there, and at times he looks like hes in so much pain that it makes me want to cringe. i think he'll probably take the next month off until the open championship.

[Banedon]

that was insane. he really is MJ in golf clothes

 

No, he isn't. I think the better comparison would be to Shaq. THE most dominant player in the game, but with a huge hole in his game. Shaq's was the free throw line, Tiger's is apparently the tee box. Very erratic (seriously, no way he's hit 50% of his fairways), but still the best player out there... by a large margin.

 

Tiger is the personification of the old saying "drive for show, putt for dough."

 

But, my Lord, if he ever puts together a tourney where he hits 80% of his fairways, he laps the field again.

 

Tiger has the titles that go along with the play though...so he's much more MJ than Shaq in that way. And MJ and Tiger are all skill...Shaq was just born into a freakishly huge body...he doesn't do much that another person with the same body shape couldn't do. Tiger and MJ can/could both do things that people with the same body type couldn't do.

 

And Tiger can do things from the tee box that Shaq can't do from the free throw line. Tiger misses fairways, sure. But he makes up for the inaccuracy with distance. He can get to par 5 greens in 2 that nobody else in the field can.

[Banedon]

the weird thing is that tiger is basically unbeatable in majors when ahead going into the final round, but doesn't win when he's behind. i think there's a fair amount of flukiness on either side - he probably could've lost a couple of tourneys when going in ahead and probably was could've won a few tourneys when going into the final round a shot or two behind - but that's just been the trend with him. that putt on 13 was a great putt in that it was in the vicinity of the hole, but if it's more than a couple of inches left or right of the line that it traveled, it's heading 10 or 15 feet past and he's lucky to make birdie. on 17, if that chip doesn't hop into the hole, he's probably several feet past the hole. i suppose that's part of what makes him great though, he is just that talented, where he gives himself a chance to make shots like that. he has a lot better likelihood of going eagle-birdie-eagle on those three holes than anyone else on the planet.

 

hopefully it will be an interesting final round. i think part of the reason i never liked tiger was that he made a lot of big tournaments boring by how dominant he was, and i always wanted mickelson to win a major because i knew he was a great player suffering from some tough luck. now that i'm a little older and a little smarter, i've grown to appreciate the fact that tiger is the best golfer who's ever lived, even if i'm not a huge fan of him.

 

The thing with Tiger though is that while some of these huge shots may be somewhat lucky, he's so amazing at being able to read the speed and slope and break of a green. When he makes those putts, he knows exactly what he's doing. Sure, the ball could bounce a bit on the green, or it could hit some debris and kick off target a few inches, but when Tiger lines himself up for a big putt, if he reads it properly, as he usually does, and it doesn't hit something or get off line, he knows he's going to drain it because he's so good at visualizing it, and he's so ahead of the other players in that regard.

 

Like that eagle on 18. The announcers had no idea why he was set up that way. One of the announcers said "hes aimed a bit left, dont you think?" and the other followed up with "way left." Then, of course, he sunk it. He just sees things out there that no one else can.

 

Now that chip in, that was complete luck and he even admitted it while being interviewed later. But hey, when you're that good you get the shooter's bounce.

 

right. i think the reason he put his head down and just kinda smiled at 17 was because he knew how lucky he'd gotten. the putt at 13 had a great line, but was going well long if the line was off, and the chip on 17 might've been hit a little more than he wanted. but golf is very much a game that's base on "feel", and it's impressive that he might win the whole thing after taking several weeks away because of the knee surgery.

 

i agree. if he wins this thing, I think it'll be a while before we see him again. he doesn't look great out there, and at times he looks like hes in so much pain that it makes me want to cringe. i think he'll probably take the next month off until the open championship.

 

Yeah...he'll rest after this...and should.

[CubinNY]

Tiger Woods is not human. He's an alien, pure and simple.

[Cubs Fan In New York]

Tiger's will is just so incredible. Like Jim Nantz said, it truly is remarkable that he can get so focused into the shot and know that once he swings he's going to be in a world of pain but still dedicate himself 100% to the shot. Simply amazing.

 

As for Rocco, he's a real treat. It's a shame that back problems have really derailed him the last couple of years. When he walked up to the 18th green and asked if he made the putt would he be with Tiger was so great. His post-round interview when he was asked how he felt you can tell how grateful and happy he is. I'm going to be really pulling for him today.

[imb]

that was insane. he really is MJ in golf clothes

 

No, he isn't. I think the better comparison would be to Shaq. THE most dominant player in the game, but with a huge hole in his game. Shaq's was the free throw line, Tiger's is apparently the tee box. Very erratic (seriously, no way he's hit 50% of his fairways), but still the best player out there... by a large margin.

 

Tiger is the personification of the old saying "drive for show, putt for dough."

 

But, my Lord, if he ever puts together a tourney where he hits 80% of his fairways, he laps the field again.

 

Tiger has the titles that go along with the play though...so he's much more MJ than Shaq in that way. And MJ and Tiger are all skill...Shaq was just born into a freakishly huge body...he doesn't do much that another person with the same body shape couldn't do. Tiger and MJ can/could both do things that people with the same body type couldn't do.

 

And Tiger can do things from the tee box that Shaq can't do from the free throw line. Tiger misses fairways, sure. But he makes up for the inaccuracy with distance. He can get to par 5 greens in 2 that nobody else in the field can.

 

A big, fat, oooooook to the Shaq comparison. John Daly is shaq. Tiger is MJ, the most dominant, willed, competitive player in his sport.

[mjohnson71]

50 years from now when ESPN8 (the Ocho) is running some stupid countdown show about the greatest rounds of golf: Tiger's Saturday round at the US Open will be at the top of that list.

 

I feel sorry for Lee Westwood as him and Tiger step up to the #1 tee. He'll look over, see Tiger wearing red on Sunday and go "Awwww friggin hell."

[Butterscup1679666578]

boy this first hole is awful for tiger.

[CubinNY]

This course is so tough it's making them look like hackers.

[TruffleShuffle]

i'm enjoying them looking like me for a hole

[Handlebar McSkullet]

i'm enjoying them looking like me for a hole

haha, thats what I was thinking

[OleMissCub]

Mediate shouldn't be allowed to win purely on account of his belt buckle.

[Butterscup1679666578]

And Tiger birdies 18 to send it to an 18 hole playoff with Rocco tomorrow! wow!

[OleMissCub]

Oh my god....Rocco is toast.

[Butterscup1679666578]

That ball was so close to lipping out. Unreal. I have to work tomorrow but hopefully I can catch most of it.

[Flames24Rulz]

An 18 hole playoff? How come for some majors, they have like a 3 hole playoff? Color me confused.

[NCCubFan]

An 18 hole playoff? How come for some majors, they have like a 3 hole playoff? Color me confused.

The U.S. Open has always been that way. Remember, the Open is run by the USGA, not the PGA.

 

Playoff starts tomorrow at noon Eastern time on ESPN, then shifts t NBC at 2:00 P.M. Eastern time.

[CubinNY]

An 18 hole playoff? How come for some majors, they have like a 3 hole playoff? Color me confused.

The US Open is the only tournament to have an 18 hole playoff. I love it.

 

Tiger is something special. He's a singularity in sports.

[cubweiser03]

Yeah the putt was clutch. Did we just witness the biggest putt of Tigers career. Yeah i know hes had a lot but on the 18th of a major to send it?

 

Rocco just had the 4 rounds of his life, im not too optimisitic he has another one left in him. If he had a 3 hole playoff today i think he would be good, but 18...i have my doubts.

[hardcorecubfan]

Come on Rocco, hold it up for the old farts of the world. His attitude is like a kid in a candy store, how it should be

[TruffleShuffle]

that is amazing, no other golfer on the planet can make a 12 foot putt.

[Guest]

that is amazing, no other golfer on the planet can make a 12 foot putt.

Doesn't it suck sometimes to be so cynical?