The Masters 2011

[TruffleShuffle]

Rory probably not going to break 80

 

to be fair, most of us wouldn't break 80 on the front 9.

[Wilson A2000]

Rory probably not going to break 80

 

to be fair, most of us wouldn't break 80 on the front 9.

 

To be fair, he is a professional

[TruffleShuffle]

oh [expletive] i forgot about that, i thought he was just a casual golfer who wandered onto the course on thursday and happened to take the lead in the masters.

[hawkeyecub]

Thank God Scott and his belly putter didn't win. Shameful

[Banedon]

Thank God Scott and his belly putter didn't win. Shameful

 

Not a fan of the belly putter eh? I wanna try one. Seems like it'd be smoother...like controlling speed would be easier.

[Splendid Splinter]

Thank God Scott and his belly putter didn't win. Shameful

 

Not a fan of the belly putter eh? I wanna try one. Seems like it'd be smoother...like controlling speed would be easier.

 

A lot smoother IMO. I have used a belly putter before (about a year and half as I was in a big slump with my putting). It's really nice and I might go back to it. You're taking away some of hands/wrists/elbows/shoulders problems so it makes it easier and smoother cuz the stomach acts as the fulcrum. Actually it's tougher to control or judge speed and the "feel" of the putt with a belly or long putter IMO. Esp with the longer putts. It's because your hands/wrists/elbows/shoulders aren't as important. I have a custom putter now that's a tweener. It's 39" long. Most regular putters are from 32"-36" and belly putter are usually around 42"-45". I like the length/feel/control/etc. of this putter now that I've been using it for a couple years now. I don't mind a guy like me or a scratch golfer (who is not competing in golf regularly) or a high handicapper using a belly or long putter. I'm not exactly fond (unless they're just in a complete funk in putting but really... do pros really get in a funk for that long though??? it's not like where it's a swing change) of the pros using one as they are PROFESSIONALS and the cream of the crop, but I'm not gonna be mad or say that it's unfair if a pro uses one and win a tournament. This is coming from a guy with a 5 handicap with 69 being my best score.

[bukie]

Rory McIlroy seems to be dealing with his day well.

[NCCubFan]

Rory McIlroy seems to be dealing with his day well.

He seemed calm and collected when he was interviewed after the end of the tournament too.

[Wilson A2000]

oh [expletive] i forgot about that, i thought he was just a casual golfer who wandered onto the course on thursday and happened to take the lead in the masters.

 

Well you compared McIlroy to you or me when there really is no comparison. Post a stupid comment don't be surprised if you get a stupid response.

[Wilson A2000]

Thank God Scott and his belly putter didn't win. Shameful

 

Not a fan of the belly putter eh?

 

Is the putter Scott uses considered a belly putter? It really doesn't sit in his belly.

[hawkeyecub]

Belly putters are fine for seniors and weekend hacks. Not on a young, top 20 player in the world.

[TruffleShuffle]

oh [expletive] i forgot about that, i thought he was just a casual golfer who wandered onto the course on thursday and happened to take the lead in the masters.

 

Well you compared McIlroy to you or me when there really is no comparison. Post a stupid comment don't be surprised if you get a stupid response.

 

if i get a response from you i'm surprised if it isn't stupid.

[SpongeWorthy]

Belly putters are fine for seniors and weekend hacks. Not on a young, top 20 player in the world.

 

Agreed on belly putters but Scott wasnt top 20 was he? I thought he firmly in bust territory as far as how good people thought he would be.

[Wilson A2000]

oh [expletive] i forgot about that, i thought he was just a casual golfer who wandered onto the course on thursday and happened to take the lead in the masters.

 

Well you compared McIlroy to you or me when there really is no comparison. Post a stupid comment don't be surprised if you get a stupid response.

 

if i get a response from you i'm surprised if it isn't stupid.

 

Probably, but not this time. Please stay on topic. The point is that Rory doesn't get a pass for shooting 80 because the course is hard and an average golfer couldn't play well there.

Edited April 11, 2011 by Wilson A2000

[TruffleShuffle]

Belly putters are fine for seniors and weekend hacks. Not on a young, top 20 player in the world.

 

Agreed on belly putters but Scott wasnt top 20 was he? I thought he firmly in bust territory as far as how good people thought he would be.

 

yeah he was ranked top 5 in the world at one point and a lot of people figured he'd have multiple majors by now. i think he's ranked in the 20s now so he's probably sucked the last couple of years.

[hawkeyecub]

Belly putters are fine for seniors and weekend hacks. Not on a young, top 20 player in the world.

 

Agreed on belly putters but Scott wasnt top 20 was he? I thought he firmly in bust territory as far as how good people thought he would be.

 

He was 17th coming into this week.

[SpongeWorthy]

Where did Scott bottom out in the world rankings? I coulda swore he was a complete after thought for awhile. Kinda like Dimarco is now.

[Guest]

Tiger's final round today reminded me of Phil's in 2009.

 

Both were seven shots back going into the final round and blitzed the front 9 (Tiger with a 31, Phil with a 30) to get right back into it. But then both players blew a few chances on the back nine and couldn't keep up the great play and ended up finishing 3-4 shots back.

 

Also just saw on SportsCenter that three of the last four 54-hole leaders in the majors shot at least 80 in the final round.

[Banedon]

Belly putters are fine for seniors and weekend hacks. Not on a young, top 20 player in the world.

 

Why? If they don't want pros using it, they'd put in a rule against it. If it was so much better than a regular putter, everyone would be using it. Or is it just a macho thing? If I was on the PGA tour, I'd do whatever was available to me to improve my score. If that means a belly putter, so be it.

[rocket]

Rory probably not going to break 80

 

to be fair, most of us wouldn't break 80 on the front 9.

 

and to be fair, all of us would look foolish against major league pitching, so let's go easy when we criticize the cubs.

[bukie]

I think I'm rooting hard for McIlroy next major. He wanted to get a picture with the green jacket on a flight to Malaysia this morning:

 

http://twitpic.com/4jqjuf

Edited April 11, 2011 by bukie

[TruffleShuffle]

Rory probably not going to break 80

 

to be fair, most of us wouldn't break 80 on the front 9.

 

and to be fair, all of us would look foolish against major league pitching, so let's go easy when we criticize the cubs.

 

i'll use green font next time (no i won't)

[DivineBovine]

Tiger's final round today reminded me of Phil's in 2009.

 

Both were seven shots back going into the final round and blitzed the front 9 (Tiger with a 31, Phil with a 30) to get right back into it. But then both players blew a few chances on the back nine and couldn't keep up the great play and ended up finishing 3-4 shots back.

 

Also just saw on SportsCenter that three of the last four 54-hole leaders in the majors shot at least 80 in the final round.

 

 

Good analogy. Both also experienced a squirrely putter on the back nine.

 

Mickelson has a long history of the shaky putter. If he could putt like Tiger in his prime, he might have 10 majors himself. But the bad putting is relatively new for Tiger. So much is made of Tiger's swing, but the Tiger Woods that won 14 majors is the best putter of all time, bar none. If he ever gets it back, he can win many more majors again. He proved it yesterday.

 

As for Rory, gotta feel for he guy. He choked, but he's not the first golfer to do it and won't be the last. Hopefully, it doesn't define his career. I'll be rooting for him.

[TruffleShuffle]

mickelson is actually a very good putter, he's just missed some pretty short putts at bad times. the bigger problem is that he sprays his driver around at a frequency that should be alarming to galleries everywhere.

[DivineBovine]

mickelson is actually a very good putter, he's just missed some pretty short putts at bad times. the bigger problem is that he sprays his driver around at a frequency that should be alarming to galleries everywhere.

 

 

Putting statistics (Putts per GIR, Putts per round) can be very misleading. If you're into this kind of thing, check out this article:

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703791704575114071142473884.html

 

This stat actually confirms what many people have suspected for a long time. Ernie Els is a horrific putter, although traditional putting stats haven't always shown it. Mickelson actually ranked 149 in this stat last year. During the time of his dominance, Tiger Woods was by far and away the best putter around with this stat.

 

Anyone who's watched a lot of golf in the past 13 years has seen Tiger Woods drain 10-20 footers with major championships and big tournaments on the line, over and over again. And 5 footers? Forget about it. Gimmes. Conversely, you can go back and count multiple majors where Phil Mickelson has come up just short, and missed many 4 footers along the way. He would've won the Masters a few years back when he blistered the front nine, he 3 putted a critical time against David Toms in the last round of the PGA, he could've won the US open against Payne Stewart. Those are just the majors I can think of off the top of my head, and I know there are more.

 

Everyone remembers his drive on 18 at Winged Foot. But I honestly feel that his putter has probably let him down more than his driver in his career. Tiger has won a lot spraying his driver as well. Many of Phil Mickelson's ball striking woes (and he's a damn good iron player) are covered up by the fact that he has the best short game in the world. His short game dominance is almost on par with Tiger's putting dominance. I think it also has masked some of his poor putting in the past.

 

He has worked on his putting a lot. But Phil is just not a great putter, and he used to be a worse. Tiger Woods, on the other hand, has won 14 majors because he's the greatest putter that has ever played the game. Yes, he hits it a mile, and hits incredible shots. But his putting was inhuman. If he gets back there, then he will be dominant again.