Midway Hawker Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 The Masters is shaping up to be the best in a long time with all 5 of the top players in the top 11 and within 4 shots of the lead. This is probably my favorite event of the year, bigger than the super bowl for me (I'm a Golf geek). Of course I want Mickelson to win it again and he is playing well. He is 3 back along with Tiger. Should be a great Sunday! I'll be getting up at 5am to watch the conclusion of the 3rd round! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alphseeker Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 how dare the Masters officials alter the course - They claim making it longer will tiger proof it - DE de DE! That's a no brainer - Making it longer plays right into tigers hands - Not to many pro's who can knock it 340 consistently like tiger can - They should have let the rough grow taller like the u.s. open instead of a longer course - Tiger hasn't won to many Opens - Why? Not because they're longer but because he has to hit it straight - I hope campbell wins or Phil or Vijay - i personally am tired of tiger - I don't think i've ever heard him compliment another player - I'm sure he has but i've never heard it - And i've heard Vijay compliment players in every tournament he has won - CLASS - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagramking Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I don't like the direction they're going at Augusta. It was always a course that placed the premium on the second shot and on putting. I agree that making the course longer just makes Tiger a bigger favorite than before. This is not the Masters that I've been accustomed to watching, that's for sure. Just because one player sets records when the weather permits doesn't mean that you need to create a course that nobody recognizes anymore. It still is not going to become the Bob Hope Classic anytime soon. As far as Tiger goes, he has won two US Opens now (one at Pebble Beach, the other at Bethpage Black). He can win on any course. He has put a lot of money in the players' pockets, though. Because of that, very few are going to say any bad words about him, at least publicly. Tiger is one of those players that has a rare competitiveness burning within. In golf, the last time one saw it was in Jack Nicklaus. Other examples in other sports include Michael Jordan, Mark Messier, and Derek Jeter. But yeah, I've heard stories of Woods not signing golf balls for other players' charities and such. He's not going to remind us of Arnold Palmer, but I am not going to say he's the worst offender, either. And say what you want, but he has taken the game to the next level, and also its popularity to the next level. If he was completely without class, I don't know if the popularity would have gotten to the next level as it has. Still, I prefer to watch the US Open and the British Open. The US Open is golf's toughest test, and we get to see some of the best courses in the world. The British Open, that's where it all began. There's something about that quality, and it's most fun to watch when it's at St. Andrews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Aubrey Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I'd like to see Freddie Couples win. He hasn't won a major in a while, it would be nice to see him do it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milton Bridge Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I would love to see Darren Clarke do it. He has had a tough year with his wife's illness. Plus I am in Northern Ireland tomorrow so I could join in the celebrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted April 9, 2006 Author Share Posted April 9, 2006 I'd like to see Freddie do it too.. If Phil doesn't. Freddie will probably break down and cry on the 18th green if he wins, much like Ben Crenshaw did in 1995. That would be something. I'm not a Tiger fan, but he has done a lot for the game and he is great, no doubt about that. He's just like the Yankees as far as I'm concerned. The evil Empire. he's won enough, let someone else get in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alphseeker Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Go freddie GO - Start draining those putts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted April 9, 2006 Author Share Posted April 9, 2006 Wow, it's really getting interesting. Olazabal is -7 for the day thru 15 and is about to post a number.. Should be a great back 9 at the Masters! 1 Phil Mickelson -2 8 -6 70 72 70 212 2 Jose Maria Olazabal -7 15 -5 76 71 71 218 2 Fred Couples -2 8 -5 71 70 72 213 4 Vijay Singh -2 10 -4 67 74 73 214 4 Tim Clark -2 9 -4 70 72 72 214 4 Chad Campbell -1 9 -4 71 67 75 213 7 Rocco Mediate -1 11 -3 68 73 73 214 7 Miguel A. Jimenez -2 10 -3 72 74 69 215 9 Arron Oberholser -3 14 -2 69 75 73 217 9 Retief Goosen -1 11 -2 70 73 72 215 9 Tiger Woods E 10 -2 72 71 71 214 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted April 9, 2006 Author Share Posted April 9, 2006 Olazabal just bogey'd 16 so he's back to -4. Rocco just put 2 balls in the water at 12 and he's done. Getting tight. Go Phil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamline Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Don't knock what they've done to Augusta TOO much. There was an excellent interview with Gary Player on BBC yesterday. He gave the opinion that a lot of nonsense is talked about the course changes (these greens are not designed to be hit into with a 4 iron etc) He claimed that back 30 years ago, when the course was shorter, but the equipment "inferior", that Nicklaus et al were still having to hit 4 irons in then too. He also said the same was true back in the days of Hogan. I would tend to take Player's word for it. If he says the changes are fine then that's good enough for me (and for a 69 year old to be able to shoot a 74 one day, it shows it's still playable for any of the top players) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted April 9, 2006 Author Share Posted April 9, 2006 QUOTE (Dreamline @ Apr 9 2006, 02:36 PM) Don't knock what they've done to Augusta TOO much. There was an excellent interview with Gary Player on BBC yesterday. He gave the opinion that a lot of nonsense is talked about the course changes (these greens are not designed to be hit into with a 4 iron etc) He claimed that back 30 years ago, when the course was shorter, but the equipment "inferior", that Nicklaus et al were still having to hit 4 irons in then too. He also said the same was true back in the days of Hogan. I would tend to take Player's word for it. If he says the changes are fine then that's good enough for me (and for a 69 year old to be able to shoot a 74 one day, it shows it's still playable for any of the top players) Totally agree with you. All the top players hit it just as far as Tiger so I don't think that is an issue at all. They just want the course to play like it used to. I really enjoy watching these top players hit 3-7 irons into these tough greens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamline Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 QUOTE (Earthshine @ Apr 9 2006, 10:10 PM) They just want the course to play like it used to. I really enjoy watching these top players hit 3-7 irons into these tough greens. That's exactly the point though (at least according to Gary Player) - back 30 and 50 years ago they were STILL hitting long irons into much shorter holes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted April 9, 2006 Author Share Posted April 9, 2006 Phil the Thrill.. It's about over. Phil by 4 with 2 holes left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenJennings Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Congrats to Phickelson. Glad to see him win, but part of me wanted Freddy Couples to win one more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowdog Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 3 majors in his last 9 tries? Lefty is a choker no more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
launchpad67a Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 QUOTE (Snowdog @ Apr 9 2006, 04:53 PM) 3 majors in his last 9 tries? Lefty is a choker no more. Yep, he had it all today. Great round and a fantastic result for our Arizona boy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway Hawker Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 He's still a So Cal boy. Arizona just "adopted" him because he went to school there. Yeah, Phil was in complete control. Hardly one loose shot all day. And he made every 5 footer that the others were missing. He really deserved this one. Freddie hit it great but couldn't make a putt. Same with Tiger. Phil was the only one to put it all together on Sunday. Congrats Phil! I hope he wins another major this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-0-0-1-0-0-1 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I had to work all day and I missed the entire final round. But I'm psyched that Lefty pulled it out (but wouldn't have been disappointed if Couples had won it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagramking Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 QUOTE (Earthshine @ Apr 9 2006, 05:10 PM) QUOTE (Dreamline @ Apr 9 2006, 02:36 PM) Don't knock what they've done to Augusta TOO much. There was an excellent interview with Gary Player on BBC yesterday. He gave the opinion that a lot of nonsense is talked about the course changes (these greens are not designed to be hit into with a 4 iron etc) He claimed that back 30 years ago, when the course was shorter, but the equipment "inferior", that Nicklaus et al were still having to hit 4 irons in then too. He also said the same was true back in the days of Hogan. I would tend to take Player's word for it. If he says the changes are fine then that's good enough for me (and for a 69 year old to be able to shoot a 74 one day, it shows it's still playable for any of the top players) Totally agree with you. All the top players hit it just as far as Tiger so I don't think that is an issue at all. They just want the course to play like it used to. I really enjoy watching these top players hit 3-7 irons into these tough greens. I just hate to see old courses rendered obsolete by technological advances. There are a number of great old courses that can't host a US Open anymore because they aren't long enough for today's game. Merion is one such example. At some point, I would hope they consider having uniform equipment. I think the equipment has gone too far. Once Ping won the square grooves case against the USGA, the die was cast, and the floodgates opened. They need to find a uniform equipment standard for golf clubs and golf balls and stick with it. Creating 8,000 yard monsters in the future is not the answer. You can't keep lengthening courses. Not every course has the available real estate for that, and more will fall by the wayside in the future if this trend keeps going. I agree that No. 15 at Augusta is not supposed to have a short iron or wedge for the second shot. It did used to have a long iron approach back in the day. Hell, Gene Sarazen got his double eagle at 15 with a 2 wood (do they even make those anymore?), didn't he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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