VTTW Board Index

This is why I normally don't care for the PGAC, at least compared to the other majors.  I prefer to see them challenged by a USGA setup (to be fair, the wet course isn't helping matters).  But at least this final round isn't a snoozefest like the past two have been.  I hope they can finish before dark, but I doubt it.  This one probably won't be decided until tomorrow.

They should've postponed this a half hour ago.  Now they're in a mad scramble to finish before dark, and the leaders are rushing their shots on 18.

More birds than in an aviary

Tiger should do the right thing and withdraw from Ryder Cup consideration.  He's in no shape to compete, but you know that Watson will be under pressure from NBC and the Euro networks to waste a captain's pick on him.

One of the best Sundays at a Major you'll ever see today.

I see no way Watson takes Tiger for the Ryder Cup. Tiger's game.....head and health are in a bad way right now and I see no way it will get corrected in a month.

Yeah, the course may have been a little too easy for a major, and as you point out the wet course didn't help, but I'll take it over the US Open, whose setup IMO is usually too tough and stifles creative play in that if you don't hit fairways and greens in regulation you're almost automatically looking at a bogey.

Rory looks to be gaining that mental edge like Tiger had in his prime.  The other contenders just wilted down the stretch today.  I'd like to see Fowler take a major or two next year.

With the exception of the Austrian dude who nobody's ever heard of, I don't see how you can say everyone wilted. Phil, Stenson and Furyk each shot 66, which for the round was 2 shots better than Rory, and Fowler matched Rory's 68. And everyone that finished -10 or better each had final rounds in the 60s. Part of it is that down the stretch the holes were tougher. According to the ESPN page for hole statistics 16, 12, 15, 14, 11 and 17 were ranked as the 3rd through 8th toughest holes, that's 6 of the back 9 holes that were in the upper half of toughest holes, and  two of the other three holes were par fives.

I think the PGA was entertaining to watch.   I like the birdie fest but I also like to see a course with a little fight in it as well.  Wish golf would make bunkers more of a penalty shot instead of clean lies.  After all, some of these pros are hitting 8 & 9 Irons 175+.  Back to the tourney, I was disappointed in how it ended.  For obvious reasons it felt rushed and I don't want that from a major.  Wished they would have called it once the final group got to 15 tee and finished this morning. 

The wet weather had more to do with the cleaner lies in the bunkers than anything the PGA of America did or didn't do. 

In fact, the wet weather made the course play a lot easier than it actually was set up to do.  When it becomes wet and the players can put their hands on the ball in the fairway (the casual water rule) it simply becomes target golf, and the reason those guys are the best in the world is because they hit clubs where they want to and the distances they want to.  If they know the likelihood of bad bounces and run off is low, then they can fire for fairways and pins. 

The way I see it is if Valhalla is dry, the same cast of characters probably still contend, but the scores are much, much different.  We've seen that course play like a bear (no pun intended Jack Nicklaus) in previous events held there. 

Oh, and a toast to Kenny Perry!   :beer:  Mark one down for the old guys.   :clap:

I like the idea that Jack tried a couple of years at the Memorial where they used rakes that left deep grooves in the sand.  Made bunker play more difficult and more of a penalty.  The players whined greatly and it went away.

My company is a major sponsor of Valhalla. gettin' good exposure!

At one point, Mickelson, Fowler, and Stenson were tied for the lead, and Rory was 3 back.  But then he played flawless golf on the back nine (aside from 18, when he already had it won) and the other 3 made enough mistakes to allow him to overtake them.  It reminded me of when Tiger (in his prime) would apply pressure on Sunday and everyone in his way would just clear out.  Maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe Rory has started to gain that same psychological edge that Tiger used to have.

Maybe, but there was a lot of scoring before the rain started on Thursday through Saturday, too.  Yesterday just took it to another level.  This year was a great exception, but most years, the PGAC leaderboard is full of guys I've never heard of.  That's why I usually prefer the Masters or US Open, because in most years the cream rises to the top in those two majors.

Understand, but the course was already wet when they started play on Thursday. 

Very!

Phil, Fowler and Stenson each had one bogey apiece on the back nine. The difference pretty much was that those three had hot front nines (31,32, and 30 respectively) while Rory had the hot back nine, and all credit to him for performing in the clutch. But I don't think the others were crapping their pants, especially with Phil almost holing that chip on 18, they just didn't play as well.