OT: The Open...
- Thread starter pitt-girl
- Start date
After the US Open, not feeling like a US Open, Im looking forward to some good old fashioned British Open weather
I'm on Justin Thomas at 40-1. I think there's no doubt he wins a major soon, hoping it's this weekend.
We're going tomorrow afternoon. I know someone who was invited to an early screening and he said it is utterly phenomenal.
I got Thomas at 50-1 at the start (along with Hideki and Scott). Unfortunately he's +8 through 6 holes today as he just carded a 9 on the par 4 6th. Oy.
Spieth is in a really solid position. Poulter should get in the clubhouse at -3. Koepka is certainly no fluke.
I'm pretty sure my only two bets at -600 or greater in my life have been:
- Hillary for president
- DJ, Speith, or Fowler NOT winning this tournament
Ouch.
- Hillary for president
- DJ, Speith, or Fowler NOT winning this tournament
Ouch.
Just a little rant here - I get links courses in Europe. I get that the majority are all very old and not very long. Watching today in these conditions was like the 4 days of the US Open that just passed. TOO easy.
I had to chuckle when I heard the announcer making the excuse that "the course is playing very easy today because it's so wet". WTF? IT'S COASTAL ENGLAND. It's always wet!!!!! I understand that the absence of wind is somewhat aberrant, but c'mon. Any course is going to be harder if you're counting on 20-30 MPH winds. Pick a course that is hard in any conditions, or as close as you can get.
The End.
I had to chuckle when I heard the announcer making the excuse that "the course is playing very easy today because it's so wet". WTF? IT'S COASTAL ENGLAND. It's always wet!!!!! I understand that the absence of wind is somewhat aberrant, but c'mon. Any course is going to be harder if you're counting on 20-30 MPH winds. Pick a course that is hard in any conditions, or as close as you can get.
The End.
The greens being slower than an "American major" are also a factor. When you have the potential for wind they can't make them like table tops. So when it's wet (means soft) no wind and slower greens it means these guys have the green light all day. They don't have to play much defense and can be much more aggressive so this is what happens.
I understand that. My point is the US Open and the British Open should never have double digit scores and that's where it's headed. I'v always thought those 2 tournaments out of all of them are supposed to be the most challenging. Maybe I'm wrong.
But the thing is, it's pretty much always wet (or soft) at courses like Birkdale. It's not like the course is in a location where they frequently go a week or two in the summer with little or no rain. It rains there all the time.
What they've got today though is the worst of all worlds with regards to scoring conditions, at least if you like the course to be tough on the golfers. If the wind were blowing like normal today it wouldn't be nearly as easy. And they normally do have the wind. This isn't like the US Open where people were saying "yeah, it's easy, but if it was really windy the scoring wouldn't be near as good." Because the wind doesn't normally blow in Wisconsin like it does on the west coast of England.
When its windy with rain which is the norm its "impossible" golf. Players play in rain suits etc., hit out of high wet rough, balls plug minimal roll out, putting is challenging, etc.
When the weather is nice the courses in that neck of the woods are very playable, and the scores are low.
When the weather is nice the courses in that neck of the woods are very playable, and the scores are low.
You're right but none of the courses in the British rota are overly difficult. It's more the usual conditions as Joe said that hold scores down. These guys will carve any of those tracks up when conditions are benign as they are now.
Exactly. That's why i don't understand the choice of venue. Same problem with this year's US Open.
Oh no question - I agree. The wind would normally dry things up some as well making the course a bit different for the leaders. Could play a little firmer and faster if it blows all day with no additional rain.
Again - I've said the same thing. I happen to believe that there are other courses available for the Open that are more difficult in all weather conditions. As I prefaced earlier, it's a given that these courses are very old and consequently not very long. I also concede that any course could be somewhat harder in certain weather conditions. But I also think there are compromises. Oakmont, for example, is a course that is challenging for these golfers in almost all weather conditions. That's my only point.
The fairways are also uber wide. Wider than your average John Deere classic. So without wind, with wide fairways, and not very long, they are tearing this place apart. They need to shrink the fairways, make more trouble, hazards. That being said, Spieth is here -9, Kuchar at -8, Koepka at -5, afew guys at -4, so it is not like there are tons of guys at a double digit under par score this far into Rd 3.
I've liked the Tournament. Similar to Erin Hills, you're getting a good mix of players in contention. It's not like your typical PGA track where you know the bomb-and-gougers are going to dominate and there's no thought about how to play the next shot.
US Open should take a cue from The Open and arbitrarily knock a few strokes off par next time they're at Erin Hills, though.
US Open should take a cue from The Open and arbitrarily knock a few strokes off par next time they're at Erin Hills, though.
My guess is they'll never be back at Erin Hills without changes to the course. Way too much criticism.
From the Cheap Seats; agree with you out the US Open. The USGA always tries to set the course up on the very edge of playability. In the UK, you play the course as you find it. Tradition dictates that it has to be a links course. This year is a classic example of the degrees of playability of links courses. I'm hoping the wind blows tomorrow.
In the US there's no excuse for picking a " bad" course for the US Open since we have an abundance of great courses.
That's not the case for the British Open since championship course availability is limited to a handful of courses.
And degree of difficulty isn't built into the course its weather dependent
That's not the case for the British Open since championship course availability is limited to a handful of courses.
And degree of difficulty isn't built into the course its weather dependent
A Spieth, Kuchar, and Koepka finish in any order would be great IMO.
US sweep in the Briish Open !!!
Fowler and Dustin Johnson are a long way back but I'd like to see them move up.
Happy to see these guys no where in sight:
Garcia
Rose
Scott
Day
Poulter
US sweep in the Briish Open !!!
Fowler and Dustin Johnson are a long way back but I'd like to see them move up.
Happy to see these guys no where in sight:
Garcia
Rose
Scott
Day
Poulter
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LOL you people are entertaining!
And you love those labels.
No just a proud American who puts America first 100% of the time and wants America and Americans to win everything, everywhere if possible!
Oh yes I forgot Li & Matsuyama.
Why not throw Casey in too!
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USA #1 Koepka & # 2 Harman in the US Open
USA # 1 Spieth & # 2 Kuchar in the British Open ( go into their house and eat their lunch)
Ryder Cup winner
Make America Even More Dominant!
I know many of you posters hate when the USA wins LOL!
Makes this even better!
USA # 1 Spieth & # 2 Kuchar in the British Open ( go into their house and eat their lunch)
Ryder Cup winner
Make America Even More Dominant!
I know many of you posters hate when the USA wins LOL!
Makes this even better!
To play four holes in a row birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie on the back nine after you've just bogeyed to lose the lead is amazing.
