Winged Foot provided some of the highest scoring since the 70s. Thanks to that, there were some fun facts and numbers.
The U.S. Open produces some of the most interesting golf all year long. In a tournament where par is a great score, it is always fun to view the aftermath.
This year, we have some new words because of Winged Foot’s 18th hole. “A Phil,” or a “Monty”… maybe a “Phonty” can be defined as letting an Aussie win a major championship after throwing up all over oneself. Any way you describe it, the U.S. Open has provided many interesting factoids for this week’s The Numbers Game.
The U.S. Open became the U.S. Open in 1974 with the Massacre at Winged Foot. Since then, the winners have not suffered as much but it has easily remained the most difficult major no matter the decade.
In 1974, Sandy Tatum was in charge of setting up Winged Foot for the U.S. Open. A quote he gave that week has become a mantra for all succeeding Opens: “We’re not trying to humiliate the best players in the world. We’re simply trying to identify who they are.”
To his credit, the USGA did just that. It took the massacre at Winged Foot to stamp it down. There really isn’t a question now that the U.S. Open has been and is now the toughest golf tournament in the world with the best regularly surfacing to the top. This week in The Numbers Game, I’ll look at events leading up to and after the defining moment of U.S. Open golf and also compare this major with the others since that point in history.
A couple of readers chimed in on the 40-30-20-10 rule and had some interesting thoughts. In answering them, it helps explain, define and prove why I set it up the way I did.
A popular sports radio host says “if you take the time to email me, I’ll take the time to read it.” The same goes for me. Of course, he probably gets tens of thousands more emails than me. Still, I do read and think about the emails I receive, and I encourage you to send me more. Our email addresses can be found on the staff page.
Over the past few weeks, two emails in particular have inquired about The 40-30-20-10 Rule. Recently, I applied the rule to the LPGA and to the Champions Tour. Both emails posed questions or suggestions that I thought I’d answer here.
This year’s Senior PGA Championship made me think about how the last major tour would stand up to the 40-30-20-10 rule. It turns out that it fits just as good – or even better – than the PGA and LPGA Tours.
If you were like me and many other golf fans, you spent Sunday afternoon watching an exciting finish to the Senior PGA Championship. Both Brad Bryant and Jay Haas made nerve wracking birdie putts on the final hole of regulation to send the championship into extra holes.
During those three holes, Haas spent most of the time scrambling around and sinking longer putts to keep himself alive. Bryant, on the other hand, could not rekindle the magic he had on #18 in regulation and lost the tournament by missing a four footer on the last playoff hole, which happened to be #18 again.
This week in The Numbers Game, I thought it would be an appropriate time to take the 40-30-20-10 rule and see if it applies to the Senior PGA players as well as it does to the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour. We saw just how important the 30 (putting) was in those final few holes. Will the others fall into their normal place? Read on to find out.
Alpha has jumped into the hybrid market with two offerings. As a small golf club company in a big company market, Alpha has developed quality clubs for years. The RX and V5 Hi-COR hybrids continue that trend.
Alpha is the little company that could, and we’re happy to have a few more clubs for review. Normally a big player on the Long Drivers of America (LDA) circuit, Alpha introduced two new hybrids this year: the RX and the V5. We won’t see the big boys swinging these off the tee in the long drive tournaments, but you might see them pop up in bags of both high and low handicappers at your local club.
Don’t dismiss these clubs because they aren’t from TaylorMade or Titleist. Golf Digest mentioned the Alpha C830.2 (reviewed here last October) in their Hot List last year. Long-time readers will remember that I was surprised at the quality of the C830.2, but even the stellar driver could not temper my wonder at Alpha’s first foray into the hybrid market. After all, they’re known for their drivers, but hybrids are another beast entirely.
After a bit of testing, I’m happy to say that their hybrids match the level set by their drivers. Read on for more…
The FedEx Cup is coming next year but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a peek this year as to how the points system will work. There are a few things that can be tweaked, but it should be fun and interesting to watch.
Next year we get to witness the “NASCAR-ization” of the PGA Tour. The guys in the big offices of the PGA headquarters wanted to make the end of the year more exciting than watching paint dry, watching people struggle to keep their PGA Tour cards, and the occasional Michelle Wie sighting.
So what we will have is a points system unveiled last year that will determine a playoff field. The points will be reset for a final points chase. Is all this good for the PGA Tour? Is there a better way? I’ll talk about that and more this week in The Numbers Game.
Spending a day at the Wachovia Championship was a great way to end the week and catch a few numbers in the process. Unfortunately, one is the number of days we got to go due to low number on the thermometer.
I had the pleasure of going to the Wachovia Championship this past week. If you’re wondering, I wasn’t one of the dedicated few that stuck it out on Sunday even though a few of us had tickets. I love golf, but not enough to stand in hard, cold rain.
So while I was watching Jim Furyk pour (no pun intended) in his par putt on the first playoff hole, I thought I’d run down a few of the numbers that stood out to me. This week it’s The Numbers Game, Wachovia Championship style.
Just about all types of golfers will have over 50% of their shots from on or near the green. So why don’t most of us practice that way?
Over the past year, we’ve seen how hitting greens is the best predictor for success on the PGA Tour and, ostensibly, in general. The problem is that most of us amateurs don’t have the luxury of being so accurate with our irons. So what are we to do?
Accept it. If you play a lot of golf and work on your game, it will get better. The great equalizer is a great short game. You will find numerous players that don’t hit it long and may not hit a lot of greens, but can get up and down from a bucket. This week in The Numbers Game, I’ll show you just how important the short game is and it may change your approach to how you practice.
If history is any indicator, Phil’s chances at a three in a row are pretty slim. Only two before have done it and to make things worse only five golfers since 1978 have won a second major in the same year they won the Masters.
Cody talked about a Major Surpise… some of you think that Phil can seriously make a run at the Grand Slam. When one of the top players has their game peaking and seems to be on a roll, why not?
Well, not only do you have quite a few great golfers going after the same trophy but usually a peak has a sharp drop off as well. Only a few golfers in the history of the game have been able to keep their play at a high level after winning a major. With Phil, anything can happen, but the numbers don’t look like they are in his favor.