Should Louis Have Laid Up on #18 at Torrey?

[onthehunt526]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

It was his best chance.

What about blowing it in the grandstands?

I didn’t see it because I was at work.

Edited June 25, 2021 by onthehunt526

[iacas]

1 minute ago, onthehunt526 said:

What about blowing it in the grandstands?

Your second sentence tells the story here man.

The lie was terrible.

[ncates00]

2 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

What about blowing it in the grandstands?

I didn’t see it because I was at work.

The lie wasn't good enough to try that. On the telecast, Louis was talking about carrying a fairway wood MAYBE 190 out of that lie. A pro hitting a fairway wood MAYBE 190 just shows how bad that lie was. 

[onthehunt526]

Just now, iacas said:

Your second sentence tells the story here man.

The lie was terrible.

So in other words he couldn’t go for it if he wanted to?

Just now, onthehunt526 said:

So in other words he couldn’t go for it if he wanted to?

 

1 minute ago, ncates00 said:

The lie wasn't good enough to try that. On the telecast, Louis was talking about carrying a fairway wood MAYBE 190 out of that lie. A pro hitting a fairway wood MAYBE 190 just shows how bad that lie was. 

So he was in the shit? The US Open app was full of shit?

[ncates00]

2 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

So he was in the shit?

I suppose it depends upon your definition, but yeah, I’d say so. 

 

2 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

The US Open app was full of shit?

I don’t know what you’re getting at. 

[onthehunt526]

1 minute ago, ncates00 said:

I suppose it depends upon your definition, but yeah, I’d say so. 

 

I don’t know what you’re getting at. 

This ^
 

It was the 3 inch shit, not the intermediate?

[ncates00]

@onthehunt526, I just recall Louis talking about the fairway wood carrying maybe 190 and then rolling up. When I heard him say that, I knew the caddy was going to tell him that they had a better chance by laying up. I think the caddy even said something like if he tried the hero shot, it could end up good but he could also go into the water. If he lays up, it for sure won’t go in the water, and they have a crack at it with a wedge. 
 

I think they made the right call.

Just now, onthehunt526 said:

This ^
 

It was the 3 inch shit, not the intermediate?

It wasn’t just first cut. The ball was sitting down. Again, 190 yards with a fairway wood by a pro? It’s not first cut. Whoever the shotlink person was got that wrong. 

[onthehunt526]

1 minute ago, ncates00 said:

@onthehunt526, I just recall Louis talking about the fairway wood carrying maybe 190 and then rolling up. When I heard him say that, I knew the caddy was going to tell him that they had a better chance by laying up. I think the caddy even said something like if he tried the hero shot, it could end up good but he could also go into the water. If he lays up, it for sure won’t go in the water, and they have a crack at it with a wedge. 
 

I think they made the right call.

It wasn’t just first cut. The ball was sitting down. Again, 190 yards with a fairway wood by a pro? It’s not first cut. Whoever the shotlink person was got that wrong. 

The app made it seem like he was in the intermediate (1 1/2”) rough which probably would have changed things considerably. 
 

I see what @iacas meant by he wasn’t going to hit it on the green. Be probably does well to get it out with a wood, if the lie is as bad as you guys are saying it was. Feedback to the USGA for next year, primary rough and intermediate rough need to be used in the app.

[ncates00]

 

@onthehunt526, go to 13:21. It’s not first cut, dude. It’s not the thickest lie in the world, but it’s no first cut, and with the water on the left, they made the right call. It just didn’t work out this time. 

[onthehunt526]

2 minutes ago, ncates00 said:

 

@onthehunt526, go to 13:21. It’s not first cut, dude. It’s not the thickest lie in the world, but it’s no first cut, and with the water on the left, they made the right call. It just didn’t work out this time. 

3 feet further right we probably aren’t having this discussion.

[ncates00]

1 minute ago, onthehunt526 said:

3 feet further right we probably aren’t having this discussion.

Yeah, I agree. He would’ve went for it  if it was in the first cut, sitting up, or in the fairway—no question. If you put it in the drink from there, at least you went with the right shot under the circumstances and tried to win the tournament. He probably doesn’t eagle though because it would’ve been so hard to stop the ball on that green. But then again, maybe he makes the Tiger putt from the back of the green (not the “expect anything different” putt). 

[Shindig]

33 minutes ago, ncates00 said:

It’s not the thickest lie in the world, but it’s no first cut, and with the water on the left, they made the right call. It just didn’t work out this time. 

I forgot how he reacted to the eventual birdie.  Probably the most disappointed "I just made a birdie on the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open" ever.

[Shorty]

55 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

 

Maybe he wasn’t protecting second, but he wasn’t going to win laying up.

You may as well say that not trying to carry a ball 370m over water on a par 5 isn't going to win you the tournament if you need eagle to win. Are you seriously suggesting that Oosthuizen does not realise that 3 is better than 4 and that  4 doesn't win? So...in a press conference you would ask him why he laid up and he'd say "I had a better chance of holing out from 80 yards than making a putt like I did on Saturday"? Come on. There is no hypothetical scenario here. He did all he could do. 

[ncates00]

4 minutes ago, Shorty said:

You may as well say that not trying to carry a ball 370m over water on a par 5 isn't going to win you the tournament if you need eagle to win. Are you seriously suggesting that Oosthuizen does not realise that 3 is better than 4 and that  4 doesn't win? So...in a press conference you would ask him why he laid up and he'd say "I had a better chance of holing out from 80 yards than making a putt like I did on Saturday"? Come on. There is no hypothetical scenario here. He did all he could do. 

You’re right. @onthehunt526 didn’t realize how bad the lie was (see above where he quoted the app indicating “first cut” when it wasn’t), so I think that’s where he was going with that statement. I mean, he’s right, if the lie wasn’t as bad as he thought. 

[Shindig]

I'm happy to see that no one has suggested that he should have had his caddy tend the pin for his third shot. 

[TourSpoon]

17 hours ago, Shindig said:

I forgot how he reacted to the eventual birdie.  Probably the most disappointed "I just made a birdie on the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open" ever.

Absolutely! At that point making it or not made no difference as a par is still solo second. Finishing with a birdie was the icing on the "Wow, I just lost the US Open on #17," cake. 

The moment he hit it in the rough, we all knew that absent a miracle, he was playing for second place. And in reality with only one eagle all day, we can probably say that once he bogeyed 17. I still think he made the play that gave him the best chance of a 3. 

[jlbos83]

In real time it sounded like he wanted to go for it.  Even had the club pulled.  And then looked at his caddie and said there was just no way.  So there was no realistic path to tie, at that point.  At that point his best chance was a miracle hole-out, so he did his best to put it where that was at least a possibility.  He just could not drop the shot on 17, but the ball doesn't always go where we need it to, even if we are Louis.  Though he gave that par putt a reasonable run.  At that point he had to put it in the fairway at 18, and couldn't do it.  Still made a birdie, which was really the best he was going to get.

[Piz]

He was out of bullets after 17.  You can hope for a miracle but it's a faint hope at best.  It wasn't the last two...it was the first seventy.