2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs

[iacas]

5 hours ago, Big C said:

For tour pros, I would suspect there is almost no advantage to having the flag stick in. The benefit comes when putts are moving to the hole at a relatively high rate of speed. Generally that occurs when the putt is very long (very difficult to gauge the speed), or the putter themselves has poor distance control. That often applies to amateurs, but usually does not apply to tour pros.

That's all true.

5 hours ago, Big C said:

Anecdotally, I have seen a handful of dead center putts that rattle the flag and kick out, so there are times when leaving the flag stick in is a disadvantage.

That one is scientifically dubious.

[jxdama]

I  heard  on the telecast  last time they played this  course  only  5 players broke  par. Lift  clean and  cheat  again?

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, jxdama said:

I  heard  on the telecast  last time they played this  course  only  5 players broke  par. Lift  clean and  cheat  again?

FFS dude grow up! It’s golf! Stop pissing and moaning when someone goes below par.

[StuM]

5 hours ago, jxdama said:

I  heard  on the telecast  last time they played this  course  only  5 players broke  par. Lift  clean and  cheat  again?

[snapfade]

Max Homa tore it up today. I'm calling it, anyone within 5 has a chance. I thought Rory would light it up but had the highest score out of the top 10 with a 70. Going to be a good weekend I think, it ain't over, Homa has his work cut out for him. That's got to be some pressure. 5 shot lead going into the weekend, with some serious heat on your heels. 

[jxdama]

10 hours ago, snapfade said:

Max Homa tore it up today. I'm calling it, anyone within 5 has a chance. I thought Rory would light it up but had the highest score out of the top 10 with a 70. Going to be a good weekend I think, it ain't over, Homa has his work cut out for him. That's got to be some pressure. 5 shot lead going into the weekend, with some serious heat on your heels. 

But  its a  5 shot  lead without  any challenging holes to play. If they are still playing  cheat then its tough to catch up when the  leader  has  no challenging holes to fear. Also, this  format is really  boring. They need to cut  down to 16 for  the  final weekend  and  have match play. That would  be a true  playoff  instead  of this artificial nonsense.

[iacas]

2 hours ago, jxdama said:

If they are still playing  cheat then its tough to catch up when the  leader  has  no challenging holes to fear.

That makes no sense and is close to the opposite of what's true.

It's a lot easier to catch up to someone when they can shoot 68 and you can shoot 63 or 62 to make up six shots. On a tough course, relying on a PGA Tour player to shoot 77 while you shoot 71 is next to impossible.

This is why your whole take here is bad. I can understand "liking" to see "tough" conditions, but your takes on scoring, overtaking, "excitement," etc. are often directly opposed to the actual facts.

[jxdama]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

That makes no sense and is close to the opposite of what's true.

It's a lot easier to catch up to someone when they can shoot 68 and you can shoot 63 or 62 to make up six shots. On a tough course, relying on a PGA Tour player to shoot 77 while you shoot 71 is next to impossible.

This is why your whole take here is bad. I can understand "liking" to see "tough" conditions, but your takes on scoring, overtaking, "excitement," etc. are often directly opposed to the actual facts.

I dont agree. When there are  no hard holes the  pressure comes off everyone. Are they STILL playing  lift  clean and  cheat after  3 days  of sun? Is the  PGA so afraid  of the  players  now they will do anything to keep from having  them look bad?

[jxdama]

At this rate "play it where it  lies" has  been totally  discarded. Why not  just  let the  players tee-up every  shot anywhere  on the  course all the time. There  is  no penalty for  missing the green or fairway. The "rough" is  smooth, bunkers are as easy to play from as the fairway and the equipment  has rendered most  holes a  joke  now. To compensate they need to narrow fairways and  make  it a  penalty  for  missing a green or fairway with high thick rough and  deep soft  bunkers. These  playoffs should  be  played  on hard  courses that forces  players to make shots, not tiny tot holes designed not to hurt  players feelings.

[Zeph]

The guy who shot -8 yesterday made a triple today on a hole most competitors par or birdie. Anything can happen and three shots can disappear in minutes.

[boogielicious]

49 minutes ago, Zeph said:

The guy who shot -8 yesterday made a triple today on a hole most competitors par or birdie. Anything can happen and three shots can disappear in minutes.

I heard Golf is Hard.

[iacas]

5 hours ago, jxdama said:

I dont agree. When there are  no hard holes the  pressure comes off everyone.

Did you read what I wrote at all? Specifically, for example, I didn't use the word "pressure" at all.

5 hours ago, jxdama said:

Is the  PGA so afraid  of the  players  now they will do anything to keep from having  them look bad?

Yeah, again… the PGA has nothing to do with this.

And, mud balls don't increase the "skill" needed to play the game. They increase randomness.

It's an entertainment product. The USGA doesn't go to LCP nearly as easily. Nor does the R&A. Because those are championships, with entertainment as a byproduct. The PGA Tour is mostly about entertainment.

5 hours ago, jxdama said:

There  is  no penalty for  missing the green or fairway.

Oh boy.

Facts, who needs 'em? Not @jxdama.

[Vinsk]

23 minutes ago, iacas said:

And, mud balls don't increase the "skill" needed to play the game. They increase randomness

This is actually quite important to understand @jxdama. Those times when the course got to be carnival like, it wasn’t skillful golf that made the difference, it was affected by luck, randomness. That’s not good competition to watch.

[turtleback]

 

On 8/19/2023 at 8:34 PM, iacas said:

Facts, who needs 'em? Not @jxdama.

He's approaching Johnny One Note status.

 

 

[Zeph]

That was fun. Crazy how that lip-our from Fitzpatrick on 18 could have swung the starting score between Viktor and Sheffler by four shots.

They said it is a difficult course, but they really tore it up out there. The rain helped softening up the dartboard.

If jxdama had been calling the shots, I suppose Sheffler would have started at even par in the Tour Championship, Viktor at +2 etc.

[phan52]

When I left to play a quick nine yesterday afternoon, it looked like it was going to be match play between Fitz and Scheffler. When I get home, Victor Hovland is hoisting the trophy. What a back nine! 

[jxdama]

14 hours ago, Zeph said:

That was fun. Crazy how that lip-our from Fitzpatrick on 18 could have swung the starting score between Viktor and Sheffler by four shots.

They said it is a difficult course, but they really tore it up out there. The rain helped softening up the dartboard.

If jxdama had been calling the shots, I suppose Sheffler would have started at even par in the Tour Championship, Viktor at +2 etc.

If  i were calling the shots that artificial crap would  be dropped. The  final weekend would  be the top 32 or  16(whichever  is  more workable) in match play. Thats a real playoff with real pressure. I  know the  pampered  players wouldnt  like it because its direct  one  on one competition.  Its  like the  NFL  seeding teams and  saying the  num 1 seed starts the game leading 10-0.

In my world you  have to go out  out  in a  pressure situation and  beat  your  opponent to advance.

On 8/19/2023 at 9:01 PM, Vinsk said:

This is actually quite important to understand @jxdama. Those times when the course got to be carnival like, it wasn’t skillful golf that made the difference, it was affected by luck, randomness. That’s not good competition to watch.

There  is a simple  solution to that. There  is  no lift  clean and  cheat. Replace it with giving the  player the  option of dropping the  ball say within a  3 foot radius  if  he feels the  lie  is  unfair( only  once  dropping  in the fairway has  been declared). Clean the  ball if you want then drop it. That  first drop counts no matter  if the  ball ends  up an inch closer to the hole. If the  ball ends  up in a worse  place that  the  chance you take  by dropping. No placing, no tee-ups.

[Vinsk]

47 minutes ago, jxdama said:

There  is a simple  solution to that.

Not sure about  your obsessive dislike for LCP as it’s quite rare really. Regardless, your statement didn’t address anything. I wasn’t referring to courses that were muddy, sloppy. The simple point is having to hit a ball covered in mud is not a skill. It adds to the randomness which is unfavorable in a competition. 
I’d much rather watch two pros compete from an approach shot from 190yds based on their ball striking skill …not who got luckier.