2008 US Open Thread (TP South)

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Okay, maybe 50k. I'll be all by myself watching the other groups.

Nice! Lots of other great players to follow. Again, great pics.

Any other details regarding Tiger and his knee? Yep, trying to fill out my fantasy golf lineup and just can't make up my mind on Tiger.

[Thrash13]

Nice! Lots of other great players to follow. Again, great pics.

Not that I'm giving away any fantasy tips or anything, but Tiger can probably finish in the top 10 with his knee being 70%. He may not win the event, but he is going to be there with a chance going into the final round.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Not that I'm giving away any fantasy tips or anything, but Tiger can probably finish in the top 10 with his knee being 70%. He may not win the event, but he is going to be there with a chance going into the final round.

Yeah, you're probably right. I have a yahoo team and I think I'll go with Tiger and Furyk (although not sold on Jim yet) as the "A" players. Probably start Furyk (or whoever else I decide on) round one to let Tiger feel his way into the tournament.

Looking forward to it!

[Mr. Sparkle]

Any other details regarding Tiger and his knee? Yep, trying to fill out my fantasy golf lineup and just can't make up my mind on Tiger.

I wouldn't pick him to win, but what do I know? He loves TP, but the time off might hurt him. And nobody knows for sure how good the knee is. My dark horse pick (maybe not much of a dark horse) is Justin Rose. He looked pretty good out there today.

[egehoski]

I'm picking Stewart Cink, beating Harrington by a shot.

[Puttin4Bird]

Mr. Sparkle, those are some amazing pics my friend. I LOVE seeing the players out and relaxed during the practice rounds, of the tournaments I've attended I've enjoyed the practice rounds probably more than the real thing personally.

Just look at how NARROW that fairway is in some of those pics, in one of the Tiger/Bubba set there are 2 or 3 guys standing next to each other and they almost cover then entire width of the fairway, that will be something to watch this week.

Keep the info coming, you're our man on the scene Mr. Sparkle!!!

[Mr. Sparkle]

Just look at how NARROW that fairway is in some of those pics, in one of the Tiger/Bubba set there are 2 or 3 guys standing next to each other and they almost cover then entire width of the fairway, that will be something to watch this week.

That was the par 5 9th hole. 612 yards.

[pinbacksc]

Went to the Monday practice round. Got there at about 4:00 p.m. since i got the tickets from the Pro Shop after the round yesterday. The Course is absolutely beautiful as mentioned by several people on here. Unfortunately merchandise is ridiculously expensive. A freakin hat is like $30.

Saw Paul Casey,Stephen Ames, Jim Furyk, Vijay, and a couple other guys. Camillo Vaglenas(sp?) i noticed was super short. i figured he was kinda of tall but i was sorely mistaken. After you play and then watch the pros it is a little disheartening . I just cant believe how solid they hit it every time. Even if they miss-hit it, it still is solid.

One cool thing happened when we were leaving. We saw Ernie Els and Anthony Kim on the 8th green. Els was in the back right bunker and holed the shot . It was pretty cool to see. The rough is brutal too. Kim was having trouble getting it out from probably 3-5 yards off the green.

Cant wait untill thursday. This will be an awesome US open.

[SubPar]

Interesting take on Tiger's chances and what a good showing would mean...

A Tiger win would be sports' greatest feat ever

"To even mention Woods as a possible winner shows an appalling lack of understanding of what the game demands. Not when he’s been rehabbing a knee for eight weeks. There are guys in baseball who can go a year without playing, pick up a bat, and hit the ball hard someplace. But they can’t hit it perfectly 70 straight times. That’s what Tiger would have to do to win.

He’s playing, and as he’s told us so often, he doesn’t enter tournaments just to say he was there. Every time he walks on a course, he expects to win. This week in the Open, he’s the only one thinking that way.

So think what it would mean if he actually did it. It would be the greatest achievement — ever. It would rip the hearts — and also the livers, spleens, kidneys and guts — out of the rest of the field. It would let Phil and Sergio and Trevor and all the other pretenders know that whatever tiny hopes they held of catching him are dead forever.

It would be beyond a miracle. It would be beyond incredible, unthinkable, impossible, unimaginable. It would be something we’d have to make up a new word just to describe. "

SubPar

[Jeepthrills]

Interesting take on Tiger's chances and what a good showing would mean...

Geez. With odds like that, Tiger should consider retiring. I don't think he forgot how to play in the last couple months. When he played after the death of his father, it was a mentally draining time for him. He was playing for the first time knowing that he would not be able to talk to his dad after a round. A knee surgery is not like having a filling in your tooth, but he only had the knee "cleaned up", not a knee replacement. Will there be some rust? Maybe. Can he win? Yes. Is he the favorite? I'll still say yes until he does not win.

[Wisco-Kid]

Interesting take on Tiger's chances and what a good showing would mean...

It seems to me that Ben Hogan winning six major championships after a near fatal car accident is the most miraculous come backs in sports. A Tiger win at Torrey after a minor knee surgery pales in comparison to what Hogan achieved. IMHO.

[iacas]

Interesting take on Tiger's chances and what a good showing would mean...

I disagree with that. It's not like he's not been hitting golf balls.

And Bruce Lietzke could take months off and come out and win a golf tournament. No, not the U.S. Open, but he'd literally not pick up a golf club for weeks. So yeah, not "the greatest feat ever." Not by a long stretch. Heck, Phil making the cut at the U.S. Open last year with a sore wrist might have been a bigger feat and FAR from the "Greatest Ever."

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Tiger would have to have lost his leg for a win to be the greatest feat ever. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but didn't he win his first start back after his previous knee surgery? Not the US Open but still... Not sure if I'd take him to win or not but I definitely wouldn't be surprised if he did win.

[Mr. Sparkle]

So Tiger played the back 9 this morning. He looked pretty good. He still hasn't walked a full 18 since surgery, but my guess is that he might tomorrow.

[SubPar]

I disagree with that. It's not like he's not been hitting golf balls.

Any such statement is part "showmanship" on the part of the writer and is sure to invite dissent. But the US Open is considered the toughest, most physically demanding tournaments. I wouldn't know because I've never played at that level, but the pros make a big deal out of the importance of having competitive rounds leading up to the week or two prior to a major. How ever you frame it, if Tiger can come back from surgery and a competitive lay-off to win the most demanding event of the year, it will shake up the rest of the field. SubPar

[Mr. Sparkle]

A few more pics from today:

[Wisco-Kid]

Great pics Mr. Sparkle! Thanks!

[Mr. Sparkle]