2010 Ryder Cup

[iacas]

Coming from the guy who called Poulter a "poor ball striker" at a recent event, I think I'll choose to ignore his nonsense.

And statistically, Poulter is.

[sean_miller]

And statistically, Poulter is.

According to one self proclaimed official TST statistician, you can't be a good putter or have a good short game without being a really good ball striker. Doesn't Poults leave his peers in the dust around the greens?

[JWL1957]

Nobody from the Europe should be on here preaching about sports etiquette when they have roving soccer/football gangs going around beating people down before and after matches. Been there and seen it up close.

[Acropo]

Nobody from the Europe should be on here preaching about sports etiquette when they have roving soccer/football gangs going around beating people down before and after matches. Been there and seen it up close.

Who is preaching about sports etiquette? I'm European and I've said I liked 'Boom, baby!' and I'll probably use it myself. As for your comment about soccer hooligans, well, I live in England and I have only once had any trouble at all - and that's over a few decades. Someone once said of crowd misbehaviour "American sports fans do riot - it's just that they do it at home, with a few six-packs in front of the TV". To illustrate the point, we were treated to a short film of various large-tummied gentlemen hanging out of windows screaming 'we've won!' and other tasty morsels while throwing various items at passers-by on the streets below. Interestingly, when I visited a couple of RnB clubs in Chicago a couple of years ago I had a great time, once people heard me speak. Don't know if it was the accent but I do know that my (white) friend, who lives locally, was crapping himself - literally, shaking with fear. What does that have to do with sports etiquette? About as much as football hooligans have to do with golf.

[Acropo]

Everyone is acting like he's a loser and the "Classy" Euros were perfect, get real I heard folks laughing and clapping on misses, and I saw a women on the back of 17 even imploring a ball of the Americans to roll off the back of the green.

I didn't, and I was there.

I did see a couple of American women getting excited about a ball that was rolling off into a bunker - they were 'oh no!' 'please!' etc and waving their hands at it as if they could stop it. I said earlier that I wouldn't want anyone to get the impression that US misses or misfortunes were cheered - they weren't. We cheered our own players to encourage them on. If a US player missed and the European still had a putt, we cheered the Euro on. If the hole was halved, we cheered encouragement for the Euro. If the Euro lost, we shouted encouragement for the next hole. If anyone missed anything - green, hole, fairway, lunch - the most you'd hear would be 'ooooh!'. Then, after an interval - often short but still noticeable - there would be shouts of encouragment for the Euro. When a player was about to play, you could have heard a pin drop - whichever side they were from. The only noise that occurred during a swing was Dottie Pepper sneezing. No bangs, no coughs, no shouts, no hisses of 'miss it' (never mind disparaging anatomical descriptions). If anyone was whispering during a shot set-up, the crowd around shushed them. This was a huge crowd for a golf event - 45,000 a day, the largest chunk lining 16, 17 and 18. There was banter, light-hearted teasing and it was excited but, overall, the people there were really very well-behaved.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

I don't have an issue with either sides celebrations, it's good to see a good deal of passion showed and that is what the Ryder cup is all about, as long as it does not effect the shot of their opponent (aka Brookline).

What US tour players shop at Walmart?

Agreed. He is by far one of the best dressed players on the PGA Tour.

I'll have to put him in the attention getter mold. No man that I know would be caught dead wearing that garb.

[James_Black]

I'll have to put him in the attention getter mold. No man that I know would be caught dead wearing that garb.

nobody you know has the game to pull it off.

Your allowed to dress like a tosser if you can actually play. If I walked onto the course dressed like him and hacked my was around the course I'd be a laughing stock. If I went around shooting a 64, well I'd get quite a bit of attention.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

Why do you American's hate Poulter so much?

I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased by you referring him to a "tosser." That one just sailed out of bounds. You've got 5 minutes to find it or it's one "stroke."

nobody you know has the game to pull it off.

I'm sure there are many people laughing at the wardrobe and they could care less what he's put up on the board. A clown is still a clown even if he doesn't make the kids laugh. I just hope Ian doesn't fall into Imelda Marcos' penchant for footwear. She also liked to play dress up.

[billysandy]

And statistically, Poulter is.

Erik, are you saying Poulter is a good ballstriker or a bad one?

http://www.europeantour.com/european...hfs/index.html check that out if you are suggesting the latter.

Nobody from the Europe should be on here preaching about sports etiquette when they have roving soccer/football gangs going around beating people down before and after matches. Been there and seen it up close.

Those soccer related attacks happen rarely here, and they are a tiny tiny minority of violent sports fans, who's activities are generally gang related anyway.

I think Poulter probably goes bonkers the most of any I've seen. The double chicken wing thing after making a putt reminds of little scrawny rooster strutting around the yard thinking he's some kind of Fog Horn Leghorn Jr. He couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag is what makes it comical. When he gets a little older, we can call him Rod Stewart lite.

Not that Overton's celebration was over the top, but i think it was Overton who went bonkers more than anyone else. It was funny to see, and I didn't mind seeing a little emotion. When you are better than Poulter, check back here and you can insult him in an immature manner all you like, but until that time, he is infinitely better than a little punk on a golf forum.

[Zeph]

\

Yeah, being one of the best players in the world he definitely needs the attention. Says more about you than him really.

[billysandy]

Well, when the Americans run the table, Pavin will look like a champ!

Nice FAIL post.

[iacas]

Erik, are you saying Poulter is a good ballstriker or a bad one?

He's a terrible ballstriker relative to his peers. The GIR stat you're wanting me to see is based on twelve rounds, four which came at the Old Course with their huge greens, and not the 60+ rounds the other guys have played.

Ian's standing in Euro stats was debunked weeks ago when Johnny Miller called him one of the poorest ballstrikers out there. It was brought up and dismissed by the obvious. This stat is far more telling (49 rounds): http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/info/wm1.html?103

[Acropo]

He's a terrible ballstriker relative to his peers. The GIR stat you're wanting me to see is based on twelve rounds, four which came at the Old Course with their huge greens, and not the 60+ rounds the other guys have played.

Well, either way - he seems to do quite well for a duffer. Must have a very strong character in order to overcome so much adversity. (Didn't I see some GIR stat that looked pretty good?)

[sean_miller]

Well, either way - he seems to do quite well for a duffer. Must have a very strong character in order to overcome so much adversity.

His ball striking only rises slightly above emarassingly horrid as he nears the putting surface. From the sand and rough, and with a flatstick, he almost scratch!!

[iacas]

Well, either way - he seems to do quite well for a duffer. Must have a very strong character in order to overcome so much adversity.

Bear in mind it's "poor" relative to his peers. That goes without saying.

Also, like many poorer ballstrikers, some days he has it and some days he doesn't. Heck, some holes he has it and some holes he doesn't - which is part of the reason why he's decent at match play but struggles (again, relatively) in stroke play.

[sean_miller]

Bear in mind it's "poor" relative to his peers. That goes without saying.

I agree that he plays better than his stats. He's a better golfer than a ball striker - like Phil.

[Plox]

Haha, "decent at match play." Be more begrudging. Funny, I'm sure "poor ball striker" would have been the last thoughts on Kuchar's mind as he watched another towering iron shot at the pin. One thing to keep in mind regarding these stats you love tossing out there, Poulter has always been a flag seeker, so missed greens come with the territory, hence why he's often not that far from the flag to get up and down. Having watched him consistently on the European tour, it boggles the mind how anyone can put him in that category, but hey, this is the internet.

[Plox]

And does anyone else here think that Tiger's performance on Sunday is the best thing to happen to him in aeons? Not only was his golf otherworldly, but his temperant was spot on, very calm and collected. Literally some of the best ball striking I've ever seen. Joint top scorer throughout the competition, congrats to him.