Oostie's Albatross vs. Bubba's Winner

[rossvanwyk]

To me, luck is a ball pinging off a tree and coming back into the fairway. Or hitting a bunker rake and popping onto the green.

It's not often a player hit the exact shot they are planning to, but it happens and it can't be called luck. It's just perfect execution. Both shots were executed with perfection in my opinion.

[RichWW2]

Originally Posted by rossvanwyk

To me, luck is a ball pinging off a tree and coming back into the fairway. Or hitting a bunker rake and popping onto the green.

It's not often a player hit the exact shot they are planning to, but it happens and it can't be called luck. It's just perfect execution. Both shots were executed with perfection in my opinion.

I think the ball actually dropping in the cup for Louis was luck.  If the groundskeeper sets the cup 3 inches to the left or right he possibly doesn't make the shot and/or someone else may have drained an albatross.  The perfectly executed shot he intended to make that put the ball in that position was not luck.  Had the cup been within a 3 or 4 foot radius he still would've played the exact same shot with the hope of getting close to the hole.

[VOX]

I heard Brad Faxon on the radio the next day say that every player on Tour can hit the shot that Bubba hit (though not necessarilry under that kind of pressure or with a wedge from 150) but very few players on Tour could hit the shot that Louis hit

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by VOX

I heard Brad Faxon on the radio the next day say that every player on Tour can hit the shot that Bubba hit (though not necessarilry under that kind of pressure or with a wedge from 150) but very few players on Tour could hit the shot that Louis hit

That doesn't sound right.  Few players on tour could hit the ball to their target 250 yards away from a perfect lie in the middle of the fairway?  I would suspect most tour players are fully capable of both shots but that if I had to pick one that some of them would have the harder time with, I'd guess it was Bubba's.  Not all of them are comfortable hitting giant hooks.

[k-troop]

Agreed.  After watching the shot several more times, I'll agree that the shot wasn't as amazing as Bubba made it out to be--but still a pretty awesome shot.

Louis's shot was fantastic, amazing, and spectacular.  He holed it for a double eagle from 260.  But the shot itself was a high draw that flew 240, executed from a perfect fairway lie.  I can hit that shot, although not with a 4-iron.  The fact that he landed it exactly where he wanted is perfect execution, but not a shot that most tour pros can't hit.

Surely Mr. Faxon was saying that most pros couldn't make that shot with a 4-iron.  But with a 2/3 hybrid, or a 5-wood--any tour pro has that shot.

[VOX]

Here are some of Faxon's comments. He starts talking about Bubba's shot at about 4:40

http://audio.weei.com/a/54604255/brad-faxon-recaps-bubba-watson-s-win-at-the-maters.htm

[newtogolf]

I might agree that most pro's could hit the shot Bubba hit during practice or even early round, but I disagree that every pro could hit that shot during a playoff round of the Masters Tournament.  As for Faxons comment on Louis's shot, the odds are against any player hitting it because there is a large amount of luck involved.  Louis hit a great shot that took a lucky roll right into the cup.

Originally Posted by VOX

I heard Brad Faxon on the radio the next day say that every player on Tour can hit the shot that Bubba hit (though not necessarilry under that kind of pressure or with a wedge from 150) but very few players on Tour could hit the shot that Louis hit

[inthehole]

Every tournament we see pro's foul up what most would consider "standard" cuts or draws & hit them straight.    Happens all the time.      To work the ball is not easy for even the top level players.    To execute a massive SNAP HOOK on demand from the woods under that kind of pressure was beyond spectacular.    Saying that every tour pro could execute that shot is douchebaggery...

[inthehole]

found this aerial view of the shot from another board ...

[iacas]

found this aerial view of the shot from another board ...

I believe it's been debunked. The blue line isn't right, and more importantly, that's not where he was (even with the middle of the bunker).

[VOX]

Originally Posted by inthehole

Every tournament we see pro's foul up what most would consider "standard" cuts or draws & hit them straight.    Happens all the time.      To work the ball is not easy for even the top level players.    To execute a massive SNAP HOOK on demand from the woods under that kind of pressure was beyond spectacular.    Saying that every tour pro could execute that shot is douchebaggery...

Turning the noun "douche bag" into the substantive "douchebaggery" has an even higher level of difficulty. Well done...