Masters: Whose Shot was Better from the Pine Straw? Bubba or Phil

[Clambake]

I'm going to give the nod to Bubba.    I was fortunate enough to go a couple days to the Masters this year and see in person where the shots were taken from, so I look at the difficulty of shots from the likelihood of pulling it off and the consequences if one doesn't.

On TV it appears that Phil's shot was threaded between tight trees, but in person you see there is a lot more space between the trees and the overhanging branches don't come into play - essentially the trees were a non issue on Phil's shot.    What he did have was a straight shot off pine straw to a moderately shallow green, so I think the probability of Phil pulling off that shot was fairly high.        Spectators can't get to that spot so the pine straw was not trampled down so footing could be an issue.       With Phil's shot, his possible misses would be short into the creek or long into the collection area behind the green or possibly into the bunker; if he was long we wouldn't have been short-sided with the pin position.    In all cases, he still has a good chance of getting up and down for par (from his drop in the creek) or possible even birdie if he went long and was able to use his short game magic to get it close.    Also, Phil still had 5 more holes to play after this, so if he did fail and even made bogie (which would be doubtful), his day isn't done and he has time to recover.

Bubba's shot was shorter, but as we all know he was significantly blocked by the trees and hence had to pull off that big hook.    There were also overhanging branches that he needed to get under, so that makes his shot less straight forward than Phil's.      Bubba's spot was trampled down by six days of spectators walking up and down between 10 and 18, so the pine straw wouldn't have been as loose and he should have been able to get a better footing than Phil, so that has less risk.     But the big difference to me is the consequence of Bubba's shot not going where planned.    His initial target line was out over the trap in the middle of the fairway aimed right into the heavy tree line dividing 10 from the 11 tee box.    From walking around that area, there is a lot of very thick brush down low - remember that that side of 10 is where Phil lost a ball earlier in the tournament.     If Bubba's shot went too straight, it would have been deep into that tree and brush area.     If he just failed to pull off the hook slightly, he goes off the left side of the 10 green which is a very steep hill down into the trees again, and although there isn't much brush in that area it could be a difficult up and down.     In the meantime, his opponent was in a position where getting up and down for par was still quite possible.     The slightest mistake by Bubba would have likely led to bogie at least and most likely worse.

So overall, I think Phil's shot was more straightforward than it looks on TV and the risks he faced weren't as bad as Bubba.     Both were great dramatic shots, but Bubba's had a higher risk/reward factor and was more difficult to pull off successfully.

[ghalfaire]

Like the ad says, "these guys are good", and Bubba/Phil are two of the very best at manufacturing shots when needed.  But I'd give the nod to Bubba on this one.  A 40 yard hook with a gap wedge to the green was just simply amazing.  Especially given the pressure of a sudden death playoff.

[Chas]

I was leaning towards Phil until I saw the photo in post #68 (not having realized quite how much of a hook was played with the wedge) and until I read some posts here by those who've thought things through more than I did.  That would include Clambake - as always, thanks for that penetrating analysis.

I mean, why bother to watch major golfing events when you can read posts later by Clambake that capture the essence?

Seriously, they were both extraordinary shots made under pressure-cooker conditions.  Didn't Bubba say afterwards that the shot wasn't really difficult for him, that it's the sort of shot he plays well and likes going for? (or do I remember incorrectly?)  Then again, it seems that Phil-the-thrill lives for moments like that, so maybe the score's even from that point of view.  Maybe I'm projecting but attempting Phil's shot (to just carry the creek, given the lie and range) seems tougher than bending a PW.  Then again I've never tried to hook a wedge of any type in such a manner - likely my attempt would have ended in the trees, unplayable lie.

Arguments around the consequences of misses are well taken and do favor Bubba's shot.

Nice post jamo as well.

Maybe I'll cop out and call it a draw ....

[jamo]

I still contend that that picture isn't accurate. A ball wouldn't start out straight like that, turn 90* relatively quickly, and then go straight for the last 50 yards.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by jamo

I still contend that that picture isn't accurate. A ball wouldn't start out straight like that, turn 90* relatively quickly, and then go straight for the last 50 yards.

Nor is the location of the ball accurate, others have pointed out.

[Zeph]

Tiger commented on the shot in his blog. [QUOTE]Congratulations to Bubba Watson for winning. We used to play a lot of practice rounds together. If you think about it, for a lefty, that shot on No. 10 didn't sit up too badly for him. It was a hook lie, and on top of that, he's firing it into the hill, because that green goes from right to left. So whatever type of hook he hits is actually going to be killed into the slope. The only thing I was curious to see was how far down there he drove it and whether he was going to have to hit a short iron or mid-iron. If he hits a mid-iron in there, he can't stop it because it's coming in there too hot. If it's a short iron, he can spin it even if you hook it that much. He makes the golf ball move a lot, which in this day and age is really hard to do because the golf balls just don't move that much. For him to curve it as much as he does, obviously he's got a tremendous feel for his shots. He plays a way that a lot of the older players used to do it, but they did it with a ball that moved a lot more. It's a lot harder to move the ball the way he does with this ball now. The golf ball just doesn't spin as much. You have to have tremendous club-head speed, and he's got that.[/QUOTE]

[CallawayGolf25]

Easily Bubba's!

That isn't to say Phil's shot wasn't incredible either, but being that Bubba had to pull his off in sudden death, with The Masters on the line, it's no contest! To hook the ball that far from where he was at was insane. I honestly thought he'd just pitch out. Most PGA pros would've just bumped it up as close to the green as possible. I don't think many can pull off a shot like that...

Phil's shot was pretty straight-forward... still great, but with Bubba's, minds were blown... lol

[MSchott]

Originally Posted by CallawayGolf25

Easily Bubba's!

That isn't to say Phil's shot wasn't incredible either, but being that Bubba had to pull his off in sudden death, with The Masters on the line, it's no contest! To hook the ball that far from where he was at was insane. I honestly thought he'd just pitch out. Most PGA pros would've just bumped it up as close to the green as possible. I don't think many can pull off a shot like that...

Phil's shot was pretty straight-forward... still great, but with Bubba's, minds were blown... lol

This was discussed earlier in this thread but Phil's shot was very risky. If her hits it slightly fat it's in the water and he might be looking at bogey. In the last round of the Masters that's a pressure packed shot.

[Wally Fairway]

It depends on what the definition of the word "is" is....errr I mean what your definition of "better" is.

Both players have shown that they are willing to take risky (sometimes ill advised) shots. Phil could have played it to where he had a wedge in his hand and he is very confident that he will hit that close enough for a 75% chance at birdie, he took the bigger risk on that shot for a chance at eagle. Bubba could also have played out to the fairway and had a wedge in his hand that he could have hit his normal hook and hoped for a one-putt par and likely a chance to play another hole.

IMO - Bubbas is a better shot because he was risking the tournament, if that shot goes wrong (hitting a tree, not hooking enough, etc) he could end up on a spot where he is giving Oost a chance to win with par; Phil had 5 more holes to play and he could still move up the leaderboard.