2012 US Open at Olympic Club Discussion Thread

[Infamous 273]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

I forget who the golfer was, but he had a very shallow angle of attack.  He was trying to hit out of the rough and Miller just kept going on and on about how the guy had no chance whatsoever.  Pretty critical of the guy.  He could have just waited until after the dude hit and said something about how difficult it is to gouge the ball out of that rough if you come in too shallow and go through a lot of grass.

was it michael allen?  i saw a bit where allen was buried in the rough, took a swing, and advanced it about 10 feet.  miller was all over him for his stance and what not.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Infamous 273

was it michael allen?  i saw a bit where allen was buried in the rough, took a swing, and advanced it about 10 feet.  miller was all over him for his stance and what not.

Yeah pretty sure that was it.  Allen the senior golfer playing in the Open, while Miller sits in the booth talking about how bad his swing is.

[stoverny]

Originally Posted by Clambake

Piling onto NBC's coverage a little more, I was also annoyed that apparently they don't actually understand some basic math and statistics.     Throughout the weekend, the announcers kept talking about how the course was playing easier on the weekend and putting up the statistics to show it, claiming things like reducing the yardage on 16, pin placements, players getting adjusted to the course, players were really focusing on making a move, etc.     They'd show the field average being +4.9 over par on Thursday, +4 over par on Friday, and then only +2 on Saturday, saying the course was a couple strokes easier.

The simple fact, though, is that the field average on Thursday and Friday included a whole bunch of players who didn't make the cut, including guys that 20 over par or worse.     If you look at the averages from the players who didn't make the cut, their average was 76.7 on Thursday and 75.7 on Friday.      The players who did make the cut averaged 72.8 Thursday, 72.2 Friday, 72 Saturday, and 72.9 on Sunday.         For those making the cut, the course played pretty consistent throughout all days with the easiest day Saturday playing only about 0.9 strokes better than the worst day.

No, NBC, the statistics did not show anything close to what you kept trying to claim.   Maybe some remedial math skills are in order for your production staff......

This type of mathematical illiteracy is pretty standard these days, unfortunately.  I'd be surprised if the CBS guys (who I like) didn't say the same thing had they been covering it.

The craziest thing was how NBC/ESPN was practically signing Tiger's name to the trophy after round 2 (and anyone who watched both rounds could see Tiger didn't play nearly as well on Friday as he did on Thursday).

[zipazoid]

I do have to give one heckler props though. On Saturday Nicholas Colsaerts decided not to try to hit #7, the short par 4, from the tee. It was playing only 288y I believe. So he hits like a 6 iron off the tee to the fairway.

"Nice Layup" came a derisive voice from the crowd.

Classic.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

I do have to give one heckler props though. On Saturday Nicholas Colsaerts decided not to try to hit #7, the short par 4, from the tee. It was playing only 288y I believe. So he hits like a 6 iron off the tee to the fairway.

"Nice Layup" came a derisive voice from the crowd.

Classic.

That was funny.  And a tv commentator made the only funny remark of the tourney there.  Something along the lines of, "he didn't come all the way out here to watch you layup".

[Mr3Wiggle]

Anyone notice Beau Hossler's "69" belt buckle?  I get that the number has score significance, but I'm not so sure I'd be wearing that on national tv.

[MSchott]

Originally Posted by Clambake

Piling onto NBC's coverage a little more, I was also annoyed that apparently they don't actually understand some basic math and statistics.     Throughout the weekend, the announcers kept talking about how the course was playing easier on the weekend and putting up the statistics to show it, claiming things like reducing the yardage on 16, pin placements, players getting adjusted to the course, players were really focusing on making a move, etc.     They'd show the field average being +4.9 over par on Thursday, +4 over par on Friday, and then only +2 on Saturday, saying the course was a couple strokes easier.

The simple fact, though, is that the field average on Thursday and Friday included a whole bunch of players who didn't make the cut, including guys that 20 over par or worse.     If you look at the averages from the players who didn't make the cut, their average was 76.7 on Thursday and 75.7 on Friday.      The players who did make the cut averaged 72.8 Thursday, 72.2 Friday, 72 Saturday, and 72.9 on Sunday.         For those making the cut, the course played pretty consistent throughout all days with the easiest day Saturday playing only about 0.9 strokes better than the worst day.

No, NBC, the statistics did not show anything close to what you kept trying to claim.   Maybe some remedial math skills are in order for your production staff......

Someone on NBC did comment that the stroke average went down because the poorer players did not make the cut.

[TomK82]

this was the best u.s. open i have ever saw

[Zeph]

I don't mind Johnny Miller when he is telling us what the players are trying to do.  I find that interesting and educational.  I think he feels like he needs to fill dead air at times and that is why he repeats himself.

The problem is that he often comes up with some stuff himself that doesn't even make remotely sense. I don't mind hearing about the strategy of the players out there, but when he claims Tiger added some fade to a shot during impact, based on a high-speed close-up of impact from one of his shots where he toed it, I just want to slap him with a large trout.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Motley01

I thought is was weird, when I heard the crowd yelling USA USA, right when Gram McDowell hit his tee shot. Um sorry folks, he's not from the USA. Good lord the fans can just get stupid drunk near the end of the tournament.

They knew he wasn't from the USA, which is why they were chanting it.  They also did it Saturday with an all-international pairing.  I don't remember which twosome it was.  Maybe Colsaerts?  I find it incredibly distasteful.  I take it like saying "f**k you" to those guys.

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

That was funny.  And a tv commentator made the only funny remark of the tourney there.  Something along the lines of, "he didn't come all the way out here to watch you layup".

What made it funny was the commentator put an emphasis on the "you."  "We didn't come out here to see you lay up."  As if to imply that if somebody with a high profile and winning credentials did it, they could understand.  "But you?  You're a nobody and therefore we only want to be entertained by your feats of glory!"

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

They knew he wasn't from the USA, which is why they were chanting it.  They also did it Saturday with an all-international pairing.  I don't remember which twosome it was.  Maybe Colsaerts?  I find it incredibly distasteful.  I take it like saying "f**k you" to those guys.

What made it funny was the commentator put an emphasis on the "you."  "We didn't come out here to see you lay up."  As if to imply that if somebody with a high profile and winning credentials did it, they could understand.  "But you?  You're a nobody and therefore we only want to be entertained by your feats of glory!"

Not to mention that the guy is the longest hitter on any major tour.  Dude probably could have gotten there with an iron if he really wanted to.

[Zeph]

What made it funny was the commentator put an emphasis on the "you."  "We didn't come out here to see you lay up."  As if to imply that if somebody with a high profile and winning credentials did it, they could understand.  "But you?  You're a nobody and therefore we only want to be entertained by your feats of glory!"

That was now what they meant. Colsaerts averaged 339 yards with the driver, which made it a bit funny when he laid up on a 288 yard par four. They might expect it from Jim Furyk (who didn't lay up by the way), but not the longest hitter on the course.

[Motley01]

Something is very wrong with the fans. This year has been really bad.

Remember at The Players, when they were heckling Kevin Na, and chanting for his ball to go into the water.

Every tournament gets worse and worse. When will the madness end?

When somebody gets hurt, because they thought it would be funny, and decided to dive in front of a teed up ball, when the players swings.

Nobody ever calls them out. If I were there, and I paid $200 for my ticket, and somebody yells out stupid crap after impact. I would turn around and yell at them to STFU AS$HOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[newtogolf]

PGA needs to find a happy medium.  They obviously want to make the events fun so more people turn out to support the tournaments but they need to control them so the fans don't get so drunk they become obnoxious and distracting to the golfers.

Originally Posted by Motley01

Something is very wrong with the fans. This year has been really bad.

Remember at The Players, when they were heckling Kevin Na, and chanting for his ball to go into the water.

Every tournament gets worse and worse. When will the madness end?

When somebody gets hurt, because they thought it would be funny, and decided to dive in front of a teed up ball, when the players swings.

Nobody ever calls them out. If I were there, and I paid $200 for my ticket, and somebody yells out stupid crap after impact. I would turn around and yell at them to STFU AS$HOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave2512]

I don't get the heckling. You'd think people would want them to play the best they can. I get that people like to rubber-neck at the train wreck. But you can see that for free any day of the week at your local course.

[Wansteadimp]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Not to mention that the guy is the longest hitter on any major tour.  Dude probably could have gotten there with an iron if he really wanted to.

I thought at the time he was probably concerned about blowing his 3 wood thru the back and his next club wouldnt get him there, so lay up to your best yardage

[Chas]

Every now and then Miller goes goofy on us, like on Saturday when he tried to make us believe that Tiger could actually impart spin on the ball while it is on the clubface . I mean, Tiger's pretty good, but that's a trick nobody can pull off short of a deity. The funny part about it all was, the slo-mo replay showed the Tiger simply hit the ball out on the toe, which caused the face to open (like most 15 handicappers do). But nooo...Johnny said Tiger was puttling cut spin on the ball at impact.

Yes, that was an amusing Millerism to be sure. I suppose it was part of the semi-deification (canonization?) of TW, which I suspect Tiger himself finds very tiresome and silly. But then again Miller isn't one of the big offenders in this regard - forgiveness # 2 I guess. :-)

[gloomis29]

I agree Costas really wasn't that great - but geeze Johnny Miller just seems to get grumpier and more negative with each passing year.....maybe because less people give a s&*t about his 63 at Oakmont 30 yrs ago now......I don't mind being honest about a player making a bad choice/swing but he just seems to be so condecending like "oh the great johnny miller NEVER made a bad swing or decision"......get over yourself seriously, apparently you were a good player 30 yrs ago and yes you may have been a member @ Olympic but that doesn't make you the earthly version of the golf gods, ok , rant over (I just played a scramble in 90 degree heat , need a cold one to cool off - haha :) )