2014 RBC Heritage Discussion Thread

[phan52]

Best party on the PGA Tour.

Those were the days . . .

[jbishop15]

I love this tournament. Doesn't get near enough attention. Hilton Head is such a beautiful place.

[jamo]

I love this tournament. Doesn't get near enough attention. Hilton Head is such a beautiful place.

I wish it was somewhere else on the schedule.

[scopek]

I wish it was somewhere else on the schedule.

I don't know, I kinda of like it where it is. You can tell a true fan when they know about the Heritage! It's cool to see that I'm not the only one who has this as a fav.

[boogielicious]

Spieth outplayed Love and Watson by just a fraction.  It was cool seeing the three of them play together.

[David in FL]

One of the Web.com guys upset that Faldo's taking up a spot that he thinks should have been better left for someone a little more competitive.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/web-com-tour-player-rips-into-nick-faldo-for-taking-a-spot-at-the-rbc-heritage-203738252.html

Love the following tweet.....

Nick Faldo +3 thru 5.....does anybody know where his shots fall??

And how many guys are competing in the net division?

Faldo ended up shooting 77 and is tied for last.  I don't really mind that he took the offered spot, but it would have been classy to decline too.....

[Golfingdad]

I wish it was somewhere else on the schedule.

Makes sense that they clump all of the Texs tournaments together before the Masters, and it makes sense that a tournament in South Carolina happens in consecutive weeks with the Masters, so it seems like the perfect solution would be to figure out a way to push everything forward a week such that they could play this one immediately before the Masters.  That would likely boost the ratings, no?

Because I agree ... it's a neat little course and I enjoy watching this one, as long as I'm not hungover on golf from the previous week. ;)

[MS256]

One of the Web.com guys upset that Faldo's taking up a spot that he thinks should have been better left for someone a little more competitive.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/web-com-tour-player-rips-into-nick-faldo-for-taking-a-spot-at-the-rbc-heritage-203738252.html

Love the following tweet.....

Nick Faldo +3 thru 5.....does anybody know where his shots fall??

And how many guys are competing in the net division?

Faldo ended up shooting 77 and is tied for last.  I don't really mind that he took the offered spot, but it would have been classy to decline too.....

But from the sponsor's point of view more people came to watch (or tuned in to watch) Faldo than they would have for some obscure Web.com player that also might very well have been in last place for all we know.

At least there is conversation about Faldo.

[Wally Fairway]

But from the sponsor's point of view more people came to watch (or tuned in to watch) Faldo than they would have for some obscure Web.com player that also might very well have been in last place for all we know.

At least there is conversation about Faldo.

IMO - Faldo isn't taking a spot from a Web.com player, as he is there on a sponsors exemption - so if it wasn't Nick it would be someone else playing on that exemption. They are getting exactly what they want from inviting Faldo...conversation & coverage. It is one of the things you get (sponsors exemptions) when you put up the money for naming rights.

[David in FL]

IMO - Faldo isn't taking a spot from a Web.com player, as he is there on a sponsors exemption - so if it wasn't Nick it would be someone else playing on that exemption. They are getting exactly what they want from inviting Faldo...conversation & coverage. It is one of the things you get (sponsors exemptions) when you put up the money for naming rights.

Sponsor's exemption or not, the web.com guy's point was that he thinks that Faldo is taking up a spot from someone who could be competitive when he (Faldo) clearly isn't.

I can argue both sides, because each side has valid points.  Faldo sure doesn't care about the money though, and he'll be getting paid to broadcast over the weekend when he doesn't make the cut.

[scopek]

Sponsor's exemption or not, the web.com guy's point was that he thinks that Faldo is taking up a spot from someone who could be competitive when he (Faldo) clearly isn't.

I can argue both sides, because each side has valid points.  Faldo sure doesn't care about the money though, and he'll be getting paid to broadcast over the weekend when he doesn't make the cut.

Maybe I'm alone on this, but Faldo annoys me to no end. Sure, he deserves a lot of respect as a golfer and deserves a place in history, but as a commentator he comes across as a pompous arse. It drives me crazy when he makes comments like "Ahhhhh, HOW could he have done that?!? He SHOULD have transferred his weight and hit down on the ball, you got to hit DOWN on the ball." Really, Faldo? Thanks for that brilliant insight. I can't stand it when he talks about the players like they are morons and He, the great Sir Faldo, would have NEVER made those mistakes. Just thinking about it raises my blood pressure.

[Wally Fairway]

Sponsor's exemption or not, the web.com guy's point was that he thinks that Faldo is taking up a spot from someone who could be competitive when he (Faldo) clearly isn't.

I can argue both sides, because each side has valid points.  Faldo sure doesn't care about the money though, and he'll be getting paid to broadcast over the weekend when he doesn't make the cut.

So I went a looked to see who this weeks sponsors exemptions are - and guess what, Nick Faldo is not playing on a sponsors exemption. The RBC Heritage invites past winners back, so the Web.com guy is mad at the wrong players; if he wants to qualify to play in THIS tournament like Faldo all he has to do is win in it. Same reason Tom Watson is playing this week & Carl Pettersson, Glen Day.

This week players in the field on a sponsors exemption are:

Mark Anderson - web.com tour

Kevin Tway - web.com tour

John Daly - not otherwise exempt

Kevin Kinser - not otherwise exempt

Paul Casey, Chris DiMarco, Hunter Stewart & Vaughn Taylor - unrestricted

http://www.pgatour.com/inside-the-field/2014/04/14/rbc-heritage.html

[BENtSwing]

Maybe I'm alone on this, but Faldo annoys me to no end. Sure, he deserves a lot of respect as a golfer and deserves a place in history, but as a commentator he comes across as a pompous arse. It drives me crazy when he makes comments like "Ahhhhh, HOW could he have done that?!? He SHOULD have transferred his weight and hit down on the ball, you got to hit DOWN on the ball." Really, Faldo? Thanks for that brilliant insight. I can't stand it when he talks about the players like they are morons and He, the great Sir Faldo, would have NEVER made those mistakes. Just thinking about it raises my blood pressure.

You are not alone my friend. It's also insanely annoying when I see him standing behind a player on the practice range, then later on he's saying how he gave that player a tip and now he's hitting better shots lol. I think that he really believes that he's the most important man in golf. Beyond laughable.

[Golfingdad]

Maybe I'm alone on this, but Faldo annoys me to no end. Sure, he deserves a lot of respect as a golfer and deserves a place in history, but as a commentator he comes across as a pompous arse. It drives me crazy when he makes comments like "Ahhhhh, HOW could he have done that?!? He SHOULD have transferred his weight and hit down on the ball, you got to hit DOWN on the ball." Really, Faldo? Thanks for that brilliant insight. I can't stand it when he talks about the players like they are morons and He, the great Sir Faldo, would have NEVER made those mistakes. Just thinking about it raises my blood pressure.

You are DEFINITELY NOT alone on that.  There are numerous people out there and in here that dislike the guy.  I am not one of them.  I think he's a really good announcer.

And, to me, he doesn't come across as pompous at all.  When he says things like you mention in your example, they come across to me with - I don't know how to explain it - a bit of an empathetic charm that makes him sound like he's rooting for the guy and just feels bad.

Johnny Miller, on the other hand, sometimes gives off the perception that he relishes in the failures of the players he's announcing (same goes for Chamblee), and I wouldn't object to him being called pompous, by any means.  For the record, though, I think they are also both really good announcers/commentators.  (Both seemingly jerks, but good at their jobs nonetheless)

[scopek]

You are not alone my friend. It's also insanely annoying when I see him standing behind a player on the practice range, then later on he's saying how he gave that player a tip and now he's hitting better shots lol. I think that he really believes that he's the most important man in golf. Beyond laughable.

Drives me nuts when he does that. It's fine if he wants to brag about his accomplishments--he earned that. But he thinks that just because he's a good golfer he knows EVERYTHING about golf and he only knows how EVERYONE should swing the golf club. I do my best to just tune him out.

[jamo]

Makes sense that they clump all of the Texs tournaments together before the Masters, and it makes sense that a tournament in South Carolina happens in consecutive weeks with the Masters, so it seems like the perfect solution would be to figure out a way to push everything forward a week such that they could play this one immediately before the Masters.  That would likely boost the ratings, no? Because I agree ... it's a neat little course and I enjoy watching this one, as long as I'm not hungover on golf from the previous week. ;)

That's true, and they probably wouldn't want to put it in the middle of the summer because of the heat. I don't have an easy solution, I just wish it was in a better spot so that more top names would play.

[k-troop]

Well I'm here right now and it's freezing and I'm soaked.

[mvmac]

Kuchar had a bogey free round yesterday but today made two doubles in six holes.