2016 Players Championship Discussion Thread

[Wally Fairway]

Russell Knox comes back with a 68 today, tough to think about coulda/woulda finished T2 if only he made a par on 17 yesterday.

[jamo]

12 minutes ago, Natural Patrick said:

I don't think so. What makes a putt for par so crucial with a 5 shot lead with one hole to play?

Force of habit?

I've never seen Day do a big running celebration.

[bogdan101]

Masterclass this weekend by JD on how not to choke, among other things. Oh yeah, and that 308 yard 2-iron on the 18! In the words of one Jordan Spieth "You gotta be kidding me!"...

[Chilli Dipper]

At this time last year, Jason Day had three career PGA Tour victories. Since then, he has won seven times.

I think the argument over which golfer is the best in the world is finished for now. There's JD, and then there's everybody else.

[Buckeyebowman]

9 hours ago, colin007 said:

Conditions change from day to day. How is that unfair? Everyone plays the same course. You say it's unfair and then immediately after say that they didn't adjust - which is it?

Some of those greens were unfair, because there is no adjustment possible. With the slopes on some of them, and God only knows what the downhill Stimpmeter reading was, you couldn't touch a putt lightly enough to keep it anywhere near the hole. Think back to the Masters, where the greens got away from them as well. When the wind can blow a ball off a green and into a hazard, something is not right! Good  thing the wind wasn't blowing very hard Saturday at the Player's, who knows what we might have seen?

8 hours ago, Fourputt said:

Agree.  If the best in the world can't make needed adjustments, then how are we ordinary mortals supposed to do so?  I enjoyed watching them yesterday, and I was able to identify with them more than I usually can.  I was agonizing right along with them, and really loved watching the ones who were able to suck it up and make some plays despite the difficult greens.  Day's par on 15 was about as miraculous as anything I say the entire day.  His stretch from 6 thru 9 was a great grind too, going double-birdie-double-birdie.  That could have been his Waterloo but he gritted his teeth and held on to go bogie free on the back.

Absolutely I want the best players in the world to be challenged. The scoring the first two days was ridiculous! I think I'd have been lucky to 4 putt from anywhere on those greens!

8 hours ago, ChrisP said:

If these players thought yesterday was bad, just wait til they get to Oakmont. I threw in my tape from 2007 and watched some of the 2nd and 3rd rounds and what you saw yesterday at TPC is nothing compared to what could transpire at Oakmont next month. I saw Mickelson barely tap a putt from 50 feet away that went past the hole and then off the green on the par-5 9th.

 

 

 

The last time I was there in person was in 1994, I think. We were in a drought, and it was mid to upper 90's every day. At some of the greens they had grounds workers standing by with water hoses. They'd put water on the greens after every couple groups! It was the only way to keep the course playable! One of the most bizarre things I have ever seen at a tournament.

[Scotsclaff]

On 15/05/2016 at 5:08 AM, saevel25 said:

Totally wrong. Sergio Garcia has made a ton of cuts and is one of the hottest tempered people out there. Look at Bubba Watson, he's a walking time bomb on the course and he makes cuts. 

People need to stop associated poor play with mental game.

Point taken.

Spieth's mental game took a hammering after the Masters meltdown and the scar will stay with him until he wins his next major. Yes, he states he's over it but that's what he has to say.

Well done to Jason Day on winning the Players.

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, Scotsclaff said:

Spieth's mental game took a hammering after the Masters meltdown and the scar will stay with him until he wins his next major.

That's not necessarily true.

He could be completely over it, but not ever win a major again because his game lets him down. Or because he gets a bad break. Or because another player has an exceptional week.

[Scotsclaff]

2 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

Russell Knox comes back with a 68 today, tough to think about coulda/woulda finished T2 if only he made a par on 17 yesterday.

Yes,glad to see Knoxy come back after the 9 on 17.

[Natural Patrick]

3 hours ago, jamo said:

Force of habit?

I've never seen Day do a big running celebration.

And I have never seen Day run after a putt so he could see the break coming back. Never the less, congrats Jason, well deserved.

[natureboy]

45 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Some of those greens were unfair, because there is no adjustment possible. With the slopes on some of them, and God only knows what the downhill Stimpmeter reading was, you couldn't touch a putt lightly enough to keep it anywhere near the hole. Think back to the Masters, where the greens got away from them as well. When the wind can blow a ball off a green and into a hazard, something is not right! Good  thing the wind wasn't blowing very hard Saturday at the Player's, who knows what we might have seen?

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/nobilo-second-roll-blame-green-speeds/

[newtogolf]

27 minutes ago, iacas said:

That's not necessarily true.

He could be completely over it, but not ever win a major again because his game lets him down. Or because he gets a bad break. Or because another player has an exceptional week.

I agree with all that but prior to the Masters he and his caddie got along pretty well.  Since then there seems to be some tension and this week Jordan went off on him a bit when he suggested the wrong club or Jordan just hit a bad shot.  His game might not be where it was, but his heads not either.  

[iacas]

1 minute ago, newtogolf said:

I agree with all that but prior to the Masters he and his caddie got along pretty well.  Since then there seems to be some tension and this week Jordan went off on him a bit when he suggested the wrong club or Jordan just hit a bad shot.  His game might not be where it was, but his heads not either.  

So? I wasn't commenting on that. Just the ridiculous (IMO) notion that it will take a major victory to prove he's gotten "over" something. He lost the Masters to Bubba, after all, too. He might be over it NOW for all we know.

He was probably uptight because he MCed in his return to the game. Rust made him testy, and he took it out on his caddie. They all tend to do it when they're struggling.

[Chilli Dipper]

3 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

Russell Knox comes back with a 68 today, tough to think about coulda/woulda finished T2 if only he made a par on 17 yesterday.

Adam Scott could say the same thing, if he could have made par on 18 on Thursday.

[Chilli Dipper]

24 minutes ago, iacas said:

So? I wasn't commenting on that. Just the ridiculous (IMO) notion that it will take a major victory to prove he's gotten "over" something. He lost the Masters to Bubba, after all, too. He might be over it NOW for all we know.

He was probably uptight because he MCed in his return to the game. Rust made him testy, and he took it out on his caddie. They all tend to do it when they're struggling.

As far as I know, Jordan hadn't taken three consecutive weeks off in the middle of the season as a professional prior to this last month, so this was uncharted territory for him. Some players (Tiger, Adam Scott) can take long hiatuses from competition without missing a beat; maybe Jordan isn't that type of player. I wouldn't be the least surprised if he goes to Dallas this week and wins by five strokes.

[natureboy]

29 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I agree with all that but prior to the Masters he and his caddie got along pretty well.  Since then there seems to be some tension and this week Jordan went off on him a bit when he suggested the wrong club or Jordan just hit a bad shot.  His game might not be where it was, but his heads not either.  

I saw some of that before the Masters too and he had 3.5 good rounds without his A long game and not much bickering. He did not blame Greller at all for the loose shots. I think it's more Jordan being young and in a hurry to meet his own expectations of the level of play he 'should' be at.

[boogielicious]

Golf is hard.

 

[saevel25]

11 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Golf is hard.

Poor guy 

 

[newtogolf]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

Golf is hard.

I've done that when only a few buddies were watching, I can't imagine what it's like when hundreds are watching and it's being televised, gut wrenching.