2016 PGA Tour Championship Discussion Thread

[newtogolf]

27 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

What player/hole was it? (So I can pay attention on the replay)

Justin Thomas

http://golfweek.com/2016/09/23/justin-thomas-one-shot-penalty-grounding-putter-tour-championship-pga-tour/

 

[Jakester23]

DJ is looking like hes going to have a sweet FedEx cup trophy next to his us open and player of the year trophies. Oh and 10 mil not to shabby.

[newtogolf]

13 minutes ago, Jakester23 said:

DJ is looking like hes going to have a sweet FedEx cup trophy next to his us open and player of the year trophies. Oh and 10 mil not to shabby.

I'm sure Paulina already has most of it spent.  

[Gunther]

11 hours ago, newtogolf said:

Justin Thomas

http://golfweek.com/2016/09/23/justin-thomas-one-shot-penalty-grounding-putter-tour-championship-pga-tour/

 

Well dang it, again, I do not believe he caused that ball to move.  He grounded the club, the ball was fine.  As he made a backswing, the ball moved.  If it would have moved right when he grounded it, I could see it.  Was there a wind vortex created from his backswing?  That's the only way I can see that he was responsible.  Really don't like this rule.  Perhaps better than it was but I just don't think a player should be penalized unless they definitively caused the movement.  In this case it's just a guess.

[natureboy]

5 hours ago, Gunther said:

Well dang it, again, I do not believe he caused that ball to move.  He grounded the club, the ball was fine.  As he made a backswing, the ball moved.  If it would have moved right when he grounded it, I could see it.  Was there a wind vortex created from his backswing?  That's the only way I can see that he was responsible.  Really don't like this rule.  Perhaps better than it was but I just don't think a player should be penalized unless they definitively caused the movement.  In this case it's just a guess.

Can you post video or gif?

[dmnoland]

Does anyone know who is broadcasting the tournament?

I thought it was supposed to be on NBC but all I see is football.

 

[Hardspoon]

22 minutes ago, dmnoland said:

Does anyone know who is broadcasting the tournament?

I thought it was supposed to be on NBC but all I see is football.

It is on NBC now. They moved the tee times up to accommodate Notre Dame football. 

[Database Head]

Rory had a helluva round, 66 wow!  He is going to grab DJ and win this tournament, Fedex cup unsure, the other guys aren't closer's.  

Gotta love Rory's game, within a ~100 he is lights out.  

[natureboy]

42 minutes ago, Database Head said:

Gotta love Rory's game, within a ~100 he is lights out.  

You mean 100 yards, not 100 feet, right?  I do like Rory, though and it's always fun to see him playing on form.

[Lastpick]

On the penalty assessed to Justin Thomas, this will lead all golfers to mark their ball before putting anything but a tap in.  If he marks the ball and the places the ball back down, the ball probably won't move as it did.  With millions on the line, a player needs to mark the ball and inspect the putting surface.  Just a bad rule in my opinion but the ruling was correct.  Guilty until proven innocent.

[natureboy]

15 minutes ago, Lastpick said:

On the penalty assessed to Justin Thomas, this will lead all golfers to mark their ball before putting anything but a tap in.  If he marks the ball and the places the ball back down, the ball probably won't move as it did.  With millions on the line, a player needs to mark the ball and inspect the putting surface.  Just a bad rule in my opinion but the ruling was correct.  Guilty until proven innocent.

It looks like the same scenario as DJ and Wattel in the open. Proximity of the golfer deforms the ground and the ball rolls off the blades of grass it was perched on. I think it's a bad penalty, because it's essentially random, though much more likely on very fast & sloped greens.

Edited September 25, 2016 by natureboy

[Gunther]

12 minutes ago, natureboy said:

It looks like the same scenario as DJ and Wattel in the open. Proximity of the golfer deforms the ground and the ball rolls off the blades of grass it was perched on. I think it's a bad penalty, because it's essentially random, though much more likely on very fast & sloped greens.

Right, it's nothing more than a guess that JT made the ball move.  It happened after he grounded and after he had pulled the club back.  I'm certain the movement wasn't caused by either the club ground nor the motion back, it was perched unsteadily on a blade or a mark and it would have moved if no one was near it.  Stupid rule.

Johnny Miller said in his day that wouldn't have been a penalty on the player.  No idea if that's true but he said it, which tells me the rules are being maniplated to the detriment of the game.

[Yukari]

15 hours ago, Lastpick said:

On the penalty assessed to Justin Thomas, this will lead all golfers to mark their ball before putting anything but a tap in.  If he marks the ball and the places the ball back down, the ball probably won't move as it did.  With millions on the line, a player needs to mark the ball and inspect the putting surface.  Just a bad rule in my opinion but the ruling was correct.  Guilty until proven innocent.

Seems contrary to the rules.

Generally it is innocent until proven guilty. 

I believe the rule states there is a penalty if the player causes the ball to move. IMHO this means they have to prove the player caused the ball to move. 

In this particular case, because the wind was calm, them deemed JT caused the ball to move as there was no outside agency that could have caused the ball to move. 

[Hacker James]

9 minutes ago, Yukari said:

Seems contrary to the rules.

Generally it is innocent until proven guilty. 

I believe the rule states there is a penalty if the player causes the ball to move. IMHO this means they have to prove the player caused the ball to move. 

In this particular case, because the wind was calm, them deemed JT caused the ball to move as there was no outside agency that could have caused the ball to move. 

a little far out but......no wind, hot day, condition of the turf could have caused a ball to move owing to the turf springing back after being compressed. I guess to be on the safe side, always mark and place.

[natureboy]

37 minutes ago, Yukari said:

In this particular case, because the wind was calm, them deemed JT caused the ball to move as there was no outside agency that could have caused the ball to move. 

How about gravity?

Turf surfaces (greens) - or any soil surface - aren't rigid. They can easily deform under weight. Why do you think golfers usually try to avoid walking across them while carrying golf bags, let along driving carts on them?

26 minutes ago, Hacker James said:

a little far out but......no wind, hot day, condition of the turf could have caused a ball to move owing to the turf springing back after being compressed. I guess to be on the safe side, always mark and place.

I agree on likely cause. Marking and placing isn't necessarily safe, because before you marked the ball could have been in a good position relative to blades of grass, but you could easily place it back unwittingly onto a tuft. Better take a few minutes to inspect the green surface very carefully to make sure the ball won't move. That should also make for some exciting golf and commentator analysis with zoom-ins on the micro architecture of the grass in front of the player's mark. 

Edited September 25, 2016 by natureboy

[Database Head]

Fired up the smoker and plan to watch in about 35 minutes.  Can't wait to see this match go down.  My money is on Rory, but we shall see.........

 

@natureboy - How about that 133 YARD ;) wedge shot yesterday into the elevated green with the pin placement in the front.  Mortals wouldn't have a chance at that pin....

Edited September 25, 2016 by Database Head

[Chilli Dipper]

This round is not going the way Davis Love wanted, if his intention all along was to use his last captain's pick on Justin Thomas.

[Gunther]

Very cool round of golf for Na.  Never been a fan but I am now.  He started thinking about getting the record for quickest round ever on the back 9.  Ironic and kinda funny cuz he's not known for being a burner.  Shoots +2 on the front.

Starts running to his ball, racing his caddy, just having a blast on the back.  Plays -4 on the back, birdieing the final 4 holes.  1:59:52 for the entire 18.  Never did hear if that's the record but it sure was funny.  Cool guy.