2018 Masters Tournament Discussion Topic

[GrandStranded]

1 minute ago, skydog said:

Emotional eating or because you would lose a bet? :/

There's a part of me that roots for Tiger just so @onthehunt526 and @colin007 can get through their day. LOL (just kidding guys)

3 minutes ago, skydog said:

It’s probably premature but I’m starting to feel like Spieth might be to Augusta what Rafa Nadal is/was at the French open. I think he could win a boat load of green jackets.

That could turn out to be a great analogy.

[Dr. Manhattan]

3 minutes ago, skydog said:

It’s probably premature but I’m starting to feel like Spieth might be to Augusta what Rafa Nadal is/was at the French open. I think he could win a boat load of green jackets.

 

He knows how to get around that course better than anyone since Nicklaus. If he can finish this one, that’s two green jackets at a very young age and the sky is the limit for him. 

[Zeph]

7 minutes ago, GrandStranded said:

Yes, but your "if" in your last sentence is what I'm asking about. What if he only contends, but doesn't win for a year or so?

I can't predict the future better than anyone else, but my guess is that he will still be the guy people talk about, even if he doesn't win.

[colin007]

6 minutes ago, GrandStranded said:

There's a part of me that roots for Tiger just so @onthehunt526 and @colin007 can get through their day. LOL (just kidding guys

It's much appreciated...

 

On another note...did you guys know that Sandy Lyle got an eagle yesterday? SANDY. EFFING. LYLE. And Tigs can't even manage a birdie...SMDH.

[boogielicious]

18 minutes ago, GrandStranded said:

Yes, but your "if" in your last sentence is what I'm asking about. What if he only contends, but doesn't win for a year or so?

I didn't stop wanting to see Nicklaus on TV when he stopped winning. I think GOATs always will move the needle, even on their downside. Remember the Skins game shows? I watched those and none of the players in that were contending anymore.

[Wally Fairway]

6 hours ago, Shorty said:

 

I challenge you to name 2 guys whose A game is better than Tiger's current A game. Not counting McIlroy.

I'd start my list with Sam Burns, and I'd include people like JT, Spieth, DJ, Kizzire, Rahm, Bubba, Phil, Casey maybe even IJP. And you know what they all have in common .... their A game is currently good enough to win tournaments. Tiger might get back there, but we haven't seen it, yet.

@Shorty I think you are waxing nostalgic over someone who last won an event 5 years ago, and last won a major 10+ years ago. He dominated the tour for 10 years, and it would be great to see him win again. And middle aged people who grew up watching him want a chance to see it again.

But it isn't happening this week, and there are a number of players who have shown over the last few years their A game puts them at the top of the field, like looking at the leaderboard of the tournament this thread is about.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, GrandStranded said:

Are you talking about Tiger's 1998 or 2008 A game?

FWIW I don't think we've seen much of Tiger's 2018 A game. Flashes, shots here and there… but not for nine consecutive holes even.

46 minutes ago, GrandStranded said:

Do you think casual or even non golf fans (their renewed interest is what's moving the needle)

I don't think that's remotely accurate. The needle is moving from REAL golf fans, too.

[tomvk77]

22 hours ago, klineka said:

Even though he is 23rd in strokes gained tee to green and gains more than a stroke per round against the field tee to green... and 6th in strokes gained around the green, so when he is missing greens he's still doing just fine. 

He also has better scoring averages than Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and John Rahm but you are trying to say that he's "not really there yet"??  

It's not that i'm a hater or something i like to see him do well at Augusta. I try to explain he makes mistakes. for my feeling he's making to much mistakes. And with that Augusta is a different story, you just need to be spot on and if you miss you need to control that mis. And that is something that is just not there yet, but it's only my opinion. 

With that i think i proved my point after his +1 round yesterday. He's playing well but not well enough to win.

[Wally Fairway]

14 minutes ago, colin007 said:

It's much appreciated...

 

On another note...did you guys know that Sandy Lyle got an eagle yesterday? SANDY. EFFING. LYLE. And Tigs can't even manage a birdie...SMDH.

I was just looking over yesterdays round and it strikes me that Spieth is in the lead because he dominated the course in the same manner that Tiger did when he was the player to beat - by scoring on the par 5's, and Jordan was -5 yesterday. And that is how you put up low numbers at Augusta; and even ZJ showed that the year he won, that it doesn't have to be with length, but it does tend to be with scoring on 2,8,13 &15.

[b101]

Pinsheet for today. Lots that look accessible and looks to me like they're setting it up to see someone go low.

[skydog]

I would agree that we haven't seen enough of Tiger's A game at this point to have any real context on where it stacks up relative to the top players.

My hunch is that the 'new' Tiger A game is not going to win a horse race where the winning score is 20 under. I think his wins may come in tough, grind it out tournaments where his experience and grit can carry him a long ways. With that said, I think if/when he wins more majors, the Open Champ. is probably his bet. Not to count him out anywhere else though. 

[GrandStranded]

5 minutes ago, Wally Fairway said:

I was just looking over yesterdays round and it strikes me that Spieth is in the lead because he dominated the course in the same manner that Tiger did when he was the player to beat - by scoring on the par 5's, and Jordan was -5 yesterday. And that is how you put up low numbers at Augusta; and even ZJ showed that the year he won, that it doesn't have to be with length, but it does tend to be with scoring on 2,8,13 &15.

I think 5 birdies in a row had something to do with it also.

[krupa]

You know you did poorly when a gambling book is offering to let bettors change their bet:  https://www.golfdigest.com/story/masters-2018-gambling-book-refunds-sergio-garcia-bets-following-thursdays-octuple-bogey-13

 

Quote

"Garcia went from a Masters winner to playing like me at a crazy golf course," said a Paddy Power spokesman. "We decided to reward punters who wagered on him winning back-to-back at Augusta, because we’re nice like that."

 

Quote

the book will offer [those who wagered on Garcia] a free wager with the same allowance.

 

[GrandStranded]

1 minute ago, krupa said:

You know you did poorly when a gambling book is offering to let bettors change their bet:  https://www.golfdigest.com/story/masters-2018-gambling-book-refunds-sergio-garcia-bets-following-thursdays-octuple-bogey-13

 

 

 

I've said many times that Sergio is my favorite golfer. That was not only tough to watch, but it felt like it was something only Sergio would do... I mean, jeez, can you try a different shot????. I'll never again think the "McEvoy moment" in Tin Cup was as far fetched as I previously did. 

[krupa]

Just now, GrandStranded said:

I've said many times that Sergio is my favorite golfer. That was not only tough to watch, but it felt like it was something only Sergio would do... I mean, jeez, can you try a different shot????. I'll never again think the "McEvoy moment" in Tin Cup was as far fetched as I previously did. 

I can't bring myself to watch Garcia's trainwreck; I'd rather watch Finau pop his ankle back in place.

[Zeph]

Funny how Sergio says he shot a 13 without hitting a bad shot. Sure, the shots themselves weren't bad, but when you hit a short wedge high with spin into a green that's sloping towards you with water in front of it, you are hitting a bad shot when you hit it into the water. He hit it about pin high or slightly past every time, and every time it spun back into the water. The outcome is as important as the strike, and you don't hit four balls in the water without hitting a bad shot. It's like hitting a great draw into the trees on a hole that curves to the right. The shot might be good enough, but it's not what you needed in that situation.

When he finally made it, he hit the ball farther up the green and it didn't roll back into the water. That was the good shot, the others were not. Sure, he got unlucky too with the ball barely having enough speed to roll back into the water, but he knew that could happen.

[iacas]

@Zeph, he made bad decisions, but I get what he's saying (and suspect you do too): the shots were executed well… it was just the wrong shot.

You and I could hit "great drives" but if they fail to carry the pond at 320 yards… it's a bad decision.

He's basically saying, kinda, that he didn't just chunk five shots in the water or something.

[klineka]

42 minutes ago, tomvk77nl said:

And that is something that is just not there yet, but it's only my opinion. 

The statistics that he has produced so far this season disagree with your opinion. 

He's right there just as much as anyone else on tour. 

44 minutes ago, tomvk77nl said:

With that i think i proved my point after his +1 round yesterday.

Thats terrible logic. Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson are both +1. Jason Day and Jon Rahm are +3. Are you going to tell me you dont think any of those players are ready yet too?