2018 WGC Match Play

[rehmwa]

35 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

I'm warming up to Bubba.  I didn't used to like him, but I'm starting to appreciate his unique genius.  

meh - I love his golf....I just don't want to have to look at him, or listen to him....  They should have shot tracker on every single shot he hits.  All of them.

[3jacker]

Bubba might be the best striker of a golf ball the game has ever seen.  the way he goes about it, and the results he gets (especially with the modern ball) are astounding.  And he's fearless about doing it, quite the opposite of everyone else. Including his competitors... you've got guys obsessing over swing moves, positions, etc. (Rose, Noren).  Bubba don't care.  He knows he can make it do whatever he wants (most of the time).   It's awesome to watch when his mental state is up to it, which isn't all that often unfortunately for him.

As far as what's in his head, he seems to me like a petulant 4-year old trapped in an adult's body.  You can tell he knows this, as he cops to it now and then, and apologizes.  But then he keeps on acting the way he does.  I don't think he can help it. Genius often comes with mental imbalance I guess.

[StandingO]

I recommend that they tweak the format of that Austin tournament to allow the four players who make it to Sunday to each pick a partner of their choice, then play the Sunday matches as four-ball rather than individual.  This would avoid the melt-down that we saw yesterday, while bringing immense excitement to the final day.  Sure, it would be unorthodox, but so what?  Winnowing down the four Sunday players to one doesn't prove much--this isn't the NCAA basketball tournament--the golfers are all back in action the following week.  And neither the golf nor the mood of the participants was very appealing yesterday. 

[3jacker]

Poor Krisner.  That was rough to watch, can't imagine how he felt about it.

It wasn't that Bubba played so great.  Most of his holes were won with pars.

 

[iacas]

10 hours ago, 3jacker said:

Bubba might be the best striker of a golf ball the game has ever seen.

"the best ballstriker the game has ever seen" (barely paraphrased) would have won a helluva lot more. That guy is probably named "Tiger Woods."

[3jacker]

12 hours ago, iacas said:

"the best ballstriker the game has ever seen" (barely paraphrased) would have won a helluva lot more. That guy is probably named "Tiger Woods."

I didn't say best golfer.  I said best ball-striker on purpose. Maybe I should have said "shot-maker."

Tiger agrees with me, btw.  So that should count for something. He says he can't hit the shots Bubba hits.

 

[iacas]

11 minutes ago, 3jacker said:

I didn't say best golfer.  I said best ball-striker on purpose. Maybe I should have said "shot-maker."

Tiger agrees with me, btw.  So that should count for something. He says he can't hit the shots Bubba hits.

I know what you said. I very much disagree.

We have very different definitions of “ballstriker.”

[3jacker]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

I know what you said. I very much disagree.

We have very different definitions of “ballstriker.”

Nobody can bend it like Bubba (and make it work).

You disagree with that?

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, 3jacker said:

Nobody can bend it like Bubba (and make it work).

You disagree with that?

I don’t.

Curving it a ton is just not my definition of “ballstriker.”

[saevel25]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Curving it a ton is just not my definition of “ballstriker.”

I'd agree with this ^

For me ball-striking is being able to hit the ball first at a very high percentage, hit the sweet spot at a very high percentage, and produce a consistent ball flight. This is why you can have the majority of PGA Tour players hit one consistent shape (draw or fade), and be the best ball strikers in the world. There are PGA Tour players who struggle with fading the ball, but they are still really good ball strikers. Look at Jack Nicklaus, the guy played a fade almost exclusively his entire career. He is considered one of the best ball strikers of all time. 

[3jacker]

OK.  My bad, I should have said shotmaker.

I agree that Bubba's no equivalent to Hogan, Trevino, or even Woods (though with his driving I still struggle to put TW in the top 10).

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, 3jacker said:

I agree that Bubba's no equivalent to Hogan, Trevino, or even Woods (though with his driving I still struggle to put TW in the top 10).

 

[ncates00]

13 hours ago, iacas said:

If the discussion includes 500 people, maybe, sure.

Not the topic here, but Bubba swings fast, which helps a lot.

Golf is a game primarily based on how well you strike the ball. Thus, wins and overall success is a pretty good judge of ball strikers.

And that's why Tiger has to be the best ball striker of all time.  At least with the irons anyway (driver???).  He gets closer to the hole and has more chances due to his great ball-striking.  Bubba does play some imaginative shots for sure, but he is not even in the conversation for ball-striking prowess with his peers.  Shot maker/shot shaper... that's a good term I would agree with.

[turtleback]

4 hours ago, 3jacker said:

I didn't say best golfer.  I said best ball-striker on purpose. Maybe I should have said "shot-maker."

Tiger agrees with me, btw.  So that should count for something. He says he can't hit the shots Bubba hits.

 

And Bubba can't hit shots that Tiger can.  So?