Who Is Your "Golf Villain"? And Why?

[BamaWade]

There's no one out there I really root against.  Here's some thoughts on the most-discussed, as well as my occasional no-likes...nothing real serious (and in no order):

• Poulter: Certified ass, qualifies as a bit of a villain; yet, still, I somehow like his being in the sport...dunno why
• Horschel: I'm with @phillyk...just something about the guy's attitude I don't like
• Sabbatini: Also a certified ass, but should probably fall off the list these days...been a while since he's been relevant showed his bad side
• Bubba: Ugh. If I come close to actively rooting against anyone, he may be #1
• Koepka: Kinda like Horschel -- I just don't like the guy's personality (or lack of it)...particularly the whole chip-on-the-shoulder thing stemming from him really only being, well, "him"
• Rory Mc: I've done a series of 180s on this guy; really liked him at times, but he strikes me as spoiled other times and has said some irksome things
• DeChambeau: I'm okay with quirky (I like different), though it feels way overdone, and being a slow player adds a 100x intensification factor to any little dislike
• Jordan: Another enigma for me; I think he's really, probably a good dude, but something about him sometimes irks me, and it peaks during the super-long caddie discussions
• Reed: Ass. Again, though, I like him being in the sport, and would issue a temporary love-card during Ryder Cups, though he lost me some in 2018
• Pat Perez: Sometimes I wanna root for the guy--because he definitely fits the bill as interesting--but I think he's really just a rager, and done some crappy things
• Seve: Unpopular choice, I know. Liked watching him, and he was interesting; I hate what he went through...but didn't like the BS
• Allenby: Ass extraordinaire, but fallen off the relevance train
• Finally, ALL SNAIL-SLOW PLAYERS! (Too many to list, but some big names would be on it)

Gotta run.  Peace.

[iacas]

3 hours ago, chilepepper said:

Costas and Chamblee. No one else is close

Bob Costas? Really?

[turtleback]

Rory Sabbatini has done a lot for the US military despite not even being an American, so if I had a villain list he wouldn't be on it.

But I have no villains.  There were some players I was antithetical towards both in the Jack era and the earlier Tiger era because of the potential threat they posed to my favorite player at the time.  But in both cases that threat became moot and I was better able to enjoy the good play of the other top players of those eras.

[HJJ003]

Man I don’t think I have one. There are players I would rather win over others and if it came down to a few people to win a tournament I would have someone I want to win most, but I don’t think I care enough about any of their personalities to consider them somebody I root against. Some I am big fans of, and others are just there lol. 

[Buckeyebowman]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

Bob Costas? Really?

Yeah! I thought he was a baseball guy. 😉

[chilepepper]

5 hours ago, iacas said:

Bob Costas? Really?

Costas, while not specifically golf, is like a Pokémon....always popping up somewhere. 

 

[boogielicious]

7 hours ago, chilepepper said:

Costas, while not specifically golf, is like a Pokémon....always popping up somewhere. 

 

And he is a sanctimonious puke.

[turtleback]

16 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Yeah! I thought he was a baseball guy. 😉

I thought he was a preacher.  And I don't watch sports to be preached at.  That's what church is for.

[Golfingdad]

Goldfinger ... because he's a cheater.  (But not as good of a cheater as James Bond)😄

[Missouri Swede]

5 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

(But not as good of a cheater as James Bond)😄

[bkuehn1952]

I am a Tiger fan boy so whomever is keeping him out of the winner's circle is the enemy.

[GolfLug]

On 1/29/2019 at 1:32 PM, Foot Wedge said:

I don't get bothered by athletes (they have their lives, I have mine) but I see how people find him annoying with the whole "scientist" thing.  I consider anyone with a career in physics, medical/biological research, most engineering, and many other fields to be more of a scientist than someone with just 3 years as an undergrad physics major.  So he does go a bit overboard with the scientific and anatomical lingo, like he's trying to cram his intelligence down your throat.  Reminds me of the freshmen engineering students who would do math on their dorm windows like some wannabe Beautiful Mind character only to get a C+ on their Physics 1 exams.

My opinion is that a truly smart person can explain a complex issue in a simple manner, not the opposite.  Bryson takes 1000 words to say "I strained my shoulder".  I don't doubt he loves physical sciences and the data driven/biomechanical focused approach to golf.  He's doing his thing and it's working for him, but I don't know if I could sit down for a beer with him...

Good post. With his doubling down on his  slow play statement today, I def like him a lot less. 

Having said that Poulter is still the undisputed ass king in my book. 

 

[colin007]

I forgot about YE Yang

I hate him with the passion of 10 billion self-immolating monks

[Missouri Swede]

On 1/29/2019 at 5:02 PM, BamaWade said:

 

• Koepka: Kinda like Horschel -- I just don't like the guy's personality (or lack of it)...particularly the whole chip-on-the-shoulder thing stemming from him really only being, well, "him"

Actually, I’m liking Koepka a bit more now:

Quote

"I just don't understand how it takes a minute and 20 seconds, a minute and 15 seconds to hit a golf ball. It's not that hard," Koepka said. "It's always between two clubs. There's a miss short, there's a miss long. It really drives me nuts, especially when it's a long hitter because you know you've got two other guys, or at least one guy that's hitting before you, so you can do all your calculations. You should have your numbers."

Quote

“If it's a calm day, there's no excuse," Koepka said. "Guys are already so slow, it's kind of embarrassing. I just don't get why you enforce some things and don't enforce others."

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/brooks-koepka-slow-play-kind-embarrassing?utm-tags=golf1304000

 

[Yossarian]

I would go with:

Horshel: I don't know, the (maybe wrong?) feeling that there is always a chance he may have a nervous breakdown after a bad shot

Patrick Reed: well, I am european, so I have to.  But it's hard to dislike him completely, he has elevated prickliness to a form of art,; beside, every time, and I mean EVERY time he does his fist pump, I laugh because he reminds me the kid in the FB meme

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Yossarian

[MacDutch]

To me it is J.B. Holmes for taking more then 4 minutes to play his shot to the 18th green on sunday.

[BallStriker]

The USGA for me....I am also a proud "twitter blockee" of Billy Horschel after he acted like a complete jack-ass at the Chambers Bay US Open

[boogielicious]

10 hours ago, MacDutch said:

To me it is J.B. Holmes for taking more then 4 minutes to play his shot to the 18th green on sunday.

Good one! I forgot about that. I don't cheer for him anymore.