RichF

Never heard of Casey Whittenberg or Casey Martin...

Great player, great swing. Just needs to sort out the: a) damaged-thumb b) champagne-consumption

Quote: But how many markets are there globally where golf isn't played regularly (and by people who can afford to play it)? I can think of one: Africa . ( can't say about the countries in South America , but my girlfriend is Brazilian and she says it's only played by the very rich or 'privileged')

Utterly awful format. Tuned in for 15 minutes, came away scratching my head at the rules and laughing at the commentary. Something similar was setup with tennis about 3-4 years ago - that failed badly and hopefully, so will this...

Quote: But we have to assume here ( or just agree to disagree ) - we havent spoken to Westwood, Donald, Kaymer or any other player about how they feel about such levels attained? We don't know, for example, what Westwood's opinion is of his current ranking outside of we read in a magazine? Has he actually gone on record saying along the lines of: "Yeah, you know, #1 is good and all...but I'd rather have a Major" ? ( if he has, then Im not aware, in which case you can completely disregard the remaionder of this post!) We don't know what his goals are when he enters certain events or how he feels after winning or 2nd, 3rd, lower-place finishes, etc In effect, we have to assume what Lee Westwood's mindset is and what Tiger Woods' mindset is, how they're different and the effect that it has upon their chances of winning: why Woods wins Majors and Westwood doesn't. As for the Major or #1 ranking - Im still going for the latter: You can say that you were officially the best player in the world at a particular point in time and for a particular period in history. Another analogy is that if I were I a tennis-pro, I'd rather have Marcelo Rio's #1 spot twice in the same year than say, Richard Krajicek's one Wimbledon title. Krajicek's achievement meant that you've trumped everyone who's ever competed in that event over 6 matches. The former makes you the best for a lengthy period of time during that year. As far as golf goes, the official rankings have been around for almost 25 years and only 15 players have achieved the No. 1 position in all that time. To be, or to have been a No. 1 puts you in illustrious company and singles you out as one of the game's very best players. You can't necessarily say that with a Major to your name. You may well have won in fine style, and the win may be part of an illustrious career that marks you down as one of the game's greats. Or, you may just have shot the lowest score in the field that particular week whilst achieving not a lot else of any great note in a couple of decades or more of golf. I think, over the last 10-15 years, far too many people have jumped on Tiger Woods 'Majors-are-the-only-importance' mindset.

Irrelevant. Out of the two choices, I'd choose a stint at #1. You can say that you were officially the best player in the world at a particular point in time and for a particular period in history. As far as golf goes, the official rankings have been around for almost a quarter of a century and only thirteen players have achieved the No. 1 position in all that time. To be, or to have been a No. 1 puts you in illustrious company and singles you out as one of the game's very best players. You can't necessarily say that with a Major to your name. You may well have won in fine style, and the win may be part of an illustrious career that marks you down as one of the game's greats. Or, you may just have shot the lowest score in the field that particular week whilst achieving not a lot else of any great note in a couple of decades or more of golf. Look at the players who've been No 1: Seve Ballesteros...Nick Faldo...Greg Norman... Tiger Woods . Giants of the game and household names. David Duva l was certainly the best player in the world during his time at the top, as were Ian Woosnam, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and Nick Price . Now lets look at some of the players who've won Majors: Mark Brooks...Ben Curtis...Shaun Micheel...Paul Lawrie...Rich Beem...Micheal Campbell... Andy North won two!!! Not anyone can win a Major, but you clearly don't have to be a truly great player to manage it. Ask people to reel off a list of the names of players who've been No.1 and most will get at least half a dozen of them. Even people who aren't golf fans know that Seve, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods were No. 1 players. Keen golf fans will get all or nearly all of the 13 names without much trouble. Ask even a moderately keen golf fan: 'Who won the 1996 PGA Championship? Or the 2002 championship? What about the Open Championship in 2004? Or the U.S. Open in 1987?' Come on, tell the truth - who's shoes would you rather be in right now ? Luke Donald's? Or...Louis Oosthuizen's or Charl Schwartzel's???

They had a weather-break at about 4pm...everyone had to pretty much stay where they were on the course...they showed Casey and Poulter pounding down fish and chips from one of the fast-food vendors...

Quote: Ahh - there you go you see - I dont know what you have as an equivalent (TiVo?) but I record it off SKY Sports...watch what I can...but then at 8pm, they start showing PGA Tour. We get every tournament, 3-4 hours each day of every tournament. Of course, one's got to be pretty nuts to watch golf, all day and all night.

Wentworth Club, Surrey, UK. Strongest field of the year yet bar The Masters, seven of the World's Top 10, last four major winners... Anyone?

Quote: Well, I no-one likes to see careers ending through injury...so let's hope so. He's not going to do it, but I'd like to see him at least give the 18 Majors target a worthy shot...

Potential 5th ACL operation? On the same knee? If so, then his career is definately approaching it's conclusion...2 years, tops.

Bubba Watson just put himself in the same 'TW-fanboy-firing-line' as Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer...

Quote: From 2005: " "I'll definitely quit the game earlier than people think. The only reason I would play is the occasional tournament if my son is good enough to be out there, and he chooses to play. That would be cool. But my foundation means much more than what I do out here. When my best isn't good enough, I'm walking. You'll know when you're not able to produce any more. I don't lie. When I play well, I tell you guys. And I tell you when I haven't played well. I've won tournaments out there when I wasn't playing my best. But if I play my best and don't win, there's no reason to be out here.''

Quote: I think we all know the answer to whom it is that Dustin-J wants to lay out...

Quote: " McDowell is ready to dominate"..."Isleworth Golf Course is set up like Augusta"... etc, etc

Quote: Even back in 1999, it's a bet you'd lose every time. You're basically saying the guy's game remains A+ for 20 years straight. Law of Averages vs Mathematical Prinicple. Firstly, in his prime years (1997-2002) he won 8 Majors which is 1.33333 Majors per year. Secondly, in the 2nd great period of his career (2005-2008) he won another 6 Majors which works out at 1.5 Majors per year. For him to win another 12 Majors when his career is clearly on-the-slide, you're looking at him winning an average of a Major each year until he's around 50 years old. Furthermore, you have to assume that the rest of the playing field is going to get weaker (which it won't) and his body will hold up at least another 5 years (it won't). Call your friend, make another bet...and make it sound something like this: "Hey, I bet you that Tiger Woods will win 2 Majors in the next 5 years...and a further bet is that if he doesn't win 1 in the next 3, he will retire from golf"

Living on borrowed time as far as his knee is concerned. Four surgeries, at least two of which are major doesn't bode well, long-term, for playing golf. The repair he had would be sufficient to last a non-pro golfer that is relatively active for probably 10 years before the osteoarthritis sets in in his early 40s. Woods winning Majors at 40+? Hmmm ... At some time he will have to decide when to scrap the metal spikes that are partially (probably?) to blame for the latest injury. Guess he will have to decide which is better good traction that doesn't allow release during a swing knee wise or risk of slipping with soft spikes. Neither is a good option for his knee injury. Please put aside the 'Tiger-Is-Superman' arguments aside and let's think about any golfers that have come back from serious knee surgery and won majors - Els? Singh? With Woods, something is going on with his body as far as having long fiber muscles. Don't know if it is all the weight training he got in to but all the achilles tendon problems are an indication that his flexibility is on-the-slide. As many have said before he is a very 'old' mid 30 year old with all the surgeries and injuries due to years of golf and possibly overtraining...

4 knee surgeries, a bad neck, 2 bouts of Lasik, etc. And now this. There is no way physically he will be playing at 40+. He has become 'Elijah Price' from the movie 'Unbreakable'. Every year he has some sort of physical breakdown, this isn't going to get better. I would guess he has 3 more seasons before something happens to end his ability to play at the pro level. Look for a back problem soon.

Quote: ``I'll definitely quit the game earlier than people think. The only reason I would play is the occasional tournament if my son is good enough to be out there, and he chooses to play. That would be cool. But my foundation means much more than what I do out here. When my best isn't good enough, I'm walking, You'll know when you're not able to produce any more. I don't lie. When I play well, I tell you guys. And I tell you when I haven't played well. I've won tournaments out there when I wasn't playing my best. But if I play my best and don't win, there's no reason to be out here.''

I was looking forward to a Woods / Garcia pairing for Saturday: two great ballstrikers who can't putt anymore...

Quote: True...I dont think Kaymer, as 'mechanical' as he plays, is like someone like Nick Faldo....I could never warm to that guy at all.

Quote: Yeah, that's what I would have said....put Bubba Watson in here too cos he's an unpredictable/unorthodox bomber and maybe Rickie Fowler also with his unorthodox swing and dress-sense ( I actually like the all-orange affair) I can't really think of any off the European Tour who fit the bill as 'exciting' in these areas...

Quote: But...that also poses a question: Who are/were the most 'exciting' players in professional golf ?

Quote: Come on, Shorty, don't spoil the magic... tsch-tsch .

Quote: Quote: Ho-hum!