Tiger's Torrey Pines loophole

[Wade Whitehead]

I've been astounded at Tiger's performance this weekend.  I should start by saying that.

However, I noticed, repeatedly, that several of his misses (off the tee) were so severe that he ended up outside the intended area of play, which meant he was playing recovery shots from trampled grass and not long rough.  The graduated rough system works until a player reaches the area underneath the gallery's feet, where length of grass means less, and where turf isn't even being watered during the event.

Is it possible that he realized this, and that it impacted his decision to play conservatively or aggressively?  I'm certainly not suggesting he missed shots to that degree on purpose, but I am curious about how his management and/or score would have been affected if the areas outside the ropes had been more penal.

Thoughts?

WW

[Matt_Cohn]

IMO - no.

[John Mayhugh]

I was just about to post a similar comment.  The graduated rough strategy works up to where the galleries walk.  From there, it's almost better than being in the first cut of rough.  If fans hadn't trampled down the rough, would Tiger (with so many huge misses) even be in a playoff?  

What could be done to offset some of this gallery effect?  Trees seem like one of the few answers, but then they are only needed for a major.  

[Wade Whitehead]

What can be done?  Little to nothing.  The galleries and business end of the event take a toll on the integrity of the setup - and have a certain impact on the result.

WW

[John Kavanaugh]

You can make them no drop zones.

[Will MacEwen]

Could you have the trampled areas declared GUR?  The spraypaint budget was already pretty high with the hazard paint...

[Brad Klein]

Ballesteros benefitted the same way. It's a dangerous way to live.

[JohnV]

Remember how well it worked for Phil two years ago on #18.  Tiger certainly didn't take advantage of it on the first hole today.