[Sean_A]

"...but it seems folks just can't control themselves."

But Sean, that's the point. That's why par matters. At the margin, it affects playing decisions. Like it or not. Rational or otherwise. (Actually, I think it is rational, but that is a whole other discussion.)

Bob

Bob

Please explain to me how it is rational for 10, 15 or 20 capper to use par as a expectation?  

I never think of the score I want to achieve before teeing it up unless it is a par 3.  When I have a card in my hand I think about getting the ball in and then adjust as need be from there.  Without a doubt, in most instances I play better with a card in my hand, but I enjoy the game more without a card in my hand.   

Sean

[BCrosby]

Sean -

My point is the opposite one. It is often quite irrational, but very powerful nonetheless. As you put "some folks just can't control themselves".

Bob

[Tom Birkert]

From the BBC coverage, we heard him saying to Bones that being left was the best place to get up and down and that he easily could make the carry.

It can't be one of the best shots of all time if he pulled it by 30 odd feet surely?

It was a brave shot, with a fantastic result.

Edit: Shot of the week would probably be Tiger's 2nd on the 9th during the first round. Much harder shot to pull off in my opinion.

[JESII]

And the great thing is, we each have our own expectations and the features on a golf course impact each of us uniquely...

Yes and no. Yes, when you and I are just playing. No, when you are competing against a field whose expectations are set by par, which then force you to adopt the same expectations to keep pace.

Bob

Perhaps, but the fact that the features will impact each of us differently requires us to look at par differently...on each hole and in total.



Tom,

I wonder if I am on my own in thinking that the physical strike and the result are not intertwined when discussing the significance of a shot...and that the result is all that matters. His tee shot on #12 surely must have looked like a chance to go in the hole when he hit it but ended up 18 feet away...clearly a better physical strike, but not earthshattering in its result...although maybe a bad example since he made the putt.

[BCrosby]

Tom -

I did not hear that on the US broadcast. (Another reason to love the BBC.)

I agree, PM pulled it and got away with one.

Consider what might have happened if Tiger sinks his putt on 14 and moments later Phil rinses one on 13. Whole different tournament maybe.

Bob

[Sean_A]

Sean -

My point is the opposite one. It is often quite irrational, but very powerful nonetheless. As you put "some folks just can't control themselves".

Bob

Bob

I see where you are coming from.  It was always my impression that thoughtless golfers play golf thoughtlessly and would be going for low percentage shots regardless of par.  It honestly hadn't occurred to me that guys, with a card in their hand, try stupid shots because of a number on a card.  If this is the case, I would suggest the it is the golfer's lack of course management rather a number on a card which is leading him astray.

Ciao  

[JESII]

Sean,

The shots needn't be stupid, just somewhere on the risk/reward spectrum.

[Tom Birkert]

Bob,

Kudos to Phil for taking the shot on. But from the discussion between him and Bones, it wasn't a back and forth with Bones offering another option so going for the green was clearly the play. He had a pretty big gap to play through thanks to hitting his drive so far, and didn't have to worry about overhanging branches etc.

With a 6 iron from 210 his main concern was making solid contact - which he did admirably. But he did pull the shot by a significant margin, although ultimately this made the result even better.

I always prefer to hit the shot I was aiming to hit rather than have an exceptional result from a shot I don't hit as I want to.

It certainly made for great TV though!

[George Pazin]

"I made a four" doesn't carry the pride of "I made a par" in my opinion...

I think this is only true because most golfers don't immediately know the 17th at TOC is a par 4. I think if you said it to a junkie who posts on here, the reaction would be the same. I actually think it sounds cooler to say the number, but then I'm a math geek...

I think if Phil had pulled off the 3 iron at WF it would have been miles ahead of this shot. It would have resulted almost directly in winning the US Open, which has eluded him to date, not to mention I think the actual shot at WF was tougher (but that's hard for me to judge). Heck, in many ways, for Phil, his winning putt against Ernie was a bigger shot than this one on the 13th. Birdie to win his first Masters, his first major, got the monkey off his back in style, etc.

Still say par had no relevance, he was concerned about others scores, particularly in light of the fact that at that point, the tourney was very much in doubt.

[Sean Leary]

Tom,

Your post may be the intro to the forthcoming Beard Pullers bible.

I will take the better result every single time, no matter how bad the shot. Of course, I actually do keep score.

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