The Usual Suspects? The Masters and Muirfield

[Ben Sims]

On this brutally firm and fast golf course, the usual suspects are creeping up the leaderboard.  

But they're not the usual suspects for July in Scotland.  They're the usual suspects for Augusta in April.

Cabrera, Jimenez, Z. Johnson, Woods, Westwood.  These are among the best finishers of the past half decade at Augusta.  Is it merely a coincidence that a course setup such as what were seeing at Muirfield is rewarding the guys that get around Augusta the best?

[Mark McKeever]

Definitely an interesting thought Jim.

Mark

[Eric Smith]

Definitely an interesting thought Jim.

Mark

I agree, Paul.

 

[David_Tepper]

Yes, of the 9 past major champion winners in the current top 20 on the leaderboard, 7 of those 9 have won the Masters. Add in the fact that both Faldo and Ballesteros won all their majors at the Masters and the Open, one can rightfully conclude that Augusta plays the closest to the courses used in the Open.

[Brent Hutto]

Yes, of the 9 past major champion winners in the current top 20 on the leaderboard, 7 of those 9 have won the Masters. Add in the fact that both Faldo and Ballesteros won all their majors at the Masters and the Open, one can rightfully conclude that Augusta plays the closest to the courses used in the Open.

If that were not true then Jones and MacKenzie sure wasted a lot of effort.

One factor in play today has to be the apparent scariness of the greens at Muirfield, especially in the afternoons. Perhaps guys not overly intimidated by Sunday greens at the Masters are better able to cope.

[David_Tepper]

"If that were not true then Jones and MacKenzie sure wasted a lot of effort."

Brent -

Yes, you are correct. Mission accomplished!

DT

[Keith Grande]

Bubba as well until he whiffed a 10 inch bogey putt.

[Mac Plumart]

I really think the better courses, which are ideally set up for the game of golf, do a great job of determining the best players.

We are seeing that right now.


But there are always exceptions to every rule.



 

[David_Tepper]

You can add Mark O'Meara to the list of Masters/British Open only major winners. Aside from the miracle US Open chip-in on #17 at Pebble, Tom Watson won all his majors at the Masters and in the Open.

[Mike Schott]

Not sure what the common denominator is of the two courses. Muirfield's green's seem to be much flatter than those at Augusta although they are treacherously fast this year. I guess it's the demand for accurate approach shots. The reasons seem different as at Augusta you need to be accurate so you don't have a treacherous putt due to the slopes and at Muirfield it seems you need to control distance to account for the firmness.

[Phil McDade]

Mac:

Jimenez may not have not won a major, but he's won 19 times in 20 years on the European Tour (at a time when the Euro Tour is much deeper than it was, say, 25 years ago). He's been selected on merit to 4 Ryder Cup teams. American golf fans (some of whom post regularly here ) like to point to guys like Hunter Mahan or Jason Dufner as evidence of the great depth of the PGA Tour these days , seemingly ignoring guys like Jimenez who have had long, sustained careers with a bunch of wins.

[Peter Pallotta]

Two cents: those leaders seem to have the ability to focus on where they want the ball to end up, and to not confuse that with where they have to aim.  (At Augusta because of the cants and bends; at Muirfileld, because of the wind and run.) They are also all fine lag/long distance putters, who manage to get the speed right more often than not.

Peter

[Mac Plumart]

Phil...

I'm not hatin' on Mr. Jiménez.  I was just looking for some excuse to post that photo.  I love it and him.

[Phil McDade]

Phil...

I'm not hatin' on Mr. Jiménez.  I was just looking for some excuse to post that photo.  I love it and him.

Mac:

He's always been one of my favorite Euro-side players, largely because he doesn't seem to take either the game or himself too seriously (compared to his golfing brethren), yet he's accomplished a lot.

[Joel_Stewart]

The cream is rising to the top, just like Augusta.  It is unique, the American players are trying to adjust and you have some European players who are not well known thrown into the mix.

It's unique and compelling but not terribly exciting, yet.

[Ben Sims]

...to have the ability to focus on where they want the ball to end up, and to not confuse that with where they have to aim. 

There is a sublime simplicity to this statement.  And it may well be the very best one sentence descriptor of why I love links golf more than other types. 

And of course it's the best answer as of yet why this Open Championship feels so much like Augusta when I watch it.

[Jud_T]

I'd like to see Jimenez get one, I just don't see his putter holding up over the weekend (or Westwood's for that matter).  It was hilarious listening to Azinger say how these guys know how far they hit each club to the 1/2 yard and now it's a total crapshoot.  It's gonna come down to who holes the putts.  The harder it is this weekend the more I like you-know-who's chances.  I'd like to see just a bit more wind and then all the pretenders will be left in the dust.  Cabrera and Tiger will tread water while everyone else throws up all over themselves.  

[Phil McDade]

 It's gonna come down to who holes the putts.  

This may very well be true (and putting leaders for the week sometimes don't win majors).

To me, the relevant history here is Sandwich in 2003, which was baked out and played really tough that year, compared to Hoylake and St. Andrews, which have been baked out in some recent Opens and played pretty easy. The Open Championship in '03 ended up with one guy under par (Ben Curtis at -1), and he putted better than anyone that week.

[Matthew Petersen]

I'm wondering if the comparison will be something like 1999 at Carnoustie. Of course what everyone remembers from that tournament is Van de Velde's final hole, but Lawrie's final round, played well in advance of the leaders, is also very notable.

If the weather pattern the next two days follows what we've seen so far, the afternoon gets significantly more difficult as winds kick up and dry out the course. Mickelson noted it would be interesting that all the leaders will be out on the course in the same conditions the rest of the way, but one thing that happens when the scores aren't low is that you get a lot more players bunched within hollering distance of the lead. It seems quite possible someone could go out on the early side Sunday, have themselves a very fine round in good conditions, and then just watch as the leaders all struggle home.

[Phil McDade]

Matt:

The 1999 Open is dear to my heart, as I walked the course a few days prior to the championship and Lawrie was the first Scot to win the Open in Scotland in decades.

Few appreciate just how good his final round 67 was. It really wasn't the case of a player going out early in benign conditions and catching the field when tougher conditions came over the course. There were five rounds in the 60s that week -- Lawrie's 4-under 67 was the best of the championship. That course was absolutely brutal; David Frost shot 80 in the first round and was in serious contention on the final day. Yes, Van de Velde choked (and also had a horrible bad break on the final hole), but Leonard (72, +1, part of the 3-way playoff), Cabrera (70, one shot out of the playoff), and Parry (73, +2, one shot out of the playoff) all shot respectable final rounds, given the conditions and difficult of that course. Few people would equate Lawrie's 67 with Miller's 63 at Oakmont in 1973, but to my mind, it's pretty darn close.

[Thomas Dai]

I really think the better courses, which are ideally set up for the game of golf, do a great job of determining the best players.

We are seeing that right now.


But there are always exceptions to every rule.



 

Great photo. Autographed as well. Needs to be seen again, hence the bump.
ATB

[Dean Stokes]

Phil...

I'm not hatin' on Mr. Jiménez.  I was just looking for some excuse to post that photo.  I love it and him.

i heard that one of the players tweeted on Thursday night -"Jimenez, he is the man" as Miguel walked past the front of the clubhouse with a cigar in his mouth and a glass or red wine in one hand and the bottle in the other. Just endears him more to me!

[Jonathan Mallard]

I think you have to go with Greg Norman as the Open Champion who most wanted to win a Masters.

[Ben Sims]

No one in the last decade has gotten around Augusta as well as Phil, and he wins at Muirfield under the conditions we've heard so much about this week.

I could make a pretty good case that based on who played well this week in these conditions, reflects well on the links qualities of Augusta National.