How Is It Possible?

[Sean_A]

With all the talk of the PGA, nobody seems to be mentioning how in the heck Yang pulled the final approach off.  From a poor angle in the rough with a hybrid, Yang hits the green and the ball rolls what, 20 feet?  There is no way that shot should have been on with a wedge in his hand, let alone a hybrid.  What is the point of the front bunker if a guy can do what Yang did?  The powers that be still have a very long way to go before they properly understand how the course set up effects architecture.  That single shot sums up for me why it is so hard for me to watch nearly every tournie out there.

Ciao 

[Rich Goodale]

These guys are good, Sean.  Get over it.

[Adam Clayman]

They care about excitment. Other wise they'd have listened to Bobby Jones when he talked about soft receptive greens ruining the architects placement of a bunker.

[David Whitmer]

I hear you, Sean. The shot that caused me to say "give me a break!" to my television set was last week, during the final round of the Bridgestone at Firestone. On #14 (I think), Harrington was in thick rough, about 75 yards from the hole. He slashed out a wedge, and the ball hit on the green and spun back about 10 feet. There's simply no way that should be allowed to happen from 4 inch rough.

[Brent Hutto]

How about if some kid comes along a couple decades from now who can generate 200mph of clubhead speed with a driver and 140mph with a wedge. Are you guys going to still insist that the rough be so thick or the clubs so buggered that they can't spin the ball from the thick lie?

If you want to talk about courses for both elite players and regular guys, just come up with balls and implements that Yang can't hit onto that 18th green. Any of us here would not be able to hit a single green from the rough, ever, or hold a firm green from 150 yards in the middle of a fairway. It's hard to legislate against clubhead speed.

[Bill Brightly]

I am totally confused. Guys kill the PGA for setting up the course with penal rough, then complain when a guy hits a great, gutsy shot?

I did mention Yang's dramatic shot on another thread. And it was from the first cut of rough, the Prime Cut, as I like to call it, not the secondary rough. He hit it perfectly, high with a slight fade. It rolled as far as he knew it would, just a perfect shot. He risked hitting the tree, coming up short in the bunker, or flying the green. Given the circimstances, it was truly one of the best shots in a major.

[JESII]

With the wind in his face and hitting into a green tilting at least a bit towards him...oh, and they said they had .25 inches of rain overnight...