The Best Demonstration of Ball Striking and Strategy

[PThomas]

Right on re Bentley, btw.  He got the yes sir in before Verne.  I guess the key to longevity is to add the "maybe".    

or maybe not to become a big blowhole who talks himself out of a job

[PThomas]

remember after he hit that great shot into 13 to about 10 feet for eagle, how he shook his caddy brother's hand, almost like he was saying "well, that's it...."

[Tom Huckaby]

Did anyone ever get a tranlsation of his brother's exclamation as that shot was in the air on 14?

That would be the ultimate 1986 trivia contest killer.

The voice sounded evil.. deranged... maybe it was just the Espanol.

 

[PThomas]

Did anyone ever get a tranlsation of his brother's exclamation as that shot was in the air on 14?

That would be the ultimate 1986 trivia contest killer.

The voice sounded evil.. deranged... maybe it was just the Espanol.

 

McCord got off a good one when when Seve was speaking SPanish after he hit his 2nd to 14....Seve said something in Spanish, to which McCord said "that must mean get down"...which it did, right on the back of the green over the flag...and Seve JUST missed that birdie putt...

[Tom Huckaby]

Oh yes Paul, McCord did handle that well.

I just still want the literal translation.  Hell it could mean "let's go over and kick Nicklaus' ass" for all we know.

 

[TEPaul]

"Unfortunately, at age 37, I only got to see the twilight of Nicklaus' greatness, but I think we are damn lucky to be able to watch his "bear" apparent as well."

Jamie:

Well, I'm sure no 37 and I saw very clearly Jack Nicklaus's entire career.

Jack Nicklaus was very dominant and his major record pretty much speaks for itself and Jack obviously is one of the three greatest golfers who ever lived.

I've always been a huge fan of Jack but I can tell you that watching Jack play was nowhere near as electrifying as watching Woods. Jack was pretty methodical really. He pretty much depended on a particular shot type his entire career (a big high booming fade) and he sort of played a spooky "odds" game that relied a lot how many were ahead of him and the likelihood of them beating themselves.

Think of it this way---I seriously doubt there is a single facet of Jack's game that Woods can't do better with the single exception of accuracy with the driver.

[Craig Sweet]

Sure Tiger has always been long off the tee...but really, his game use to be hit it 280-295 in the fairway...and then hit a midium or long iron to the green...he won several majors playing that way.

But then the equation changed, and course set up changed, and the game became "hit it 310-350 off the tee....don't worry about where it lands....and then hit a wedge of 9 iron into the green...

This does not suit Tiger and his skills...that is why he "struggles" to win these days...the skills he has...to shape a shot, control the flight of the ball, are no longer how the game, is played and he has been forced to set his skills aside and bomb away like everyone else...the winner is the guy that putts best that week.

That is my theory....

[Craig Sweet]

And by the way...I doubt Jack would be as successful playing the bomb and gouge game as he was playing his game of skill...

[Bill_McBride]

"tenga trabajo" - I think means "I still have some work to do!"

Maybe like when you tell your opponent whose first putt just slipped by maybe 6' -- "still a little chicken left on THAT bone!"  

[ForkaB]

Bill

I like that phrase!  It will be the rallying cry of the USA team at the Buda Cup.

[Jim Nugent]

He probably said, "tengo trabajo", which means "I have work."  The "e" is pronounced like "a" in "gate."  The "o" is like the "o" in "mote."  

[Tom Huckaby]

Gents, I got the tengo trabajo part years ago - it's the REST that remains the mystery.

I think shivas is closest... with the meaning being more "that's going to work" (ie it looks good), but something else then added at the end.  And that something else is what sounds VERY evil.

Get our your tapes... several beers the next time I see you for the one who gives me a correct translation of the ENTIRE thing.

 

[PThomas]

Gents, I got the tengo trabajo part years ago - it's the REST that remains the mystery.

I think shivas is closest... with the meaning being more "that's going to work" (ie it looks good), but something else then added at the end.  And that something else is what sounds VERY evil.

Get our your tapes... several beers the next time I see you for the one who gives me a correct translation of the ENTIRE thing.

 

Huck - I shall try...always looking for a new reason to trot it out and have my family enjoy it with me for the nth time

[Jim Nugent]

Gents, I got the tengo trabajo part years ago - it's the REST that remains the mystery.

I think shivas is closest... with the meaning being more "that's going to work" (ie it looks good), but something else then added at the end.  And that something else is what sounds VERY evil.

Get our your tapes... several beers the next time I see you for the one who gives me a correct translation of the ENTIRE thing.

 

Huck -- do you know what the words are?  The Spanish words?  Or is it too hard to make out what those words are?

[Mark Pearce]

Voytek asked the question that was going through my head all weekend: if it had been a rainy English summer, could Hoylake have stood up to the pros? Seems to me that if you bake out any golf course to the point where backspin is almost a non-existent phenomenon, you're going to force a completely different style of play from what the world's best players play in most tournaments.

Thinking about my home course, there are 14 holes where the opening in front of the green is sufficiently wide to accommodate the ground game, if the superintendent would allow the course to get brown enough. This summer, all Minnesota courses would look just like Hoylake if it weren't for the usual practice of excessive irrigation.

Of course, that's just a dream -- most U.S. supers would be fired if they let their course get like Hoylake was this week. Pity, as Peter Aliss might say.

If we'd had a rainy English summer the rough would have been thick and two feet deep.  Avoiding the rough would have been at an absolute premium.  And the fairways would still have run, just not quite as quickly.  The winning score would have been higher, not lower and the total number of players under par substantially reduced.

[Tom Huckaby]

Jim - it's REALLY tough to make out - the sounds are almost guttural/evil/unnatural after the "tengo trabajo."  I've tried many times and can't make heads or tails of it.  But I am not all that adept at Espanol... a native speaker is what we need for this, or someone far more adept.  Aren't the Ballesteros' Castillian also?  Or some other dialect?  That too could complicate things.

Of course you know this is the most important issue in the history of this forum.

 

[Brent Hutto]

...then the equation changed, and course set up changed, and the game became "hit it 310-350 off the tee....don't worry about where it lands....and then hit a wedge of 9 iron into the green...

This does not suit Tiger and his skills...that is why he "struggles" to win these days...the skills he has...to shape a shot, control the flight of the ball, are no longer how the game, is played and he has been forced to set his skills aside and bomb away like everyone else...the winner is the guy that putts best that week.

A very persuasive analysis, Craig.

[Glenn Spencer]

Although, I have to give Musberger props for one that I still use:

"this is Seve Ballesteros's tournament to lose.."

Take it easy on poor Brent, lets not forget his talking to either Arute or Danielson and saying 'What do you mean, Double Eagle, its a golf course outside Columbus' MSU-OSU

Sundays didn't start for me until I heard, 'You are looking live at The Meadowlands'

Or 'Today from South Bend, its The Canes and the Irish'

[PThomas]

Glenn, you know I used to think Brent was ok, but he just seemed to get worse as time went on, or perhaps familiarity breeded contempt

fwiw, I think Keith jackson started slipping his last few years too

[Glenn Spencer]

...then the equation changed, and course set up changed, and the game became "hit it 310-350 off the tee....don't worry about where it lands....and then hit a wedge of 9 iron into the green...

This does not suit Tiger and his skills...that is why he "struggles" to win these days...the skills he has...to shape a shot, control the flight of the ball, are no longer how the game, is played and he has been forced to set his skills aside and bomb away like everyone else...the winner is the guy that putts best that week.

A very persuasive analysis, Craig.

I agree, there is no doubt in my mind that technology has hurt Tiger the most of anybody, besides maybe Corey Pavin. No, its Tiger.

[Glenn Spencer]

Glenn, you know I used to think Brent was ok, but he just seemed to get worse as time went on, or perhaps familiarity breeded contempt

fwiw, I think Keith jackson started slipping his last few years too

Agree on both counts. Jackson was struggling and Brent was never that good, but it did 'feel' important if he was on the telecast. I always liked that. Musberger and that CBS College Football intro that they still use was all I needed to want to tackle somebody.

[Buck Wolter]

Not to hijack the Brent Musberger thread but what if Tiger replays his Saturday round and even one of the challengers has a decent day -- isn't he ripped for being too conservative? I didn't get to watch Sunday's round but why was it so different than Saturday? Was it just final round pressure making Els, Garcia, et al wilt? -- the same guy was leading Saturday as Sunday.

[PThomas]

Was it just final round pressure making Els, Garcia, et al wilt? -- the same guy was leading Saturday as Sunday.

that's the only reasonable conclusion one can draw, imho....history repeating itself yet again

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Buck

Very simple answer..
saturday 71....sunday 67...
same marvelous strategy, more made putts.
However, on both days he was in position to shoot 67, one day he made the putts the other he "struggled" on the putting surfaces.

With the exception of Garcia perhaps, nobody else came close to the ball striking of Woods over the weekend.
Dimarco made alot of great longish putts, but we all know that does not hold up over 4 days...ball striking and proximity to the cup is essential, in order to consistently make birdies.

Di marco's efforts were very impressive, man that guy is a grinder.