Best Foul Weather Golfers

[J_ Crisham]

Looking out my window watching the snowflakes drop I started to think of the finest foul weather players. Tom Watson comes to mind immediately. Who else could play when the going got tough?

[John Moore II]

I would take Tiger over anyone else in the business. Once the weather gets too bad, skill doesn't matter as much, more luck. When its really bad, you just have to get the lucky breaks moreso than hit great shots.

[JESII]

I would take Tiger over anyone else in the business. Once the weather gets too bad, skill doesn't matter as much, more luck. When its really bad, you just have to get the lucky breaks moreso than hit great shots.

??


I have a bucket load of disagreements with that line of reasoning, but if nothing else...Tiger wants as little luck in the equation as possible...


There doesn't really seem to be a debate on this based on records...Watson is amazing in the slop...

[John Moore II]

What I meant was that as long as the weather is not off the wall terrible, I would take Tiger. After the weather gets really terrible, you may as well flip a coin to determine who is best. In driving rain, 45 degrees and a 30 mph wind, all bets are off.

[Sam Morrow]

What I meant was that as long as the weather is not off the wall terrible, I would take Tiger. After the weather gets really terrible, you may as well flip a coin to determine who is best. In driving rain, 45 degrees and a 30 mph wind, all bets are off.

Hardly, don't you think terrible weather brings the best to the top?

[Phil McDade]

Els' win at the Open at Muirfield, when he hung on for a par round during incredibly bad weather in the 3rd round, is often over-looked in the annals of bad weather performances. Others that come to mind are Norman's 63 at Turnberry in '86, Kite and Sluman's rounds on the final day at the US Open at Pebble Beach in '92, and Tiger hanging on for something like six straight pars during a horrendous turn of weather at Medinah at the '99 PGA (second round?).

Watson once shot something like a 67 at Muirfield Village during the Memorial on a day when I think it snowed and everyone figured par was around 75. That's the one round I recall lots of pros being in awe of in terms of bad-weather golfing.

[Mike Benham]

They may not be the best and probably not the smartest either, but I would take this crew over four days of bad weather golf ...

[J_ Crisham]

I would agree with you JES and disagree with  Johnny naming Tiger in foul weather as one of the best. At the British Open he has appearred frustrated by foul weather versus relishing it. Watson knew that the field would get frustrated and squander shots. He could work the ball and manufacture shots in the wind and on the ground. Only remember Seve as having the same imagination. Not to say that Tiger isn't the second best player in history- so far.

[Tom_Doak]

I was staying at a friend's house in Chicago the week that Scott Verplank won the Western Open as an amateur.  Scott was staying at my friend's as well, for the same reason -- free housing!  

When he was ahead on Saturday evening and the forecast was for rain on Sunday, all he said was "I've had a lot of my best success in the rain."  And he went out and won it.  He'd also won the U.S. Amateur on a rainy final day.  So my vote goes for him.

[J_ Crisham]

Mike, Looks like your group shops at the same apparel store.

[Bob_Huntley]

Looking out my window watching the snowflakes drop I started to think of the finest foul weather players. Tom Watson comes to mind immediately. Who else could play when the going got tough?

Best I ever saw was Christy O'Conner Snr. Himself.

Bob

[J_ Crisham]

Bonus Question: Who did Verplank defeat?  How many holes did they play? No chicago guys are allowed to answer-I was at Butler that weekend also,Tom.Great Tourney in 1985.

[Sam Morrow]

Bonus Question: Who did Verplank defeat?  How many holes did they play? No chicago guys are allowed to answer-I was at Butler that weekend also,Tom.Great Tourney in 1985.

Didn't he beat Thorpe in a play-off? Give me some credit Jack, I was two.

[Phil McDade]

Thorpe on the second hole of the playoff. Live in Wisconsin, but was living in Minnesota at the time.

[J_ Crisham]

Phil, Good answer 4-4 ,4-5 in the playoff. As an Evans Scholar I was on the "job" at that tourney great finish. Hats off to your Packers for a fine season . Sam, youth is no excuse for knowledge-the secret is in the ----history books not the dirt.

[Sam Morrow]

Phil, Good answer 4-4 ,4-5 in the playoff. As an Evans Scholar I was on the "job" at that tourney great finish. Hats off to your Packers for a fine season . Sam, youth is no excuse for knowledge-the secret is in the ----history books not the dirt.

If I don't have my excuses then I have nothing.

[JESII]

I was staying at a friend's house in Chicago the week that Scott Verplank won the Western Open as an amateur.  Scott was staying at my friend's as well, for the same reason -- free housing!  

When he was ahead on Saturday evening and the forecast was for rain on Sunday, all he said was "I've had a lot of my best success in the rain."  And he went out and won it.  He'd also won the U.S. Amateur on a rainy final day.  So my vote goes for him.

I'm sure you'll get a long line of people on board with you on that one...

I have even won a tournament in the rain...

[Brian_Ewen]

I go with Paul Lawrie .

Apart from Carnasty 99 .

He has won the Catalan Open , Qatar Masters , Dunhill Links , and Celtic Manor Open , and all were either plagued by wind or/and rain .

[JSlonis]

I would take Tiger over anyone else in the business. Once the weather gets too bad, skill doesn't matter as much, more luck. When its really bad, you just have to get the lucky breaks moreso than hit great shots.

I'm with Sully and others...simply don't agree.  What type of lucky breaks?  

From all the accounts I've seen, heard & read, Watson has to be at the top.  

**And, of course, he had some foul-weather success on the way to winning eight majors five of them at the British Open and 39 times on the PGA tour. In the 1979 Memorial, with the temperature struggling to reach 40 degrees and winds whipping around 30 mph, Watson shot a 69 in the second round to take control.

Several of his contemporaries have said that round at the Memorial has to be one of the best scoring rounds of all time.  Apparently it was hellacious that day and his 3 under par round lapped the field.  The average score that day was 79.4.

[Tim Pitner]

I wouldn't put Tiger up there either.  Weather was not a real issue at any of his Open Championship wins.  He didn't show well when the weather was really nasty at Muirfield.  Now, I know that it was brutal but other players in the same conditions managed to hold on and not shoot 79 (or something like that).  I honestly can't recall a significant Tiger win where he really battled the elements (although it seems like there must be one).  

Faldo?  His first Open win at Muirfield (the 18 straight pars) was in pretty miserably weather.  

[JSlonis]

Tim,

Tiger shot 81 that day at Muirfield.  His highest score ever as a professional.  Heck...probably his highest score since he was 10 years old.

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I would consider Tiger's win last year at Southern Hills to be a great foul weather win.

[Brian_Ewen]

Isnt it a case that players dont necessarily play better in bad weather , its just that they dont let it affect them as much as others ?

Last July , standing behind the 3rd tee at Carnoustie , Stephen Ames and Sean O'Hair are waiting to tee off .

Suddenly there is a gust of wind and you can feel its starting to pick up .

Stephen Ames announces ""Well if they think I am f***ing staying out here battling with this f***ing s**t , f***ing up my swing for the rest of the f***ing week............F**k it , I am going in ![/i]

Missed Cut !

[Sam Morrow]

Isnt it a case that players dont necessarily play better in bad weather , its just that they dont let it affect them as much as others ?

Last July , standing behind the 3rd tee at Carnoustie , Stephen Ames and Sean O'Hair are waiting to tee off .

Suddenly there is a gust of wind and you can feel its starting to pick up .

Ames announces ""Well if they think I am f***ing staying out here battling with this f***ing s**t , f***ing up my swing for the rest of the f***ing week............F**k it , I am going in ![/i]

Missed Cut !

I would have guessed Ames to be a mudder.

[Phil_the_Author]

With the mention of Tiger in foul weather play, it brings to mind what I consider to be the absolute dumbest thing that I have ever heard a player state about another competitor after a round.

On the Friday of the 2002 Open at Bethpage, extreme weather wreaked havoc on the field. Michael Allen who would only distinguish himself by qualifyinmg for the Open, when asked about his play through the rain and how Tiger had handled the poor weather so much better than everyone else said:

“The front nine was just horrendous for a while, and he was three under par. He was just playing through it. My friend came up and said, ‘Hang in there. You’re doing all right. Everybody’s struggling, except Satan. He gave his soul to the devil or something.”

Considering what just happened to Kelly Tilghman and Seanor at Golfweek, Michael got off pretty easy on this one with most everyone (except me) forgetting he actually said this...