Anthony Kim's 11 birdies -- is ANGC really that hard?

[Phil McDade]

Anthony Kim, in his odd round today (all of four pars on the day), had 11 birdies -- which (although I can't find it on the Masters website) must be a one-round record.

It's only one round, and one shouldn't draw conclusions based on that, but doesn't the thoroughness of Kim's birdie-fest (as opposed to going low by eagles on the par 5s) suggest the course has returned to a sort of mid-1980s playability -- good scores can be had with decent scoring conditions and very good play?

(Caveat -- I have yet to watch more than 30 minutes of the tourney, so I know little of conditions and set-up beyond what I've read here, in the local paper, and looking at Masters stats.)

[Bill_McBride]

Anthony Kim, in his odd round today (all of four pars on the day), had 11 birdies -- which (although I can't find it on the Masters website) must be a one-round record.

It's only one round, and one shouldn't draw conclusions based on that, but doesn't the thoroughness of Kim's birdie-fest (as opposed to going low by eagles on the par 5s) suggest the course has returned to a sort of mid-1980s playability -- good scores can be had with decent scoring conditions and very good play?

(Caveat -- I have yet to watch more than 30 minutes of the tourney, so I know little of conditions and set-up beyond what I've read here, in the local paper, and looking at Masters stats.)

It could also be AK's incredible talents!

[Phil McDade]

Bill:

Yes!

On the other hand, most of these guys are talented. Kim has a reputation as a real birdie machine when he gets hot, but that's not unlike guys like Mahan or Mickelson or a few others in that regard. I guess my point was that ANGC has been criticized often here on the board, and a lot of that focused on the extreme toughening of relatively modest holes like 7 and 17, plus making the par 5s (esp. 13 and 15) really tough to eagle and harder to birdie. The main argument on GCA is that the course become "US Open-ized," more of a slog with a few birdie opportunities (mainly the par 5s), as opposed to a gambler's course where aggressive play properly executed yielded a low round.

Campbell's nine straight birdies Thursday and Kim's round today suggest the current course may have come full circle, and we're back to where we were in the 1970s and 1980s, when it wasn't uncommon to see players go low.

[Matthew Mollica]

What was the field scoring average today?
That would be a better measure of course difficulty, as opposed to one man's efforts.

I think Kim's score demonstrates little more than the fact that when today's pro players get hot, they can go low. Especially when they're as talented as Kim, and putting well.

What today may also demonstrate is that Augusta can be made more difficult with firmer greens, and tougher pins. And in tougher weather conditions, it could be brutal.

A nice day like Thursday, with greens a little more receptive, and pins in generous positions, and a few tees up, and the course can take on a different form.

MM

[Mike Sweeney]

Okay I admit it, I watch The Golf Channel.

If you saw the Tiger/Kim series last fall, you saw that Kim is total feel player. I was amazed that he admitted to basically changing his setup depending on the day/hole/shot. As such, when he gets in a groove, he obviously locks into a zone.

I personally think he has the best swing in golf, but according to Kim, it basically changes every shot??!!

[C. Squier]

Okay I admit it, I watch The Golf Channel.

If you saw the Tiger/Kim series last fall, you saw that Kim is total feel player. I was amazed that he admitted to basically changing his setup depending on the day/hole/shot. As such, when he gets in a groove, he obviously locks into a zone.

I personally think he has the best swing in golf, but according to Kim, it basically changes every shot??!!

I watched that too Mike, AK is one of my favorite players to watch.  I think he may have been playing a coy during that exhibition, as it was likely one of his first and he had to hit shots in front of Tiger.  However, he does seem to fly by the seat of his pants, it wouldn't surprise me if he truly as much of a feel player as he says.  Definitely in the zone today though!

[John Moore II]

I think ANGC is hard enough. Its always been more of a putting course, until the last few years when its played longer and in foul weather. From what I saw, Kim was knocking it to 5-10 feet all day long with the irons. He caught a hot streak. I wouldn't count on it to continue tomorrow.

[Carl Johnson]

. . . It's only one round, and one shouldn't draw conclusions based on that, but doesn't the thoroughness of Kim's birdie-fest (as opposed to going low by eagles on the par 5s) suggest the course has returned to a sort of mid-1980s playability -- good scores can be had with decent scoring conditions and very good play? . . . .

What's it all about?  A golf course being "really . . . hard" or about rewarding "very good play"?  I've never been a particularly a fan of the AN golf course, but if it rewards "very good play" instead of just being "hard," then I may have to reconsider.

[JohnV]

The beauty of Augusta as it is playing this week is that Kim could make 11 birdies but also make two bogies and a double.  Or Danny Lee could shoot 34 on the front 9 and come home in 47.  Great shots get rewarded, poor ones get rejected.  The last few years, great shots either weren't rewarded or weren't possible.

[Bill_McBride]

The beauty of Augusta as it is playing this week is that Kim could make 11 birdies but also make two bogies and a double.  Or Danny Lee could shoot 34 on the front 9 and come home in 47.  Great shots get rewarded, poor ones get rejected.  The last few years, great shots either weren't rewarded or weren't possible.

John, what do you think is different this year that allows great shots to be rewarded where they weren't the last few years?

Soft greens?  Accessible pins?  The length hasn't changed.

[Phil McDade]

What was the field scoring average today?
That would be a better measure of course difficulty, as opposed to one man's efforts.

I think Kim's score demonstrates little more than the fact that when today's pro players get hot, they can go low. Especially when they're as talented as Kim, and putting well.

Matthew:

The overall scoring average for the course probably is reflective of lots of things, including conditions (weather), pin placements, overall set-up (tee positioning and length, e.g.), to name a few major ones.

My theory/argument is that Kim's 11-birdie round, and Campbell's nine birdies in 15 holes, suggest the course has evolved to the point where singularly great rounds are now (again) possible, in a way that they didn't seem to be a few years ago. ANGC was known in the 1970s and 1980s (and really into much of the 1990s) for great low rounds -- often in the 4th round -- by players being aggressive and/or on the top of their games for that one round, i.e., Player's 64, Floyd's 65-66, Jack's 65, Price's 63, Tiger's 65-66 in 1997.

One of the reasons players struggle at the US Open, it seems, is not just because of the traditional USGA set-up. If they're lucky, they only get to see the Open course twice in their career. But the Masters is unique, in that players return year after year. Has it simply taken the players a few years to figure out ANGC changes, and thus their familiarity with how to attack it has yielded the likelihood of more low rounds?

[cary lichtenstein]

No question that Augusta is resistant to scoring, but not brutal like an Oakmont.

[Brian_Ewen]

The Masters 2009 equalled the lowest cut in the history of the event .

145

Is there any connection between 1979, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2009 ?

[Adam Clayman]

The biggest Joke of the telecast was watching Tiger Highlights from his round, while little to nothing was shown of Kim's wild ride. Very telling of the manipulation that TV offers to it's advertisers.

[Kalen Braley]

The biggest Joke of the telecast was watching Tiger Highlights from his round, while little to nothing was shown of Kim's wild ride. Very telling of the manipulation that TV offers to it's advertisers.

Adam,

I think it was more telling of who brings in the advertising dollars.....

[Mike Hendren]

The length hasn't changed.

Bill, they played the 4th from the members' tee yesterday to a pin just beyond the false front.  My guess it is the hole played no more than 175 yards and gave the players fits as that area is extremely narrow and at least one player in each group saw his ball roll back off the green.  Augusta is far more elastic than most think and tournament officials are quickly learning how to use that.

Bogey

[Rob Rigg]

Gents,

If you drive it in the middle of the fairway, hit it close on every green and make putts then no course is going to stop you from piling on the birdies.

Augusta has been for the taking the past three days - Kim's incredible round was certainly on the toughest day but he obviously ate his Wheaties, dialed it in and had an epic rounds - with a few bogeys to boot.

Don't forget, Nick Price did it 20 years ago or whatever. These guys are that good.