The Women's Turn

[Mike Hendren]

Why not the same level of interest this week, particularly since they'll be playing a game we are more familiar with?   I am particularly intrigued as to whether the Asian automatons (I use that term with admiration and respect) can adapt their game to meet the more creative demands of the greens and their surrounds. 

Also, the general opinion has geen that the real difference between the men's and women's professional game is not distance but rather the short game.   Have the women caught up in that aspect of the game?

I went with -6 for the men's champion.  I'm going with +6 for the women.

Your thoughts?

Bogey

[Joe Bausch]

Really looking forward to it Bogey.  I'm thinking the ladies will surprise us and the winning score will be under par.

[Howard Riefs]

I'm very interested. And more would be, too, if the USGA/ESPN/Golf Channel/NBC made an effort to broadcast more of it.  As of now, it's on:

Thurs/Fri -- 3 to 7 pm ET on ESPN2
Sat/Sun -- 3 to 6 pm ET on NBC

http://www.usopen.com/women/en_US/champ_experience/viewing_schedule.html

I continue to post updated coverage here:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,58347.msg1382826.html#msg1382826

[Cory Lewis]

Just got back from the tournament.  I sat on 3/5 for most of the morning wave and it took 7 groups to see the 1st birdie on #3, Jessica Korda.  Natalie Gulbis was directly in front of the 5th green in 2, 30 feet from the pin and didn't get her pitch to the hole and it rolled about 60 feet into the bunker on the left.  Everybody in her group ended up in that bunker.  If you miss your 3rd shot 5 feet to the left you will end up in that bunker. 

Holding the 6th green is almost impossible for the ladies.  You can't run it on and if you land it in the center of the green, you end up over.  +6 seems to be about right based on what I saw today.

[Gary Sato]

I'm going with +6 for the women.

Your thoughts?

Bogey

Stacy Lewis was 3 under today with no bogeys.  She may pull a Kaymer and destroy the field.

[Jud_T]

I'm shocked that the women, like the men, insist on chipping with lofted wedges off tight greenside lies.  Just watched Wei skull one across the green and into a bunker for a bogey on a reachable Par 5.  Get the god darned hybrid or putter out ladies.  If you didn't spend the week practicing that shot, then shame on you.

[Brent Hutto]

I know I was like, "Hey ladies. Guy who was 9-under last week never touched a wedge around the green. Guys who were over par last week chipped around the greens. Which one of these, it's such a tough call".

If I'd been there watching Kaymer last week and had to play the course right now, I'd be putting out the darned bunkers if necessary.

[David Bartman]

Why not the same level of interest this week, particularly since they'll be playing a game we are more familiar with?   I am particularly intrigued as to whether the Asian automatons (I use that term with admiration and respect) can adapt their game to meet the more creative demands of the greens and their surrounds. 

Also, the general opinion has geen that the real difference between the men's and women's professional game is not distance but rather the short game.   Have the women caught up in that aspect of the game?

I went with -6 for the men's champion.  I'm going with +6 for the women.

Your thoughts?

Bogey

At 6200 yards the winner will be better than +6

[Mike Hendren]

Interesting, David.  USGA website lists the course playing at 6,649 yards.  Is it possible that the USGA wanted to ease the players onto the course to yield an apples-to-apples comparison then cinch it down with added distance, pin placements and drying out over the weekend?   I'd think they like today's scoring for starters.

Bogey

[Terry Lavin]

The course looks much better with women on it.

[Paul Gray]

I, for one, am hugely enjoying the women's event.

Sure, it's not quite as quick but in part I'm sure that's to do with the women hitting the ball less heavy. It's something I still, as a grown man now, have to consider when playing the links. As a kid I just didn't get the big bounces because the force just wasn't there. It was an easy game then! It's actually one aspect of play where the amateur with a slower swing speed has an advantage over the Tour Pros.

[David Bartman]

Interesting, David.  USGA website lists the course playing at 6,649 yards.  Is it possible that the USGA wanted to ease the players onto the course to yield an apples-to-apples comparison then cinch it down with added distance, pin placements and drying out over the weekend?   I'd think they like today's scoring for starters.

Bogey

click on a player and the scorecard show 6296, I should have put 6300 on my previous post. 

Virtually ALL tournaments list the longest they will possibly play the golf course, and yet rarely does any tournament in any round play the yardage they list. 

[Howard Riefs]

Interesting, David.  USGA website lists the course playing at 6,649 yards.  Is it possible that the USGA wanted to ease the players onto the course to yield an apples-to-apples comparison then cinch it down with added distance, pin placements and drying out over the weekend?   I'd think they like today's scoring for starters.

Bogey

The number on the card is the maximum for each hole.  For the men last week, the course set up for each day didn't come within 130 yards of that figure on the card, which was 7,562 yards:

Thursday: 7,360
Friday:     7,428
Saturday: 7,422
Sunday:   7,349

[Greg Tallman]

Anyone here ever had a putt for eagle and walked off with double bogey?

[Terry Lavin]

Anyone here ever had a putt for eagle and walked off with double bogey?

Close. Putting for birdie on the first hole at Chicago Golf Club with greens running at 15, I made a double. It happens.

[Bill_McBride]

Anyone here ever had a putt for eagle and walked off with double bogey?

Five putts?   Ouch.

[Brent Hutto]

I thought the men were slow.

Stephanie Meadow's group teed off at 2:20pm. When play was suspended at 7:55pm they still had two holes to play.

That is five hours, thirty-five minutes to play 16 holes in threesomes.

I just picked that group because I happened to know the timing, they were right on pace with the rest of the tail end of the afternoon wave. Good grief.

[Keith Doleshel]

I actually found watching the ladies to be as enjoyable as watching the men take on Pinehurst.  Perhaps that is a reflection on Kaymer putting the field away early last week.  It seems like the ladies are having a tough time holding greens with their lower trajectory.  NBC saw a number of LPGA players on the grounds over the weekend during the Open, I too was surprised to see so many of the ladies using wedges instead up putting around the greens. 

[Tom Fagerli]

I think it is wonderful golf-but slow golf. I did see one thing that might be interesting- pin positions- the ladies are not used to pins on the sides of the greens and they need to learn to play to the middle and putt from there unless they are wedging it. Wie can't play those aggressive iron shots at No 2 because it isn't soft tour conditions. Just to be clear- I am rooting for Michelle this week.
Also, the course looks much more brown and firm than last week.

[Paul OConnor]

Anyone here ever had a putt for eagle and walked off with double bogey?

No. But has anyone here ever had a putt for a birdie 3 and walked off with a 10?

I had a birdie putt and made 9.  15th at Idlewild.  Ridiculous greens at that place.

[Greg Tallman]

Anyone here ever had a putt for eagle and walked off with double bogey?

No. But has anyone here ever had a putt for a birdie 3 and walked off with a 10?

I had a birdie putt and made 9.  15th at Idlewild.  Ridiculous greens at that place.

I actually had it inside 5 feet for birdie 3 and walked off with...


11!

James Madison Invitational 1990(?), hole 3. Second putt from 45 feet as was third and fourth. Believe I had another short putt for 7 the more 40+ footers before finally making a 3 footer for 11. Followed that up with a 5 putt on 4 which did not seem so bad at the time. Consecutive holes with birdie putts of 25 feet combined length.... 10 over par for the two holes! Believe 3 players broke 80 that day.

[Wade Whitehead]

My kids and I spent the day watching the women on Thursday.

Very few of their shots around the green ended up short (rolling back to their feet, etc.).  A greater number of their misses ended up going over).

The relative lack of spin (compared, at least, to the men) means that their challenge is in keeping the ball from going too long.  The men seemed to struggle with imparting too much spin or coming up short (at least on short shots).

Interesting contrast.

WW

[Bill_McBride]

Anyone here ever had a putt for eagle and walked off with double bogey?

No. But has anyone here ever had a putt for a birdie 3 and walked off with a 10?

Ten years ago if I'm not mistaken!

[Mike Hendren]

Interesting that Wie is 93rd in fairways hit and Lee is 134th.  Perhaps they owe a bottle of fine wine to Bill and Ben. 

Bogey

[Gary Sato]

Interesting that Wie is 93rd in fairways hit and Lee is 134th.  Perhaps they owe a bottle of fine wine to Bill and Ben. 

Bogey

On Friday Wie hit 78% of the greens, 14/18 so maybe missing it in the right spot is not so penal.