Gut Check

[Tom_Doak]

I just got to watch a replay of the last two holes of yesterday’s Scottish Open at an airport bar at DFW.  (I’m stuck here for the night due to cancellations.)


I’d seen the highlights yesterday, but I couldn’t believe the replay.  On 18 tee, McIlroy backed off his drive twice, I think due to crowds running down toward the green, and then roped a draw into the edge of the fairway.


On his approach, he had 4-iron in hand, took his practice swing, though better of it, changed to the 2-iron, and hit a fade instead of a draw.


On his putt, after watching Tom Kim three-Jack from ten feet while waiting his turn, he backed off his address, regrouped, and rolled it in to win.


Has anyone here ever seen anyone back off all three shots while making birdie, to win anything?

[Matt Kardash]

That low cutting 2 iron on 18 was an all time shot. No doubt about it. Up there with the very best.

[David_Tepper]

As I said on another thread, the shots McIlroy and MacIntyre hit into the 18th green yesterday were two of the best 72nd hole pressure shots I have ever seen. And they were both hit from around 200 yards.

[Steve Holloway]

Reminds me of the 5 wood Padraig hit into the 17th at Birkdale an iconic shot that is burned into my memory.

[Ben Sims]

No, I can’t remember seeing that.


What’s more, though these guys hit fades all the time with driver, I can’t remember hardly anyone using a fade with a very low trajectory under pressure like that with an iron. Best ending to a tournament this year.

[David_Tepper]

Harrington's 5-wood on the 71st hole in the 2008 Open:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5sppcwJa6U

[David Wuthrich]

Tom,
I've been watching golf a long time and have never seen anyone back away from that many shots with spectaluar results!  Just shows what a zone he was in that Sunday!

[Niall C]

Personally I thought he hit a low draw, judging by the way it came into the green but could be wrong. Either way it looked like a fantastic manufactured/feel shot.


In terms of comparable shots, I'd nominate Paul Lawrie's 4 iron to four feet on the final hole of the play off for the 1999 Open at Carnoustie. Considering it had started raining and he could barely see the course through the gloom, not to mention the situation, then I think that takes some beating.


Niall

[Ben Sims]

Personally I thought he hit a low draw, judging by the way it came into the green but could be wrong. Either way it looked like a fantastic manufactured/feel shot.


In terms of comparable shots, I'd nominate Paul Lawrie's 4 iron to four feet on the final hole of the play off for the 1999 Open at Carnoustie. Considering it had started raining and he could barely see the course through the gloom, not to mention the situation, then I think that takes some beating.


Niall

Not sure if this is a media sharing issue, but here is a link off YouTube to a reverse angle of the shot. The way it screams off the face and then just hangs and falls into target was very impressive I thought. A draw seemed like the play based on where he was and his normal shot shape is typically a draw, if I remember correctly. To go against his normal shot shape under pressure was pretty ballsy.


https://youtube.com/shorts/sEJEyMDlCAY?feature=share

[John Kavanaugh]

It’s difficult to discount his performances closing tournaments in the last 10 years. Maybe he got lucky.


To make it about me. I only won one decent stroke play tournament in my life. Birdied the last three holes because it’s easier than holding a lead.

[Alex Miller]

Personally I thought he hit a low draw, judging by the way it came into the green but could be wrong. Either way it looked like a fantastic manufactured/feel shot.


In terms of comparable shots, I'd nominate Paul Lawrie's 4 iron to four feet on the final hole of the play off for the 1999 Open at Carnoustie. Considering it had started raining and he could barely see the course through the gloom, not to mention the situation, then I think that takes some beating.


Niall

Not sure if this is a media sharing issue, but here is a link off YouTube to a reverse angle of the shot. The way it screams off the face and then just hangs and falls into target was very impressive I thought. A draw seemed like the play based on where he was and his normal shot shape is typically a draw, if I remember correctly. To go against his normal shot shape under pressure was pretty ballsy.


https://youtube.com/shorts/sEJEyMDlCAY?feature=share

Wind was into off the right if I recall, so I believe he did in fact cut it up against the wind. Phenomenal shot!

[Jeff Schley]

Corey Pavin at the 95 Open.  He was a couple groups ahead of Norman/Lehman and nailed his 4 wood on 18.  He missed the putt, but he survived. I know he backed off his drive and took forever to hit his approach and putt.  However, I'm sure he wanted to be certain of everything under that pressure. Gut check for sure.

[David_Tepper]

"In terms of comparable shots, I'd nominate Paul Lawrie's 4 iron to four feet on the final hole of the play off for the 1999 Open at Carnoustie."

Niall -

Here is the video of Lawrie's shot in the 1999 Open:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTIdOaY6T1w

DT

[Thomas Dai]

Didn’t spot the pre-shot backing-off but seeing Driver followed by a long iron second shot even a cut-off knockdown one into a par-4 was very acceptable. Wish we got to see more of this type of play. Far too much Driver followed by short-iron/wedge these days.
As per 1 min 30 secs here, the second shot was left-to-right - [size=78%]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ0XHFwsmew[/size]
Atb

[Niall C]

Personally I thought he hit a low draw, judging by the way it came into the green but could be wrong. Either way it looked like a fantastic manufactured/feel shot.


In terms of comparable shots, I'd nominate Paul Lawrie's 4 iron to four feet on the final hole of the play off for the 1999 Open at Carnoustie. Considering it had started raining and he could barely see the course through the gloom, not to mention the situation, then I think that takes some beating.


Niall

Not sure if this is a media sharing issue, but here is a link off YouTube to a reverse angle of the shot. The way it screams off the face and then just hangs and falls into target was very impressive I thought. A draw seemed like the play based on where he was and his normal shot shape is typically a draw, if I remember correctly. To go against his normal shot shape under pressure was pretty ballsy.


https://youtube.com/shorts/sEJEyMDlCAY?feature=share

Wind was into off the right if I recall, so I believe he did in fact cut it up against the wind. Phenomenal shot!

Alex


You might be right but I really don't see how you can control a fade into that kind of wind and more pertinently get it running forward right to left.


Niall

[Matt Schoolfield]

You might be right but I really don't see how you can control a fade into that kind of wind and more pertinently get it running forward right to left.

I don't think a low fade would turn over like a high cut will. I'm pretty sure it would just push against the wind and land slightly angled to the right, with backspin, which could bounce it left on a firm green.

You can see it's a low fade clearly here with the shot tracer:

https://www.pgatour.com/pt/article/news/daily-wrapup/2023/07/16/rory-ccIlroy-finishes-with-back-to-back-birdies-to-win-genesis-scottish-open-robert-macintyre

The previous youtube clip makes it look like the majority of the right-to-left came from the green contour.

[David_Tepper]

https://scoregolf.com/opinion/rory-mcilroys-scottish-open-victory-showcased-the-beauty-of-links-golf/

[Dan_Callahan]

Has anyone here ever seen anyone back off all three shots while making birdie, to win anything?

I’ve got to believe Jim Furyk would qualify, since he backs off pretty much every shot he hits.

[Tom_Doak]

Didn’t spot the pre-shot backing-off but seeing Driver followed by a long iron second shot even a cut-off knockdown one into a par-4 was very acceptable. Wish we got to see more of this type of play. Far too much Driver followed by short-iron/wedge these days.

All it takes is a 500-yard par-4 playing directly into the teeth of a 35 MPH wind.


I believe the 18th at The Renaissance Club was the second-most difficult hole on Tour last year, behind the Road Hole at St. Andrews.  Without St. Andrews on the rota this year, I wonder if any hole will beat it.

[Mark Pearce]

Pretty sure it was a fade.  It certainly moved left to right.  The astonishing thing for me was how low he hit it.  I haven't been impressed by McIlroy in the wind before but here he really embraced the conditions and played some of the best golf we'll see this year.


Isn't it great when great ball striking is the factor which separates players in a tournament?  To see both first and second placed players play such great approaches to 18 in those conditions was thrilling.

[Thomas Dai]

Didn’t spot the pre-shot backing-off but seeing Driver followed by a long iron second shot even a cut-off knockdown one into a par-4 was very acceptable. Wish we got to see more of this type of play. Far too much Driver followed by short-iron/wedge these days.

All it takes is a 500-yard par-4 playing directly into the teeth of a 35 MPH wind.

Shame such circumstances only come about rarely and in severe weather conditions. With a ball rolled-back to the balata/1.68" era the strong against wind wouldn't be needed and we might see a whole load more shots of this type played by the elite players we see on TV.


A question Tom if I may. Did you ever consider laying out the 13th as say 320 yard or thereabout risk-n-reward drivable par-4?


atb

[Ben Stephens]

Pretty sure it was a fade.  It certainly moved left to right.  The astonishing thing for me was how low he hit it.  I haven't been impressed by McIlroy in the wind before but here he really embraced the conditions and played some of the best golf we'll see this year.


Isn't it great when great ball striking is the factor which separates players in a tournament?  To see both first and second placed players play such great approaches to 18 in those conditions was thrilling.

Rory and Rob both played a fade - the interesting thing when discussing with their caddies they originally had a shorter club with more loft and then decided to go to a longer club with less loft to 'keep the ball down and less backspin' both great shots on the 18th


Not sure if it is the best shots by a number of players approaching the 18th in a event compared with Langer and Lyle vs Nelson and Wadkins in Saturday afternoon fourballs on the 18th hole in 87 Ryder Cup

[Tom_Doak]

Pretty sure it was a fade.  It certainly moved left to right.  The astonishing thing for me was how low he hit it.  I haven't been impressed by McIlroy in the wind before but here he really embraced the conditions and played some of the best golf we'll see this year.

Me, too.  I remember very well when he first started winning majors he seemed so uncomfortable in the wind that many commentators believed The Open would be the hardest major for him to win.  I think that as he has been hanging around Tiger Woods more in recent years, he has come to relish being one of the best ball strikers on Tour, and is learning to run with it.


The shot was 100% a fade; in his post round interview he said because he had thrown out the 3-iron at the start of the week, he had to choose between a 4 with a draw, or a 2 with something taken off it.  Harry gave him the 4, but he didn't believe he could get it back to the hole, so he decided last minute to switch to the 2 and give it just a little fade to play it back into the slight right-to-left conditions.  I've never seen a "fade" take off that low, either.



MacIntyre's shot was the opposite, because he's left-handed . . . he was pretty far back and so far left off the tee he was playing straight into the teeth of the wind.  I did not see a shot tracer on it, but I the ball looked like it was coming from the RIGHT rough when it landed on the green.  That was a hell of a shot.

[Tom_Doak]

A question Tom if I may. Did you ever consider laying out the 13th as say 320 yard or thereabout risk-n-reward drivable par-4?

I really didn't, because the beach below the hole is also a public footpath -- part of the John Muir Way -- and it would be very dangerous to have golf balls missing left on a regular basis.  But I did notice that they moved the tee up on Sunday to our middle tee [50 yards forward] to give the big boys a whack at it, so there is someone on the European Tour who's thinking like you.  Good move for that wind, as otherwise they'd all be hitting mid irons from the tee.


What we did look at a couple of years ago was making the 15th hole a short par-4.  That's an awkward hole now; it is patched together from the original 12th and 13th, so the green really wasn't built for the current angle of approach -- it was a par-3 that came in more from the left.  And they've lengthened it so much that players can't really see any of the fairway bunkers from the tee.


But we are handcuffed with making changes to any green at The Renaissance Club because, unlike Augusta, the tournament is in mid-season and there's not enough time to rebuild a green after the tournament and have it be ready for the next one.  There just aren't enough growing months in Scotland.  The TOUR loves how consistent and pure those greens are [turf wise] and they do not want us to have one that doesn't play the same.


It's probably just as well; in the wind they had on Sunday, Rory would probably have been hitting that 2-iron to drive the 15th from 320.  Or maybe the 4?  The shot MacIntyre hit into that hole location on Sunday was a beauty; he deliberately laid back so he could play a lower trajectory shot that hopped over the little ridge in the green.  He really knows the course well.

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks for these insights and reasonings Tom. I was fortunate to play the course earlier this year and was very impressed.
atb