5. When Tiger beat up on Scott
Golf Channel’s Nick Menta…”Scott was working with swing coach Butch Harmon shortly after turning pro, and Woods was stopping by Rio Secco on his way to Pebble Beach.”
- “It was the Sunday before the week of the U.S. Open,” Scott said.
- “He closed me out on the 14th, but he double bogeyed the 9th for 63, and I was a bit blown away by what I saw. It was quite windy, and I thought I played quite well. Probably shot about even par and I was nine off the pace. I made probably a throwaway comment to Butch, something like, ‘Maybe I should reconsider turning pro?’
- “The only thing that made me feel good was he won the U.S. Open by 15 the next week, so I was quite happy to see that no one else really played like that.”
Full piece.
6. Is Rory right?
Alistair Tait thinks he might be…”Although there are still tournaments left to play on this year’s European schedule, average winning totals are two shots easier than Rory’s first full European Tour season of 2008. The average winning total 11 years ago was 272. It’s 270 this year. Ditto for shots under par. Sixteen under is the average winning tally, while it was 14 under in 2008.”
- “Rory was right to feel miffed at finishing T-26 for 15 under in the Alfred Dunhill. He’d have finished higher with that score every year going back to 2008. In fact, 15 under would have won in 2008, and earned him a playoff last year. It would have put him in the top 10, including five top fives, every year except 2013 when he would have placed T-24.”
Full piece.
7. Na the humble?
PGATour.com’s Ben Everill quoting Kevin Na…“I’m not afraid to make fun of myself. Some of these things, you have to be able to own up to it,” Na says.
- “Making a 16, it can happen to anybody. I’ve had the yips. … that can also happen to anybody. Because I have been so open about it, I think a lot of people have come to me asking for advice and I love trying to help people where I can.
- “It’s important that you are not a person that digs a hole of negativity that you ultimately struggle to get out of. Be open about things. Talk about it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
8. Eye of the Tiger test
Golf Digest’s Peter Morrice…Tiger discusses the subject of trying new equipment in Episode 7 of his “My Game: Tiger Woods'” video series, by GOLFTV and Golf Digest. “A club may perform better than what I have, but if I’m fighting the way it looks, and I have to rely on it on the 72nd hole of a tournament,” Tiger says, “I’m probably not going to give it a chance.”
Tiger talks about having 50 drivers sent to him when he’s considering a change, and his process of eliminating most of them to find a few keepers. First impressions matter to Tiger; in fact, his eye test is the critical first step. “It has to look good, then after that it has to perform at my expectations,” Tiger says. “If it’s not doing those two things, then it’s just not in.”
9. Baseball-golf parallel?
An interesting point from Geoff Shackelford…”Baseball and golf’s launch-angle focus has introduced safety issues in baseball, longer games and a less interesting version of the sport to watch. Similar parallels can be seen in golf. And yet…”
“Craig Calcaterra reports that in a record year for home runs, baseball saw its lowest attendance in sixteen years. While his focus on the price of attending games is no doubt part of the problem, the thirst to see home runs has not been enough to offset the economics. Sound familiar?”
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