has anyone notice how all the top names on the PGA tour have been losing lately....vijay, phil....

I'd like to think it's all relative.

Losing? Like last place?

Or losing, as in didn't win and finished in second?

If it is the latter, I'm sure they could get over their disappoint fairly quickly -- they at least put themselves in a position to win. It probably doesn't hurt all that much, as those second place checks aren't exactly minuscule.

Well - I think there's a bit of a Tiger effect going on in your perception. We are now used to a guy on tour that (when he's not in the midst of a period of swing changes) is capable of winning close to half of the events he plays in. It seems so natural, and everyone's now used to it ... which makes it easy to forget that even for some of the best in the world (and certainly for the middle of the pack) winning even a single PGA Tour event is a major achievement. You play golf for four days, and half to beat 150+ of some of the best golfers in the world.

Leaving Tiger aside, "best" means that you're in the top ten a lot of the time, rarely miss cuts, and consistantly win 1 or 2 tournaments a year. (3 or 4 if you're having a good year, maybe 5 if you're having a spectacular year). And that's considering that most of these guys play 20 (or even 25) tourneys a year.

Having this bizzarre anomoly called Tiger in there - who can win 7 out of 15 events he enters - really skews expectations I think. Truth is, the top names on the PGA have always lost most of the time.

I mean, slipping up when the tournament is right there for the taking (vijay and phil losing in the playoffs)

Lets go QUINNEY...I am sure he will choke with this kind of pressure right now.

Ahh, I see.

Well, I guess you could summarize it by saying you can't win them all. Even Tiger can't.

Veej had it tough. I can only imagine what it is like to be fighting swing changes when you're in contention. It's gotta be horrifying when it goes awry.

Its only a feeling but honestly I do not think Phil is sharp yet I just do not think his game is hitting all eight cylnders yet he had a chance to win two weekls ago and this week as well.

Its funny everyone talks about Tiger and how superior he is to everyone else, well then comes Phil and who exactly is close to him right now. Its like you have two gaps among top players.

I have no idea what Tiger will do this year but I see Phil winning four or five times and at least one major should be interesting.


Note I suggest this and I am not sure he will win today.

I'm of the opinion that losing in a sudden death play-off doesn't mean that you bottled it!

Phil and Vijay were effectively joint winners of those tournaments and both should be happy with the performance this early on in the season. Would the results have been different if they played an 18-hole playoff or a 4-hole mini playoff ala the Open - who knows, but i think both those options or even having a count back system is a fairer option than sudden death.

although i think that tiger has drastically changed the perception of what a "good" player does on a regular basis, i have to say that players such as phil, vijay, and ernie have not had that same level of consistent success that are used to seeing. that being said, i think tiger's level of dominance has had some kind of mental affect on these other players.

Looks like Phil will pull it out at Riveria.

All players are losing Weight!!!!! Other than that yes, I agree with your statement, but as I am typing this, Phil Mickelson is on pace to win the Northern Trust Open.

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Mickelson bucks the trend I fancy...

Somebody pry Quinneys hands from his throat . If not for some miraculous putting early this was never a contest. Seriously did you see that putt on 17 that was ugly.


I will say it again I think Phil is going to have a huge year this year. In fairness I feel the same for Tiger.

I just hope it comes down to the two of them a lot. Honestly I think Phil in some ways has as much talent he is just not as smart.

I agree with half of your statement. Phil does have as much talent as Tiger, or is very close. But I think Phil sometimes is TOO smart, and over analyzes things too much. His intelligence hurts him sometimes.

For whatever you say or think about Phil, he will go down as the 2nd best player of his generation. Not too bad I think.

Not only that, but with another major or two...he'll be the 2nd best player of his generation by a wide margin. That's quite an accomplishment when your generation has the guy that's makes himself #2 all time before his 30th birthday.

Um ... hate to say it, but I don't think Phil is second best by a wide margin - in fact, I'm not even sure I agree that he is second best - Vijay is. Vij didn't do much last year, and Phil is a lot flashier (and has louder fans) ... but according to the numbers ... remember there has only been one golfer that had the #1 ranking (other than Tiger) during the Tiger era. Vijay ... the only one that has actually had a "Tiger" season (he won 9 tournaments in 2004 - no one else has come close to hitting the level Tiger plays at. Probably no one wil for an entire career, but Vija did hit that level for an entire season).

And just a cursory view of the stats (from the PGA website) tells a story:

Total earnings:
Phil: $47MM
Vijay: $55MM

Total 1st Place finishes:
Phil: 33
Vijay: 31

(And Vijay also plays a lot more outside the US - he's actually got a total of 55 career wins).

Top 10 Finishes:
Phil: 133
Vijay: 158

Majors won:
Phil: 3
Vijay: 3

It is not a slam dunk for Vijay - Phil is clearly up there, and might arguably be second - but there's also no way one can say that he is 2nd by a large margin.

Well, I said "with another major or two". Vijay and Phil are pretty evenly locked in at #2 right now. I currently give Phil the slight edge but can see the other side of the argument. I think it's clear that Phil has more good golf left in him than Vijay. So, when it's all said and done, he'll be AT LEAST the clear cut #2 and will create a fairly sizable gap, IMO.

Two years ago I would agree with you , but as Phil continues to get better VJ is on the downward spiral in my opinion and this new swing I do not think will help him