bobsuruncle
Jun 20 2009, 08:46 PM
There has been a lot of negative comments on this board about this year's edition of the US Open. I don't want to add to it being the "stupidest ever", "most boring to watch", etc.
I do want to say that I believe this year's edition will produce a result which is by no means a "true & fair" test of golf. I will split the groups into two - Thursday morning ("TM") and Thursday afternoon ("TA"). Usually, conditions are favourable in the mornings (softer), and get harder in the afternoons (dry & fast). So the TM group plays on Friday afternoon and the TA group plays on Friday morning. Over two rounds, on aggregate no grouping should be disadvantaged before deciding the cut line.
The 2009 US Open has become a lottery. In Round 1 the TM group averaged 2.0-2.5 shots more than the TA group. Then they got the worse of the conditions for their Round 2 on Saturday afternoon. I haven't seen the stats for Round 2 but if it was the same as per Round 1, then the TM group has given up 4-5 shots to the TA group.
Any golf tournament is won by 1 shot, what more a major. To give away 4-5 shots because of the luck of the draw for tee times and getting the worse of the weather for two rounds, is not a "true & fair" reflection or test of a golfers ability against his peers under the same (or at least similar) playing conditions.
I'm not blaming the USGA for the weather obviously. All I'm saying is that the result of the 2009 US Open WILL BE UNFAIR as half the field were effectively "eliminated" by virtue of the lottery of their tee times.
chadman
Jun 20 2009, 08:46 PM
word
akon
Jun 20 2009, 08:51 PM
I was curious to see the difference in scoring average for round 2 also. It seemed to me that the Tiger half had the same great conditions for their front 9 and outside off Lee Westwood no one took advantage. Some good shots, but no one was converting. When it started to lightly rain on the second nine, it seemed like the field actually started to score.
afbrad1113
Jun 20 2009, 08:53 PM
Golf is played outside. It's not always perfect outside. Luck of the draw? Absolutely. But very few tournaments don't have a little luck involved on the side of the leaders.
HoosierGolfer
Jun 20 2009, 08:56 PM
QUOTE (afbrad1113 @ Jun 20 2009, 09:53 PM)

Golf is played outside. It's not always perfect outside. Luck of the draw? Absolutely. But very few tournaments don't have a little luck involved on the side of the leaders.
+2. Nothing can be done when Mother Nature plays her hand. The course played the same for everyone.
armydiver
Jun 20 2009, 09:00 PM
Still a long way to go. The cream will rise to the top.
DEGOINS
Jun 20 2009, 09:25 PM
I agree it's alot of luck but this is BS! That first round weather was absolute crap and the USGA knew it was coming and should have pulled the plug before the guys basically threw the open away by giving up as many shots as they did. Instead of letting the second round guys do two rounds back to back the guys that had to play in the slop should have been allowed to start their rounds yesterday and finished up this morning and then let the other guys start. That way both groups would have played in crappy weather.
55spy
Jun 20 2009, 09:37 PM
QUOTE (CallawayOnly @ Jun 21 2009, 10:56 AM)

QUOTE (afbrad1113 @ Jun 20 2009, 09:53 PM)

Golf is played outside. It's not always perfect outside. Luck of the draw? Absolutely. But very few tournaments don't have a little luck involved on the side of the leaders.
+2. Nothing can be done when Mother Nature plays her hand. The course played the same for everyone.
It is played outside and open to the elements and as will always have the possibility of its influence, but honestly the course did NOT play the same for everyone. The bad weather happened to line up with the group rotation, bad luck but it will influence the outcome of the event.
DefConOne
Jun 20 2009, 09:49 PM
the "luck of the draw" happens in many golf tournaments. it is what it is and every pro has had their share of the draw both good and bad.
discounting the performance of ricky barnes is just bad form.
i'm enjoying the coverage and look forward to watching more tomorrow.
Bomb and Gouge
Jun 20 2009, 09:53 PM
'Unfair'?
C'est la vie!
kitsoasis
Jun 20 2009, 10:10 PM
Weather plays a part in pretty much all outdoor sports, it's just how the cookie crumbles.
italianstallion
Jun 20 2009, 10:16 PM
Bad luck, absolutely. Factor in the scores? Absolutely. Unfair because of it? Absolutely not. Guys who have early morning tee times sometimes beat the bad weather that later times have to deal with, and vice versa. Luck of the draw.
And I followed ricky for about 5 holes on Friday because not alot of people were following his group. He's a great player.
BDLz
Jun 20 2009, 10:18 PM
QUOTE (DEGOINS @ Jun 20 2009, 09:25 PM)

I agree it's alot of luck but this is BS! That first round weather was absolute crap and the USGA knew it was coming and should have pulled the plug before the guys basically threw the open away by giving up as many shots as they did. Instead of letting the second round guys do two rounds back to back the guys that had to play in the slop should have been allowed to start their rounds yesterday and finished up this morning and then let the other guys start. That way both groups would have played in crappy weather.
Exception to the "rule"......... Tiger gave away all of his shots under good conditions Friday morning when he went +4 on his last 4 holes.
BDLz
italianstallion
Jun 20 2009, 10:21 PM
QUOTE (BDLz @ Jun 20 2009, 11:18 PM)

QUOTE (DEGOINS @ Jun 20 2009, 09:25 PM)

I agree it's alot of luck but this is BS! That first round weather was absolute crap and the USGA knew it was coming and should have pulled the plug before the guys basically threw the open away by giving up as many shots as they did. Instead of letting the second round guys do two rounds back to back the guys that had to play in the slop should have been allowed to start their rounds yesterday and finished up this morning and then let the other guys start. That way both groups would have played in crappy weather.
Exception to the "rule"......... Tiger gave away all of his shots under good conditions Friday morning when he went +4 on his last 4 holes.
BDLz
EXACTLY right. No excuse there
tjy355
Jun 20 2009, 11:13 PM
QUOTE (bobsuruncle @ Jun 20 2009, 06:46 PM)

...
I'm not blaming the USGA for the weather obviously. All I'm saying is that the result of the 2009 US Open WILL BE UNFAIR as half the field were effectively "eliminated" by virtue of the lottery of their tee times.
Ok, so how would you have done it differently ?
DFinch
Jun 21 2009, 12:07 AM
Fact: Everyone who teed off early Thurs was at a disadvantage to the remainder of the field, including Tiger.
Opinion: If Tiger hadn't been included in that group, nobody would care. It's golf, it's outdoors, weather often results in "unfair" playing conditions that change throughout the day. I was hoping to see Tiger have another great major victory...I think Weir is my pick at this point.
MAK2525
Jun 21 2009, 12:54 AM
Golf is a game where the elements (rain, wind, excessive heat, etc.)play a factor. To state this U.S.Open will not have a true & fair result is just sour grapes, and insulting to all the players from that group that are contending. It's the luck of the draw, and even though the early draw was at a slight disadvantage, it evens out over time. Does anyone remember the Players a couple of years back? The Thurs AM. / Friday PM guys got ALL the bad weather, whereas the Thurs PM / Friday AM guys were playing a different course. There have been many Open Championships decided by the elements in regards to the draw!
It happens, and whoever wins this tournament will be the U.S. Open Champion for 2009 - No Asterisk necessary! I agree with D. Finch, this would not even be a thread if Tiger was not part of the Thursday group. He gave up a lot of strokes that had NOTHING to do with the weather.
yoonie
Jun 21 2009, 12:56 AM
I love golf more than anything- ANYTHING- but I would still say, if want "true and fair", golf is not the right place to look.
charlesdupuy
Jun 21 2009, 01:19 AM
It's not the first and certainly won't be the last major where the weather makes it better for some than others, at Birkdale last year Thrusday morning was horrific, but come the afternoon the guys were able to get it round under par. Also at the Open in 2007 Sunday morning was the coldest and wettest I have ever been but by the time the leading players went out it brightened up and they could score, it was thrilling golf but you have to feeel for the guys who were out in the morning trying to inflate their pay cheque and earn some ranking points.
Davidb27
Jun 21 2009, 02:34 AM
To be honest, I could care less about what's fair to these players or not, not like I feel any sympathy for any of them considering the lifestyle and money they make. Having said that, I certainly don't like the fact that some these players that got a bad draw are basically out of contention after two rounds. Not from a sympathy standpoint, but from a viewing standpoint. I like to watch Tiger Woods as much as anyone else.
The USGA ought to be fully blamed for coming back to a venue that is obviously prone to getting a ton of rain every year in June. One time maybe bad luck, twice and someone screwed up. This course over the past three days has looked at times like some tropical jungle monsoon I've seen on the history channel. I am sick of all this New York bias nonsense about how great this course is, how great the fans are, how great the greenskeepers are. Sorry, I don't care. All I know is i've watched, or tried to watch, this Open and the one in 2002 and all i've seen is a mosh pit at best.
Here's the truth even if nobody wants to say it, this Open s-cks. It's the worst Open I've seen so far in 25 yrs of watching golf from almost every standpoint. What tournament in history could eliminate Tiger Woods just cause of the draw? Answer, none, except this one. Seems to me these downpours are not uncommon as they sure seem to have a hundred of those squeegee's ready on call.
This tournament has been a fiasco so far and while no one is at fault directly, I'm sure not going to sit here and buy into all the network's bs on how grateful we should all be that this course has been playable for 1 1/2 out of 3 days.
avrag
Jun 21 2009, 03:03 AM
QUOTE (charlesdupuy @ Jun 21 2009, 07:19 AM)

It's not the first and certainly won't be the last major where the weather makes it better for some than others, at Birkdale last year Thrusday morning was horrific, but come the afternoon the guys were able to get it round under par. Also at the Open in 2007 Sunday morning was the coldest and wettest I have ever been but by the time the leading players went out it brightened up and they could score, it was thrilling golf but you have to feeel for the guys who were out in the morning trying to inflate their pay cheque and earn some ranking points.
Very true. Pebble Beach in 2000 was another example for such circumstances. At that time, the half of the field, in which Tiger was had a lot better conditions than the rest on Thursday and Friday. Golf will always be this way.
And this year, Lee Westwood and Steve Stricker showed that it was possible to keep themselves in contention despite the conditions.
If there is one thing to criticize, it is the stubbornness of the USGA to stick with their starting order despite of the weather. They could have gone A-B-A-B instead of A-B-B-A and this way they would have finished the first two rounds earlier.
bobsuruncle
Jun 21 2009, 03:38 AM
Thanks. Great replies all round.
People, I'm not blaming anyone here. The weather is the weather. And this is an outdoor game, so yes - cie la vie.
But to continue the thread and respond to some of the comments:
1. TW lost 4 shots in good weather. Not disputing this fact. But let's consider this. If I played continuously in fair weather for 18 holes, I'd sure as hell shoot better than if I played start and stop (waiting in the club house for hours on end, only to be called out to play without warming up first, etc) because I would be building momentum as I went along.
2. Westwood and Stricker showed you could be in contention. BUT you cannot win because you've basically "spotted" some guys 4 or 5 shots, and the winning margin is 1 shot. I had no idea the PGA Tour was like a weekend nassau and the pros gave each other extra shots based on their different handicaps!
3. Could the USGA have done better or differently? Yes, they could have chosen a different venue. It's like saying - when I plan my summer beach holidays I like to plan to go somewhere where the chances of rain is high. Err, what the ...? Do that once, fine. Do it again and your wife won't even let you plan when you want to take the garbage out.
In closing, no one here is saying this tournament is a TRUE and FAIR test. And that's all I was asserting.
hoganboy
Jun 21 2009, 04:34 AM
QUOTE (Davidb27 @ Jun 21 2009, 08:34 AM)

To be honest, I could care less about what's fair to these players or not, not like I feel any sympathy for any of them considering the lifestyle and money they make. Having said that, I certainly don't like the fact that some these players that got a bad draw are basically out of contention after two rounds. Not from a sympathy standpoint, but from a viewing standpoint. I like to watch Tiger Woods as much as anyone else.
The USGA ought to be fully blamed for coming back to a venue that is obviously prone to getting a ton of rain every year in June. One time maybe bad luck, twice and someone screwed up. This course over the past three days has looked at times like some tropical jungle monsoon I've seen on the history channel. I am sick of all this New York bias nonsense about how great this course is, how great the fans are, how great the greenskeepers are. Sorry, I don't care. All I know is i've watched, or tried to watch, this Open and the one in 2002 and all i've seen is a mosh pit at best.
Here's the truth even if nobody wants to say it, this Open s-cks. It's the worst Open I've seen so far in 25 yrs of watching golf from almost every standpoint. What tournament in history could eliminate Tiger Woods just cause of the draw? Answer, none, except this one. Seems to me these downpours are not uncommon as they sure seem to have a hundred of those squeegee's ready on call.
This tournament has been a fiasco so far and while no one is at fault directly, I'm sure not going to sit here and buy into all the network's bs on how grateful we should all be that this course has been playable for 1 1/2 out of 3 days.
Your memory ain't very good, Tiger caught the worst of the weather in 2002 in the Open at Muirfield. Blew away his chances, calmed down after he finished and allowd players to pick up a score.
In every golf tournament there is always an element of luck with the draw and tee times. But what else you gonna do, wait until you have the same weather forecast for 4 days in a row.
tigerhank
Jun 21 2009, 06:49 AM
We have a saying here, well one of my mates does "if the dog didn't stop for a s*** he would have caught the rabbit". Isn't weather conditions part of the game we play. ???????????????????
seamusthemick
Jun 21 2009, 06:52 AM
I think an A-B-A-B start time setup would have been fairest for the competitors( as opposed to A-B-B-A), but I don't know that there is any precedence for manipulating tee times mid-tournament. I was thinking that the USGA was hesitant not to change the tee times because that would have caused an s***storm with people saying the USGA was doing it to benefit certain players, most notably Tiger. But in looking at the start times for the third round why are guys at +1 teeing off first? Shouldn't it be the guys at +4, who just made the cut, teeing off first? So what I'm seeing is the USGA not changing the tee times when it made the most sense (between 1st and 2nd rounds,) but changing tee times when it seems to make no sense (between 2nd and 3rd rounds.)
Samsquanch
Jun 21 2009, 06:55 AM
This happens all the time when the British Open is played and many other tournaments.
tjy355
Jun 21 2009, 10:02 AM
Seems like many of the comments indicate the posters have perfect 20-20 hindsight.
Some points:
- The area has received an unprecedented amount of rain in the past month. Rain 18 out of 20 days in the month of June. 6+ inches in the past 3 weeks. The ground is saturated and there is no where for additional water to go. The assertions that this is normal weather or this should have been anticipated when the venue was chosen 6 years ago is just foolish.
- Tiger Woods is where he is because he is playing for sh*t, not because of bad luck of the draw.
hoganboy
Jun 21 2009, 10:08 AM
QUOTE (seamusthemick @ Jun 21 2009, 12:52 PM)

I think an A-B-A-B start time setup would have been fairest for the competitors( as opposed to A-B-B-A), but I don't know that there is any precedence for manipulating tee times mid-tournament. I was thinking that the USGA was hesitant not to change the tee times because that would have caused an s***storm with people saying the USGA was doing it to benefit certain players, most notably Tiger. But in looking at the start times for the third round why are guys at +1 teeing off first? Shouldn't it be the guys at +4, who just made the cut, teeing off first? So what I'm seeing is the USGA not changing the tee times when it made the most sense (between 1st and 2nd rounds,) but changing tee times when it seems to make no sense (between 2nd and 3rd rounds.)
The +1 are going before +3 because of the two tee start for the 3rd round. Players in 1st to 30th position go off no 1 and 31st to 60th go off 10. So they have followed normal procedure if using 2 tees start for rounds 3 or 4
MAK2525
Jun 21 2009, 10:26 AM
QUOTE (bobsuruncle @ Jun 21 2009, 04:38 AM)

Thanks. Great replies all round.
People, I'm not blaming anyone here. The weather is the weather. And this is an outdoor game, so yes - cie la vie.
In closing, no one here is saying this tournament is a TRUE and FAIR test. And that's all I was asserting.
Are you by any chance an attorney?
The reason I ask is because only an attorney could come to the above conclusion, when the 25 plus responses are just about evenly split on whether or not it is a "Fair & True" test?
3whacker
Jun 21 2009, 10:42 AM
By US Open and USGA standards the course will not yield the venue they were looking for, but remember back to the US Open at Pebble that Tom Kite won where the course got away from them and made Pebble unfair and almost unplayable....Golf is not always fair no matter how much the rules try to make it...Cant control Mother Nature
But the winner will be a deserving one because they will have beat the field on the course that is provided
midasmulligan2000
Jun 21 2009, 11:03 AM
QUOTE (afbrad1113 @ Jun 20 2009, 09:53 PM)

Golf is played outside. It's not always perfect outside. Luck of the draw? Absolutely. But very few tournaments don't have a little luck involved on the side of the leaders.
Well, obviously there's always some luck, and random factors involved in a sport where the players play outdoors for 4-5 hours a day, over the course of four days. I think what people are talking about is a matter of degree, not kind. Yeah, greens are always different in the afternoon than they are in the morning. Some morning get windy, then the wind dies down in the afternoon. But many tournaments are played with the weather conditions being
mostly the same for most players. It does appear obvious that he random factor is a much bigger factor this weekend than it is in most tournaments.
After two rounds, all of one (I think) player in the group that had to start Thursday morning is under par. The rest of the top of the leaderboard are from the group that got to start on Friday (they simply got to play a much higher number of holes during the day with the best conditions - and have had to play almost no holes under the extreme end of adverse conditions). I think the leaderboard would look much different if they had cancelled Thursday, and Started the thing Fiday (i.e., the group doing worst right now would have instead had the most holes on Friday).
I don't think anything can be done about this. There's no such thing as "fair" or "unfair" when you talk about outdoor sports. It is what it is ... but there's just something weird about this tournament.
fua1
Jun 21 2009, 11:08 AM
Golf is not supposed to be fair. You hit it in the fairway and its in a divot. You hit it in the rough and it is sitting up like it is on a tee. The draw is the same way, sometimes you catch a break, sometimes you do not. Fair has nothing to do with golf. Golf is about how the golfer deals with the breaks, good or bad. The winner will get a deserved championship, period.
Davidb27
Jun 21 2009, 11:23 AM
QUOTE
Your memory ain't very good, Tiger caught the worst of the weather in 2002 in the Open at Muirfield. Blew away his chances, calmed down after he finished and allowd players to pick up a score.
In every golf tournament there is always an element of luck with the draw and tee times. But what else you gonna do, wait until you have the same weather forecast for 4 days in a row.
Did you respond to the right person? I don't get how your response relates to what I said. In the movie Goodfellas, Joe Pesci is in the restaurant and says: "What the &$!% does 468 have to do with 352? "468 ain't even close to 352, what the $#%$ are you talking about? ha My point in my first post was while I do not think this is a true & fair test, (because of the weather) I sure do not think Tiger Woods or anyone got a raw deal. That's the way it goes and the USGA in my opinion is doing the best they can considering the circumstances.
Frankly my post was 20/20 hindsight and i know I was being irrational saying the USGA picked a bad venue. Just venting because it's been a big disappointment so far and there is no one to blame, so i picked on the biggest person, the USGA.
seamusthemick
Jun 21 2009, 11:27 AM
QUOTE (hoganboy @ Jun 21 2009, 11:08 AM)

QUOTE (seamusthemick @ Jun 21 2009, 12:52 PM)

I think an A-B-A-B start time setup would have been fairest for the competitors( as opposed to A-B-B-A), but I don't know that there is any precedence for manipulating tee times mid-tournament. I was thinking that the USGA was hesitant not to change the tee times because that would have caused an s***storm with people saying the USGA was doing it to benefit certain players, most notably Tiger. But in looking at the start times for the third round why are guys at +1 teeing off first? Shouldn't it be the guys at +4, who just made the cut, teeing off first? So what I'm seeing is the USGA not changing the tee times when it made the most sense (between 1st and 2nd rounds,) but changing tee times when it seems to make no sense (between 2nd and 3rd rounds.)
The +1 are going before +3 because of the two tee start for the 3rd round. Players in 1st to 30th position go off no 1 and 31st to 60th go off 10. So they have followed normal procedure if using 2 tees start for rounds 3 or 4
Thought I might be missing something. In that case I got no complaints with the tee time setup. Luck of the draw/rub of the grain whatev you want to call it sometimes it benefits you sometimes it kicks you in the change purse.
scores
Jun 21 2009, 12:16 PM
I have been on both ends of the draw in amateur events its just tough ....!! or good luck Barnes, Glover they are swinging the club really well also others..
Mickelson, Woods are not swing'ing the cluab as well as these other guys..Last year woods hit some wayward shots where he could see his ball that is not going to happen on this course. He needs to play like he did in 2002...
Barnes big strong kid that can play..I love watching Woods play but its just does not look like it is his week.
havenrab
Jun 21 2009, 12:40 PM
Heads Up Tiger Lovers.... Anyone notice that that Mr. Woods has missed 8 putts inside of 6 feet for bogey or pars during this tournnament. Thats the real reason he's not in contention. In addition to his lack luster ball striking which every one said was a thing of the past last week. Get over it. I love what the guy has done for golf but IMO I think the quality of the of the tour has greatly increased.
Giantbear
Jun 21 2009, 12:44 PM
QUOTE (havenrab @ Jun 21 2009, 01:40 PM)

Heads Up Tiger Lovers.... Anyone notice that that Mr. Woods has missed 8 putts inside of 6 feet for bogey or pars during this tournnament. Thats the real reason he's not in contention. In addition to his lack luster ball striking which every one said was a thing of the past last week. Get over it. I love what the guy has done for golf but IMO I think the quality of the of the tour has greatly increased.
The quality of the tour does not make him miss short putts or swing irratically. I think his new swing is not as reliable as his old and that we as fans sometimes expect too much of Tiger. He can't win them all.
mat562
Jun 21 2009, 01:01 PM
QUOTE (afbrad1113 @ Jun 21 2009, 02:53 AM)

Golf is played outside. It's not always perfect outside. Luck of the draw? Absolutely. But very few tournaments don't have a little luck involved on the side of the leaders.
The textbook answer. The winner may or may not have had some luck via the draw sheet by the time things come to a close, but it won't be the first time it's happened in a weather-delayed tournament or championship and it won't be the last.
The only thing that
is certain is that mother nature didn't hit any of the 270-odd shots for him. The trophy is all down to his own efforts - whether or not it was raining when he was hitting the majority of them.
havenrab
Jun 21 2009, 01:02 PM
I was'nt implying that the quality of the players are making him miss those putts. I was stating that he can't miss those putts and expect to play well anywhere. You basically restated the point again. Listen, the guy was more consistent and in 2000 and just won't admit it which disapoints me. Maybe a little of the subject here but has anyone noticed since they started tigerproofing augusta that he hasn't really won there. Just wondering
bobsuruncle
Jun 22 2009, 04:09 AM
1. I am not a lawyer, and I reached the conclusion that this year's Open is not true & fair bcoz the replies that were not supportive of the assertion stated that as an outdoor sports, true & fair is not always part and parcel of the game - i.e. they didn't say it was true & fair, they said it didn't matter that it wasn't true & fair. Ok, now I sound like a lawyer!
2. Wrt luck always being a factor e.g. good drives end up in a divot, bad drives sit up on the rough like a teed ball, ball headed to OB hits a tree or spectator and lands in middle of fairway, ball hits flag stick and either drops into hole or gets kicked 30 feet away, putts that lip in or out, etc. Yes, those sorts of lucky "shots" do happen but I'm guessing that it accounts for less than 10 shots per 270-280 shot tournament. That's much less than 5% and accountants call that "immaterial". When 2 rounds or 50% of your game is exposed to the "luck" element, then it becomes "material". As someone else mentioned, its the "degree" of the luck factor in this event.
3. I couldn't care less if this happened week in and week out on the PGA Tour. I do however, care that it happens for 4 tournaments a year - the Majors.
4. I'm not feeling sorry for any of these overpaid golfers. I feel sorry for us fans / spectators. For 4 tournaments a year, I want to watch the best players in the world going toe-to-toe, right down to the wire under good / fair weather conditions which allows them to show off (and for me to watch) their skills. When some of the best or in-form players are eliminated by the weather, or just make it to the weekend but are so far back as to be irrelevant, then the event loses some appeal to me. Here are some examples of guys who would "normally" have been playing the weekend but for the weather - world #3 Paul Casey, 2-time winner in 2009 Zach Johnson, 2-time winner in 2009 Brian Gay, John Merrick...
5. I care less which of them won at the end of the day (so this is not a TW fan issue as some may allude to). In the end, this (let's call it spectator satisfaction) is missing from this year's Open. Kudos to Barnes and Glover for taking full advantage of their "lucky break" and having a good golf week.
italian71
Jun 22 2009, 07:29 AM
Life is not "true and fair" so get over it. If you have a problem with the weather, call Al Gore.
larrybud
Jun 22 2009, 07:31 AM
QUOTE (Davidb27 @ Jun 21 2009, 03:34 AM)

Here's the truth even if nobody wants to say it, this Open s-cks. It's the worst Open I've seen so far in 25 yrs of watching golf from almost every standpoint. What tournament in history could eliminate Tiger Woods just cause of the draw? Answer, none, except this one. Seems to me these downpours are not uncommon as they sure seem to have a hundred of those squeegee's ready on call.
This tournament has been a fiasco so far and while no one is at fault directly, I'm sure not going to sit here and buy into all the network's bs on how grateful we should all be that this course has been playable for 1 1/2 out of 3 days.
So it's a fiasco because Tiger just happened to get a bad draw?
Hell, why even allow anybody outside the top 20 in the world play in this thing? I mean, if one of them wins, it clearly isn't "fair".
lagwagon23
Jun 22 2009, 07:30 AM
QUOTE (italian71 @ Jun 22 2009, 06:29 AM)

Life is not "true and fair" so get over it.
Williams5203
Jun 22 2009, 07:38 AM
IMO, the only unfair portion would be the players that had to go off in the morning on Thursday and played several holes in the slop, eg. Tiger. His second shot into #7 looked like it was hit from a mud puddle. With that said, he did manage to give away four shots on Friday with not ideal at that point, the course was still soaked, but fair conditions.
The only reason we are hearing all this "unfair" talk is because Tiger was on that side of the draw, and the sad part is, if he does anything with his putter all week, he is coasting to major #15 by now, This is one of the worst putting weeks I can remember him having.
Davidb27
Jun 22 2009, 12:27 PM
QUOTE (larrybud @ Jun 22 2009, 05:31 AM)

So it's a fiasco because Tiger just happened to get a bad draw?
Hell, why even allow anybody outside the top 20 in the world play in this thing? I mean, if one of them wins, it clearly isn't "fair".
That post of mine was out of frustration after the first couple days. Turned to be a pretty decent Open considering the incredibly horrid weather and all the delays. I actually believe the player that played the best overall, regardless of the draw or weather, won the tournament.
And my Tiger reference sure didn't come out right. I can't stand the guy and could care less if he got the bad side of the draw. My only point was that a lot of top players had that draw and most of them never got back on track. That's golf, just seemed disappointing from an entertainment standpoint.
I hear ya and I agree with your response.
Bones01gt
Jun 22 2009, 12:33 PM
NO WAY!!! The guys who went off early on thursday in a monsoon and finished on friday morning in the worst of the slop got shafted by the USGA. They single handedly cut the field in half.
DH48
Jun 22 2009, 12:49 PM
QUOTE (Bones01gt @ Jun 22 2009, 01:33 PM)

NO WAY!!! The guys who went off early on thursday in a monsoon and finished on friday morning in the worst of the slop got shafted by the USGA. They single handedly cut the field in half.
I don't think the USGA shafted anyone. The weather screwed with the tournament and some guys got the worst luck this year. What were they supposed to do postpone it for a week? The forecast for Saturday was totally different on Thursday than it was Friday night.
It sucks and I think it made the tournament less exciting. I know I didn't get as much into it. I played golf on Saturday afternoon and when I came into the clubhouse it took nearly 30 minutes for people to agree on what round they were actually on.
DH
bobsuruncle
Jun 22 2009, 01:21 PM
QUOTE (italian71 @ Jun 22 2009, 08:29 AM)

Life is not "true and fair" so get over it. If you have a problem with the weather, call Al Gore.
QUOTE (DH48 @ Jun 22 2009, 01:49 PM)

I don't think the USGA shafted anyone. The weather screwed with the tournament and some guys got the worst luck this year. ...
It sucks and I think it made the tournament less exciting. I know I didn't get as much into it. ...
DH
1. No one is saying life is "true & fair". However, a golf tournament, like any sporting event, should be a "true & fair" test. How many of us would want to watch a Wimbledon match with one player having one hand tied behind his back? It's better to watch a closely fought 5 setter, all the better if all 5 sets went to a tie-breaker, than a 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 whitewash.
2. Also, I reiterate, as a spectator, I expected a lot more from watching a major tournament. I expected to watch 120+ players with the chance of winning the national title, not 60. But cie la vie, the weather is what it is. It just made this year's edition less compelling, as a spectator, for me (and a lot of other fellow golf fans). This year, a good tournament is say The Players and the Memorial. I'd happily keep a DVD of those event that I could replay but I wouldn't bother to replay the 2009 US Open.
3. Now that the tournament is finally over, let's do a check on the Top 10, heck make it the Top 20 even and see how many players came from either the Thurdays AM or the "Thursday PM" groups. This will give us a definitive answer to the question of whether half the field got "shafted" by their tee times. Sure, too bad they got shafted. That's the way the cookie crumbles. But the fact remains, they did get "shafted" (by the weather and the lottery of their tee times).
Ryan_Less
Jun 22 2009, 05:33 PM
AEarle
Jun 22 2009, 05:43 PM
QUOTE (tjy355 @ Jun 21 2009, 12:32 PM)

Seems like many of the comments indicate the posters have perfect 20-20 hindsight.
Some points:
- The area has received an unprecedented amount of rain in the past month. Rain 18 out of 20 days in the month of June. 6+ inches in the past 3 weeks. The ground is saturated and there is no where for additional water to go. The assertions that this is normal weather or this should have been anticipated when the venue was chosen 6 years ago is just foolish.
- Tiger Woods is where he is because he is playing for sh*t, not because of bad luck of the draw.
HEY! That is schoolyard talk. Were on a controlled website here. That is schoolyard language. I dont want to hear anymore pottymouth out of you. Understand?
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