this guy is just crumbling right now....im pulling for him although it is making for some compelling golf.

ya, he's falling apart. go Mickelson!!

i cant wait till tiger gets in the clubhouse at -3 and the crumbling will really begin

I have never seen a Pro's swing show so much stress....back swing isnt bad then it goes "PALEEEEEASE go straight!"

Barnes is toast. From -11 to this. I am pulling for Mahan to make a small run at the end and post -4 or -5 and maybe win it. I love that guys swing.

Tough to watch Barnes out there right now. Fighting demons (and hooks).

Can't do anything right now.

The putting went first, now it's contagious through the rest of his game.

I have never seen a swing consistently deteriorate like Barnes' has over the last 18 holes.

He is literally swinging and praying out there on every shot.

Stick a fork in him.

His practice swings are nice, but the regular swing is just flat out ugly from about halfway down til finish. I hated watching it in '02 at the Am... hated it even more watching the Masters in '03 and I still can't stand it now. Hate to see him folding like this.

it's tough watching him fold like this...

Phil is really blowing his chance too...

Tiger looks like he might do something...? i'd have to never ever doubt him again if he posts a -3... jeez this is exciting anyhow...

Yea, Barnes has done 4 bogeys in a row now...

Wow...Mickelson really caught a break there. That could really catapult him.

And he makes a par while Mahan bogeys....crazy.

definitely a momentum saver, after a bad drive and a bad 2nd...

swing looks turrrible

Barnes was a pretender, he knew it and so did the rest of the field,does anybody remember that he actually had it at 11 under on sunday morning.what a choke job

Yeah, unfortunately Ricky Barnes got back to playing like Ricky Barnes.

Claw putting grips are dead givaways on pretenders.

-3? What are you drinking....


+2 on the "Claw"

I really wonder why Barnes didnt make a correction in his swing earlier when he saw it was going left every time.I have the same issues sometime and it is a pretty easy fix.I know its the open and all but these things happen ALL the time during a round and you have to know your swing well enough to make an adjustment.Usually if you concentrate on keeping your right shoulder from going over the top and coming more under you can straighten it out pretty easily.Either that or a slight grip adjustment with you right hand will offset any tendency to snap over the top too.

But after all this he is still only 2 down.

it was a bit of sarcasm, but i guess it didt translate that well

you don't think he was trying to correct his swing with the caveman swings he was putting out there? neanderthal swing

give him some credit..it's all he has...

What the hell is he paying this brother/caddie for! He should of smacked him around a little and told him to get his s*** together. Another reason why having a good caddie on the bag.

Too bad for Ricky, but a good overall showing in a major.

His swing today was longer & looser than the swing he started out with on Thursday.

Mud on the balls had him questioning if it was swing or mud that caused the miss, then he lost confidence in it.

So does nobody else think Ricky is a big fat cheater for improving his lie in the hay on #10 on Sunday?

I think they mentioned it in passing on the Golf Channel yesterday that people called in but nobody thought is was a problem. Man the guy was stepping on the grass, flailing his feet around by the ball, took abou 20 practice swings right beside the ball to wear away the grass to expose one side of the ball. Hell, I think his caddie/brother even knocked some grass down using the bag.

The Golf Gods mightily smited him today!!!

Have you ever played competitive golf? If you have you would know that after a couple hooks like he hit you are trying to guide it..not to mention playing in the pressure of the final group of the US Open.

Unreal! David Fay had to address this on tv yesterday because of phone calls from people like you. They looked over the tapes and found NOTHING wrong with what he did.

He choked on the last day and made it clear why he is still playing nationwide tours.
He was stellar for first 3 days . I was expecting a fairy tale ending with him winning ....

He's played in 13 PGA Tour events this year and 0 Nationwide events.

Well well. I must say, that for all the rough lies he got, he sure did hit the ball very well from there - every time - almost better than he did from the tee...

What I saw on the TV on several holes Ricky Barnes doing (and not another player doing one single time):

1. He was very slow, walking very much around the ball, by that walking down the grass.

2. A lot of practise swings close to the ball taking a lot of grass. Many golfers take a pride in doing those FAR FAR from the ball, not Ricky from what I saw.

3. And somewhat of a Ricky-special: Being slow, he took his stance many times grounding the club, and began his backwing - making most people belive that now comes the shot, but no, he just grounded his club and did "trial backswings", probably folding some grass behind the ball every time.

I mean, if he didn't do this to improve his position, he was very careless and should be more careful in the future if he whishes to be seen as not only bending the grass, but also the rules. So that's what they mean with the prase "getting used to the cameras"?

And let me tell you that not only anal-tv-watching nobodies did notice this, if I remeber correctly, a very notable European TV-commentator who is a member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, noted ON AIR that what what Ricky did could get him in troubble.

What Ricky did is also an issue discussed on several other golf forums. And if I was a company looking for pros to sign up I would take duly note of this players "full potential".

Simply put, what he did is not in

"The Spirit of the Game"


From the Rules of Golf:

Golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf.

Hilarious posts on here to kick a man when he is down. Typical from many to a a man who dare to challenge the great Tiger and popular Phil.

Let's get real; for 3 rounds Barnes played supremely well and posted scores that others could dream of. The overnight wait for monday obviously fed his demons and nerves and he crumbled or i should say, his unusual swing crumbled under intense inner pressure.

Kudos to the guy for 3 wonderful rounds and I hope it doesn't destroy his game for good.

As for the comments about his lift and identification of a ball, he did it properly in accordance to the rules IN THE PRESENCE OF A USGA RULES OFFICIAL - so leave the bloke alone and praise him for the many positives he produced over 54 hole !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the USGA who knows the rules better than you or I says he did nothing wrong. Yes he did seem to get it out of that rough better than most, he's also a lot stronger than most. That may have played a tiny factor.

There's a difference between doing something wrong that leads to penalty strokes and playing in the spirit of the game.

Did you see anybody else doing what he did? Have you ever seen Tiger, Faldo, Jack anybody else for that matter collect such a huge number of "inbetweens" in 72 holes?

Would you enjoy watching golf on TV if everybody did the "Ricky-Routine"?

What would a 12 year old kid desperate to win a club competition think and do after seeing Ricky?

There's no double it preshot routine got slower and slower, but you're calling the guy a cheater, which is way out of line. What one thing has to do with the other is beyond me.

So, according to you what is cheating? And what is not?

I never claimed that he did pass the line, but I belive that what he did is not "in the spirit of the game".


From another thread:

"Barnes fined for conduct at Australian Masters

American golfer Ricky Barnes, the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion, was fined and reprimanded for unprofessional conduct during the final round of the Australian Masters, the Australasian PGA tour said Monday. ... "

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate...s04/barnes.html

In order to be penalized for improving your lie, you must have intent to do it. This cannot be proven by anyone and is "my word against yours" - that is why Ricky was not penalized. He was probably confronted after the round and denied everything. In my mind, all the fussing he did around the ball was with the intent to knock down all the grass an improve his lie. Of course, what he would have done when confronted was "deny deny deny". He'll probably go into politics after golf.

mickelson 2 coaches most guys dont even have one and yet again he had it then the putting. I dont understand how a guy has these many issues putting.

mickelson 2 coaches most guys dont even have one and yet again he had it then the putting. I dont understand how a guy has these many issues putting.

Ricky Barnes does not have the techique to compete under pressure.

Wow, you guys are going pretty hard at Ricky Barnes. For what again? Give it a rest. He found himself in a position he was unfamiliar with, he admitted as much to nerves, but he still managed a T2, so all is not that bad.

And citing a news story from how many years ago? Who cares.

Enough of the cheating talk, if a bunch of other golf forums are talking about it, then go hang out there. This isn't the place for muckraking.

I would love to play all you haters down the stretch in a club championship or $ 30k horse race. If you haven't been there, then you don't know what that pressure feels like. Whether you're standing over a 6 iron with about 600 people watching you or a 4 foot putt to keep a match going on 18 against the 11 year club champ, I bet you guys would fold like an accordian. I have felt the pressure in both these scenarios, and the adrenaline running through your body is amazing, your mouth is dry, you have to consciously remind yourself to breath, the putter is shaking. And hats off to Ricky for smiling and hopefully learning from this experience.

And get off Phil's putting, those greens were the most inconsistent greens at a US Open EVER due to the weather (inlcuding the poa at Torrey)!!!! When you see Tiger miss reading putts by a country mile, you know there are issues.
On 16, Phils ball came up short due to mud (anyone listen to Johnny), and left him with a nasty curveball. Did you see the break on 17? that putt was tough from 3 feet let alone 6. and his lie in the rough was bat gwanno. Just the bad breaks you get in a US open.
Same thing with Duvalls put on 17. snapped off at the last second, whattya gonna do?

You really are right about the pressure, playing golf with your buddies or your local golf league is NOT the same as playing high level tournament golf. Its a terrible feeling when you are out there on your own and you have no idea how you are gonna hit it in the fairway. As soon as that round was over, I would guarantee that Ricky could have went to the range and striped a handful of drivers in a row.

I think he takes a lot away from the this tourney (good & bad). He knows he needs to figure out how to deal with this kind of pressure. Something to keep his swing in check. On the bright side - he finished T2 and held it together pretty good considering what was happening with his swing.

I hope it helps him versus hurt him in the future.

AGREED!

Unbelievable responses from the haters and self appointed golf analysts -- Give this kid a break brothers!

Ricky did what NOBODY on this forum has EVER done and very few tour players as well -- he lead the U.S. OPEN for 2 days and finished T2. He's a young kid with loads of talent. Did he blow the lead under pressure -- YES. Did he completely fold after dropping nine shots -- NO. This kid outplayed Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia just to name a few for 4 rounds at Bethpage Black coming off the Nationwide Tour in his first year of full PGA Tour eligibility. His swing is not textbook, but he's got a helluva lot of moxie and a great attitude. I'm damn proud of him!

I think it's great to see Glover, Barnes, and Duval step up to play some outstanding golf under marginal weather and course conditions over 4 days. I wish these guys continued success in the years to come. Pretty damn proud of Phil as well -- I have a new respect and appreciation for Lefty. As for Tiger, break out the flatstick and get to work brother! Two thumbs up for some new blood standing up to the big boys!

Great post. Ricky and Glover played great golf on a tough course. People need to get over it.

Saw Ricky on GC tonight and he was not down on himself so that was good. Nice to see new faces. Hunter Mahan also seems to be getting better too plus good play by Ross Fisher.

Ricky burn those Sunday pants. They were bad karma. Solid colors my boy and no beige plaids. ;-)

It was inevitable that Ricky Barnes was going to drop like a stone in the final round. He just looked clueless. His swing was extremely eratic and I couldn't believe he kept sticking with the driver rather than opt for hitting his 3-wood which would of been more wise. It's pretty obvious that the pressure of leading The U.S Open got to him and his lack of experience playing in a Major showed. Unfortunate really after he played three tremendous rounds of golf, but that's how the cookie crumbles.