Interesting decision making on final hole at Sony. First Paul Goydos hits the pin on his eagle chip, only for the ball to bounce a couple feet away. He makes the putt, and when the final group approaches the green Luke Donald has to hole out his chip to tie. Before the chip, Nick Faldo was wondering whether or not he should pull the pin. Donald decides to keep it in, hits the shot, and has the ball hit the pin and bounce off it a couple feet away. Had he pulled the pin the ball may have flown completely over the hole or hit the back lip of the cup and popped back in the hole. Your opinion on what would be the correct move?

It's easy to look back and ask what if.

I nearly always leave it in unless I'm right on the collar. Sure, some may bounce off the pin that would've went in, but my theory is if it was hit hard enough to bounce off the pin, it would've more than likely run 10 feet past if the pin was out.

For every ball I've had bounce off the pin away from the cup, I've banked 2 or 3 in the cup that would have blown by. I think with his lie he made the right choice. Just didn't get the lucky bounce.

I dont think it would have gone in if he would have pulled it. I think he made the right decision keeping it in.

I agree, that and I think Luke Donald probably has a higher golf I.Q. than I do.

No question in my mind that it would have run by if the pin wasn't in. The ball was moving way to fast to go in.

According to Dave pelz the statistics are on the side of "leave the flagstick in "

"Leave the flagstick in whenever the Rules allow, unless it is leaning so far toward you that the ball can't fit"

see full article in golfonline.com

article pelz

In that situation, I would've gone for the win and took the pin out.

You have to ask if he took the pin out and then rolled it over the hole evryone would say "He should have left it in". it's amazing after 72 holes of golf the only difference was the bounce off a flagstick between the 2 players

You have to ask if he took the pin out and then rolled it over the hole evryone would say "He should have left it in". it's amazing after 72 holes of golf the only difference was the bounce off a flagstick between the 2 players

I would've left it in, I normally due unless I'm like a foot or less off the green then I will pull it. I think he made the right decision on 18 because the ball was going pretty fast and it could have gone right over the hole..leaving him a long putt back.

I personaly didn't see it, but my rule is "uphill - pull the pin, downhill - leave it in".

/Toby

I still say Luke Donald is smarter than all of us in this situation.

Agreed 100%. I've met Dave Pelz, so I know he's smarter than me. Pelz says better % to leave it in, that's good enough for me.

I've also met Pelz and though I don't like some of his teachings I have no problem admitting he's much, much, much smarter than me.

Yeah, somehow my admissions application got passed over at Cal Tech. Must have been some kind of unfortunate oversight. I told them I wanted to be a sighance major

I wanted to be a fisycs major.

I've heard that the flag won't make a crap shot go in nor will it stop a good shot miss.

I'd have left it in.

Any way you cut it, he didn't do it right, and I'd have left the pin, just like he did. Like several others were saying, I've had way more bounce in off the pin than I have bounce out from hitting the pin.