[Ogre41]

So who goes tonight? I am thinking that it may be Brian because the other two are just a bit more dialed in right now.

[Baller]

Actually I would like to see Hiroshi and Brian battle it out, But its probably going to be Hiroshi and Josh. It will be fun to watch anyway.

[silliwilli]

so it airs tonight?? on TGC?

[Ogre41]

I think it's at 10 pm if I am not mistaken (and I could be).

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

I have this weird feeling that Josh may falter tonight.

I hope not.

[muxi87]

Charlie_Foxtrot, on Dec 11 2007, 02:15 PM, said:

I have this weird feeling that Josh may falter tonight.

I hope not.

x 2

Aren't they playing golf as the elimination for the last few guys (yep, looked to the golf channel site and confirmed a 9 hole stroke play)? If so, I really think Brian has a good chance...he seems to be the most steady player of the group--not a bunch of high numbers and/or low numbers, just steady.

I don't know man...after watching the preview, it's a 100% toss up.

Hiroshi is overheard talking to Brian and saying his back is bothering him.

Brian and Hiroshi are ROCK SOLID with driver which I think is crucial in an elimination of stoke play.

BUT, it'll probably come down to who holes putts as Hiroshi says in the preview. They're all adequate putters, or they wouldn't be here...it'll depend on who's just having an off day with the flat stick. They're pretty evenly matched!

Should be a good one!!!

[David D]

I'm going out on a limb...Hiroshi goes home in a Big Break shocker. I've been digging the show, but that intro...wow, so cheesy!

Also...whoever does the music for this show should be fired, I haven't heard so many hotlicks since the late 80s.

[wkuo3]

David D, on Dec 11 2007, 03:56 PM, said:

I'm going out on a limb...Hiroshi goes home in a Big Break shocker. I've been digging the show, but that intro...wow, so cheesy!

Also...whoever does the music for this show should be fired, I haven't heard so many hotlicks since the late 80s.

You could be right, the format they use for elimination really, anyone could have a bad day.

[Baconator]

Wow - it's a good thing I'm not a betting man, because although some of you guessed the outcome of tonight's show I certainly got it DEAD wrong. Kudos to the prognosticators! Looking forward to next week. I have my prediction, but given how off I was tonight I certainly wouldn't put money on it.

[withdrew]

David D, on Dec 11 2007, 03:56 PM, said:

I'm going out on a limb...Hiroshi goes home in a Big Break shocker. I've been digging the show, but that intro...wow, so cheesy!

Also...whoever does the music for this show should be fired, I haven't heard so many hotlicks since the late 80s.

Good call!

I'm not a huge BK fan, but the guy was MONEY tonight

[Skaffa77]

Wow - I really wasn't expecting that to happen tonight.

[coco]

All I can say is Holy SH&$....and GO JOSH! I was sure it would be Hiroshi, and did NOT want BK in the final...
Now it's on to cheering for Josh....

[pmcg no.6]

Whew! My man Josh had me going there for a bit . Glad to see he got thru. Can't wait to see next weeks episode. I hope Josh brings his game and shuts Kontak down.

[iyan7]

Skaffa77, on Dec 11 2007, 10:06 PM, said:

Wow - I really wasn't expecting that to happen tonight.

Shocked and amazed as well. The student defeats the teacher.

Would go for Josh over BK, hope he gets the butterflies off. He'll surely be intimated by BK, I hope BK behaves like a gentleman in the finals.

[FLAis4golferz]

Once I heard that Hiroshi was having back issues, I knew that either Josh or BK had to mess up royally to lose to him. Back problems and golf do not go together...

I really hope Josh beats BK cuz i'm sick of BK's cocky, arrogant manner. Go Josh!

[camjacfoxroc]

BK needs to lose the white belt (fat guy no-no) cover up the awful tatoos and lose the "tough guy" attitude.....

oh and shave that sod hanging off his chin

[rosskoss]

Terrible

The most consistent guy to date went home.

His swing was clearly off. I couldn't tell what it was but there was something about it that was way off compared to the gorgeous, balanced Hiroshi swing that we saw on previous episodes. He was struggling and was unable to find his rhythm.

Oh well. All the best to Hiroshi for the future. Looking forward to next week's episode.

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

A few observations:

(1) I retract my earlier statement re: BK and Rosh's comments last show. There is clearly some sort of personal bond between the two of them - a "club" that Josh is not in. At the end of this show, there was another comment about "getting Josh."

(2) I'm beginning to think it's not a real benefit to avoid the elimination rounds every show. I think Hiroshi suffered because he wasn't swing his clubs much leading up to the stroke play.

(3) BK was on fire. I really don't want him to win. In contrast to Josh's superb attitude, BK's attitude sucks. (And for those who claim that he was given "direction" or that it's all just show, or bad editing, I still don't like someone who who do that for the sake of attention - and it's pretty easy to avoid "bad editing" by just not saying anything negative about people.) Also, I want someone who has been consistent to win, not someone who just happens to hit a peak at the right time - and Josh has consistently played strong.

[CLEVELAND59]

Charlie_Foxtrot, on Dec 12 2007, 04:47 AM, said:

A few observations:

(1) I retract my earlier statement re: BK and Rosh's comments last show. There is clearly some sort of personal bond between the two of them - a "club" that Josh is not in. At the end of this show, there was another comment about "getting Josh."

(2) I'm beginning to think it's not a real benefit to avoid the elimination rounds every show. I think Hiroshi suffered because he wasn't swing his clubs much leading up to the stroke play.

(3) BK was on fire. I really don't want him to win. In contrast to Josh's superb attitude, BK's attitude sucks. (And for those who claim that he was given "direction" or that it's all just show, or bad editing, I still don't like someone who who do that for the sake of attention - and it's pretty easy to avoid "bad editing" by just not saying anything negative about people.) Also, I want someone who has been consistent to win, not someone who just happens to hit a peak at the right time - and Josh has consistently played strong.

1. The personal bond you refer to is one that comes when you have played at that level. BK and Rosh have both played at the highest level and when you work so hard to get there you develop an unspoken bond and respect for the others around you have done the same. It's a** busting effort, dedication and sacrafice to get to the levels they've been to. Rosh has 5 PGA tour starts, and played in the 2003 Open. BK has won the canadian tour order of merit. Those are some serious creds.

2. It is my understanding that those guys are provided unlimited practice time when they are not shooting. Given Rosh's experience and knowledge, I would assume he did whatever he could to get whatever practice he needed to stay in form.

3. BK is a serious player. He's got serious game. He's proven himself in tournament golf at the professional level. Of all the players there, he's got the deepest set of credentials. Why anyone would be shocked at how well he has played is beyond me. Josh has played well, no question...especially given his relative lack of experience when compared to BK or Rosh. However, I wouldn't say the has been consistently strong. He struggled alot through the first couple of shows, and I don't think he would have survived had it not been for Rosh's mentoring early on. The format of the show has favored Josh a bit...the "quirky" parts serve to level the field. If this were purely a stroke play event, BK would have run away from the field and we saw the evidence of that last night. He left strokes on the table and still shot -3 for the front 9. He easily could have shot -5.

I assume next week will probably be matchplay, and I would expect that BK has more experience in that format than Josh does and that should be to his advantage. I would expect that BK disposes of him eventually, although I think a match play format will allow Josh to hang around a bit in the match.

It's a great story if Josh wins. No question about it. It would truly be a "big break" for him in his professional career. BK and Rosh have had some opportunities at the pro level, Josh not so much. But ultimately I think BK takes it home.

I don't understand the "hate" some feel for BK. Is he the warm fuzzy guy? No. I do respect the fact that he is willing to speak his mind and say the unpopular thing. It sure beats some of the fake a** personalities we've seen on that show in the past.

[TEConnor]

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 07:23 AM, said:

...
I don't understand the "hate" some feel for BK. Is he the warm fuzzy guy? No. I do respect the fact that he is willing to speak his mind and say the unpopular thing. It sure beats some of the fake a** personalities we've seen on that show in the past.

I personally find Kontak to be incredibly fake. His whole wannabe tough guy persona is pathetic to me.

Tim

[CLEVELAND59]

TEConnor, on Dec 12 2007, 07:31 AM, said:

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 07:23 AM, said:

...
I don't understand the "hate" some feel for BK. Is he the warm fuzzy guy? No. I do respect the fact that he is willing to speak his mind and say the unpopular thing. It sure beats some of the fake a** personalities we've seen on that show in the past.

I personally find Kontak to be incredibly fake. His whole wannabe tough guy persona is pathetic to me.

Tim

Tim-

I can tell you from personal experience that BK is BK...what you see is what you get. I've met him twice, I caddied in the same group as him for a friend of mine in a Canadian tour event several years ago and played in the same group as him at a Gateway event. He's not a bad guy. Not a lot of conversation, but not unfriendly either. I've certainly played golf with guys who were far higher up on the a-hole scale than BK, in fact he doesn't even register on that scale.

I don't know how people figure he's "a tough guy", its not like he's engaging in face to face confrontations with people every week. He's not throwing clubs and stomping his feet like a spoiled child. Maybe some of his 1 on 1 comments have been a bit edgy but that's the nature of life when you take a bunch of professional golfers who have worked their asses off their whole lives to get to the highest level and throw them all into the same circus for 1 shot at what they've wanted their whole life. At the end of the day this isn't about warm fuzzy friendships, its about money and a chance at getting into a PGA tour event.

[Golfdog]

There are a million guys out there with great swings and big games that can't get it done under pressure. This Big Break has identified a couple more.

[TEConnor]

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 07:50 AM, said:

TEConnor, on Dec 12 2007, 07:31 AM, said:

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 07:23 AM, said:

...
I don't understand the "hate" some feel for BK. Is he the warm fuzzy guy? No. I do respect the fact that he is willing to speak his mind and say the unpopular thing. It sure beats some of the fake a** personalities we've seen on that show in the past.

I personally find Kontak to be incredibly fake. His whole wannabe tough guy persona is pathetic to me.

Tim

Tim-

I can tell you from personal experience that BK is BK...what you see is what you get. I've met him twice, I caddied in the same group as him for a friend of mine in a Canadian tour event several years ago and played in the same group as him at a Gateway event. He's not a bad guy. Not a lot of conversation, but not unfriendly either. I've certainly played golf with guys who were far higher up on the a-hole scale than BK, in fact he doesn't even register on that scale.

I don't know how people figure he's "a tough guy", its not like he's engaging in face to face confrontations with people every week. He's not throwing clubs and stomping his feet like a spoiled child. Maybe some of his 1 on 1 comments have been a bit edgy but that's the nature of life when you take a bunch of professional golfers who have worked their asses off their whole lives to get to the highest level and throw them all into the same circus for 1 shot at what they've wanted their whole life. At the end of the day this isn't about warm fuzzy friendships, its about money and a chance at getting into a PGA tour event.

I'll admit freely that I'm judging Kontak from television. Never met him. But I still believe that what we are seeing on this show is a manufactured persona...it may be his normal self, but there is a lot of attitude and style that he attempts to import and I, for one, have seen enough of it for now on this show.

I know from experience what "edgy" tour golf is all about. Overall, I agree with you that Kontak would be like the average to mellow character in your typical group of mini tour grinders...there are a LOT more and a lot worse a-holes out there. On that scale, even A-god wasn't nearly as bad as the typical stuff that you see. Nonetheless, this is a reality TV show...I can't help myself but find a rationale for rooting for/against someone. In the big picture, I think I'd probably enjoy playing with any of these guys (save A-god) on any day.

Cheers,
Tim

[Ogre41]

Ogre41, on Dec 11 2007, 12:01 PM, said:

So who goes tonight? I am thinking that it may be Brian because the other two are just a bit more dialed in right now.

What a stupid I am!

[rosskoss]

Golfdog, on Dec 12 2007, 08:01 AM, said:

There are a million guys out there with great swings and big games that can't get it done under pressure. This Big Break has identified a couple more.

The internet armchair commentators are out in full force.

Give me a break. Even the best have their off days, otherwise everyone on the tour would be winning every single tournament. Rosh's swing was clearly off and he was struggling. When that happens, you do the best that you can.

[stevestrike]

Back problems or not, Hiroshi missed some easy putts that would have put him up (hitting them on the low side). It's as simple as that. Likewise, Josh missed a few long ones very closely that would have put him ahead by miles.

One thing the last few eliminations have shown me to be true is the "putt for dough" adage.

[SVonhof]

I agree that putting can kill your game, I was a standard bearer during a local Nationwide event and I noticed that putting was a major issue with the guys. If they made even 1/5 of the putts that they read properly, they would save a few strokes a round and would be much better players. I think this has happened on this show as well.

I was shocked that Hiroshi was hitting the ball onto the hillside and such because we just had not seen that from him. Josh did get some lucky bounces, but that's golf and when you hit the ball onto the hillside that he hit it to, it looked much more likely to come down than the hillside that Hiroshi hit onto. Maybe that was a choice Josh made from the tee, maybe not.

If Josh doesn't get his game tuned up before the next show, he won't make it as he wasn't hitting great shots and sometimes wasn't even hitting decent shots. He also needs to get a different ball or something as he couldn't get a single ball to hit and stop or spin back.

[CLEVELAND59]

The reason Josh couldn't hold a green to save his butt was several fold:

1. If you look at the greens, they are clearly getting dried out versus what they looked like earlier in the show. Some brown patches are clearly evident and it appeared that at least once last night a puff of dust was visible upon the balls impact with the green. Tells me that the greens are becoming hard as rock.

2. His swing. He's a picker, not a trapper. He isn't ever going to generate a tremendous amount of spin on the ball with any of his wedges or irons, that's the nature of a picker.

3. He played a number of shots from the 1st cut of rough last night and given his swing tendency that is only going to exaggerate his lack of spin.

4. Hole locations. Lots of hole locations located on or in the vicininty of slopes versus earlier in the show. He hit the wrong side of several slopes last night and paid the price for it. I don't know if he has a good yardage book for that course with good green diagrams or not, but I am going to guess not.

[SVonhof]

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 06:44 AM, said:

The reason Josh couldn't hold a green to save his butt was several fold:

1. If you look at the greens, they are clearly getting dried out versus what they looked like earlier in the show. Some brown patches are clearly evident and it appeared that at least once last night a puff of dust was visible upon the balls impact with the green. Tells me that the greens are becoming hard as rock.

2. His swing. He's a picker, not a trapper. He isn't ever going to generate a tremendous amount of spin on the ball with any of his wedges or irons, that's the nature of a picker.

3. He played a number of shots from the 1st cut of rough last night and given his swing tendency that is only going to exaggerate his lack of spin.

4. Hole locations. Lots of hole locations located on or in the vicininty of slopes versus earlier in the show. He hit the wrong side of several slopes last night and paid the price for it. I don't know if he has a good yardage book for that course with good green diagrams or not, but I am going to guess not.

Good points. And yes, you did see a puff when one of BK's balls landed right near the hole.

[muxi87]

SVonhof, on Dec 12 2007, 09:36 AM, said:

He also needs to get a different ball or something as he couldn't get a single ball to hit and stop or spin back.

Yeah, I can't get over how little spin they're putting on the ball. I know that spin doesn't make you a pro, but if they (Josh especially) had been putting a little spin on it, their shots would've turned out MUCH better. Having an 8 iron hit and release 30 feet is ridiculous!

[CLEVELAND59]

muxi87, on Dec 12 2007, 09:59 AM, said:

SVonhof, on Dec 12 2007, 09:36 AM, said:

He also needs to get a different ball or something as he couldn't get a single ball to hit and stop or spin back.

Yeah, I can't get over how little spin they're putting on the ball. I know that spin doesn't make you a pro, but if they (Josh especially) had been putting a little spin on it, their shots would've turned out MUCH better. Having an 8 iron hit and release 30 feet is ridiculous!

BK had better success than the others last night in terms of his shot not releasing as badly and I think that can be contributed directly to the fact he played about as well as you can off the tee. He was just striping it last night off the tee. The better the lie, the more spin, simple as that.

And I understand what you mean by 30 feet of release on an 8 iron, and I often felt the same way until I started playing more serious tournament golf in college and after college. If the greens are hard enough and baked out enough, you'd be suprised. Those greens are BAKED out. Big time. Reminds me of greens you'd see at a US Open sectional qualifier. I remember the first time I tried to qualify, I made it through local to the sectional and was dumbfounded by the greens. I hit a 9 iron into the first green and it looked like I had tried to land it on a parking lot. Told me right there I was in for a long day.

[muxi87]

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 10:09 AM, said:

And I understand what you mean by 30 feet of release on an 8 iron, and I often felt the same way until I started playing more serious tournament golf in college and after college. If the greens are hard enough and baked out enough, you'd be suprised. Those greens are BAKED out. Big time. Reminds me of greens you'd see at a US Open sectional qualifier. I remember the first time I tried to qualify, I made it through local to the sectional and was dumbfounded by the greens. I hit a 9 iron into the first green and it looked like I had tried to land it on a parking lot. Told me right there I was in for a long day.

Yeah...guessing that's the same reason the B330s is so popular on tour, but when I play it I get WAY TOO MUCH spin out of full iron swings. I've stuck to it, in anticipation that I'll come to face firmer greens as I begin getting back into competitive golf via the amateur ranks, but if it weren't for that, I'd probably go back to the regular B330.

[wkuo3]

I'm rooting for the underdog, go Josh.

[FredCouplesFan]

Pulling for Josh to upset Kuntak.

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 04:23 AM, said:

I don't understand the "hate" some feel for BK.

CLEVELAND59, on Dec 12 2007, 04:50 AM, said:

I can tell you from personal experience that BK is BK...what you see is what you get.

I think that is the exact issue. A lot of people don't like what they see, or what they get.

"Not fake" does not necessarily = "good personality."

[Metalhead]

Granted those greens are BAKED!! But if Josh made better contact with the ball he would had less release(he wasn't playing his best that I have seen lerast night).

I played the Palmer course last October(during overseed) and it was a neat course with few strange holes, but not unlike many courses(and certainly not as freaked out as "The Wolf" course down the street....
But my point was, it was absolutely amazing how far you can hit the ball there...easily 2-3 clubs longer for me...PW was a stock 150yds(I have to really squeeze it here PNW to get that)... and alot of the holes are Short, even from the back tees, 373yds= 3i/wedge...silly, but fun too!

I predicted Josh would win about 6 shows ago(based on the Intro to the show, when they show all the guys on the cliff and then show them disappear one by one...and Josh is the last one standing)

[archer32]

Havent we already seen this episode? The a**hole veteran beats the relative newcomer to the game, remember Danni and Pam.

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

archer32, on Dec 12 2007, 10:01 AM, said:

Havent we already seen this episode? The a**hole veteran beats the relative newcomer to the game, remember Danni and Pam.

Except I didn't like Pam either.

My first BB was BB6. After it was over, TGC re-ran BB3 (?) with Pam and Ho-Barbie. I stopped watching the final episode in the middle of the show because I couldn't deal with the passive-aggressive behavior and the cattiness.

[AirTime23]

Any word on whether they'll move over to Wolf Creek for the finale?
On the other hand I wouldn't bet on it, as the sponsor GolfMesquiteNevada.com doesn't seem to be associated to WC...

[hbear]

muxi87, on Dec 12 2007, 07:59 AM, said:

SVonhof, on Dec 12 2007, 09:36 AM, said:

He also needs to get a different ball or something as he couldn't get a single ball to hit and stop or spin back.

Yeah, I can't get over how little spin they're putting on the ball. I know that spin doesn't make you a pro, but if they (Josh especially) had been putting a little spin on it, their shots would've turned out MUCH better. Having an 8 iron hit and release 30 feet is ridiculous!

Little spin?
Didn't BK land a shot way past the flag on the fringe and yank it back about 30' where he proceded to miss a short birdie putt?
Yes there was some slope assist, but landing off the green and zipping it back = lots of spin to me