You must have caught him on a good day. Albeit he's seemingly making an effort to be a bit more respectful these days, he's still renowned as a 'confident' individual.
Back in his younger days, numerous people have gone on record as describing him, not as confident, but as a bit of an Olympic standard ****.
He's certainly a fine player, but I'd rather spend three hours trapped in the hold of a sinking ship with Ross Fisher or Steve Stricker than five minutes on a fairway with Kim or Rory Sabbatini.
An Olympic standard what?
Care to elucidate on that?
You seem to specialize in trafficking in "I've heard this about so and so" without any attribution or links.
I must admit, after being a long time fan of 'The Suntory' (as I still fondly call it) I was a bit reticent about the change of name, structure, date and venue and thought that this new World Matchplay would be a bit of a mickey mouse affair.
I'm still not entirely sure the format for the opening rounds is the way to go - even if it does provide for a larger field and keeps the champagne quaffers in the corporate boxes around the 18th happy - but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend's play that I managed to catch. Ross Fisher is a deserving winner and the final made for enjoyable viewing.
I'd still take a misty Wentworth over Himalayas GC in Spain, but it was a decent tournament in my book and augurs well for the future.
As for the buggy useage; I'm with you. But the topography is presumably to blame for all the treks between some greens and tees, and no one's going to be enthusiastic about five or ten minutes of thumb twiddling in the midst of a match whilst the players and caddies yomp around the countryside.
i played finca last year - and you totally need a buggy for a few of the green to tees! Its a real slog - as i can testify, having walked the 18 to save on the €40 buggy hire. It is a majestic course though - really tough, but fantastic condition.
If you've not seen the driving range - you really haven't lived… AWESOME
Ross Fisher future major champion??? I certainly think so..
dont get me wrong......I think Ross Fisher showed he has a great game.....but just because he won this event I wouldn't automatically say he's a future major winner....
I think the majors will have a much different field as well as course conditions......
I must admit, after being a long time fan of 'The Suntory' (as I still fondly call it) I was a bit reticent about the change of name, structure, date and venue and thought that this new World Matchplay would be a bit of a mickey mouse affair.
I'm still not entirely sure the format for the opening rounds is the way to go - even if it does provide for a larger field and keeps the champagne quaffers in the corporate boxes around the 18th happy - but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend's play that I managed to catch. Ross Fisher is a deserving winner and the final made for enjoyable viewing.
I'd still take a misty Wentworth over Himalayas GC in Spain, but it was a decent tournament in my book and augurs well for the future.
As for the buggy useage; I'm with you. But the topography is presumably to blame for all the treks between some greens and tees, and no one's going to be enthusiastic about five or ten minutes of thumb twiddling in the midst of a match whilst the players and caddies yomp around the countryside.
I wa just about to start a post on this exact subject Mat. I was chatting about the whole history of the event whilst playing on a warwind torn links course today. You'd play golf in the morning and then rush back for the last four holes and then final 9 of the afternoon. Can you remember that you'd never see full coverage of any of the front nine holes? All would be wearing polo necks and sweaters (UK climate in October)! Nobody ever reached the 17th in two in the early 90s either. The sounds of wooden Drivers echoing around the course, beautiful!
I was really dissapointed when they pulled the event at Wentworth I know there was some sort of sponsorship / course rebuilding issue, however, it's just not the same now, although maybe I have just become an old fart?!!!!
THANKFULLY I ve got a supply of past finals on VHS along with half a dozen Walker Cups, including Tiger Woods beating at the hands of Gary Wolstenholme, the perfect Christmas present for any ardent Woods fan!
Let's have a look where he finished in the majors last year
Masters t30
US Open 5
Open t13
PGA t19
That's pretty consistent for a first year playing all 4 - he got himself into great positions - leading the Open on Sunday (before one hole of death) - you'd be hard pushed to find a better combined performance anywhere.
I would say he's got as good a chance of bagging a Major as any European. His mental game is very good.
Anders, an annual trip to Wentworth for the World Matchplay was always a highlight of my year along with the Open Championship and the old Dunhill Cup up at St Andrews. Some of the best golf I've ever seen was played over that course on chilly October days in the late 80s and the 1990s and, as you say, that was when even the Sandy Lyles and Greg Normans of the world were really pleased to knock it on 17 in two. Nowadays the really good juniors at Wentworth can just about reach it with an iron.
I'm not sure that the move to the Costa del Sol was entirely down to the blazers at Wentworth deciding to hoik the greens up, but it's a shame that an iconic event and venue has been knocked off the schedule, even if its latter days were a bit disappointing and featured a few no-name players to make up the numbers rather than the who's who of golf that they boasted for years.
If you look carefully on those videos of the finals in '86, '87, '88 and '89 you may see a curly haired, skinny youth appear in a few shots of the crowd. Come to think of it I was also at that Walker Cup too...
To Allenby's defense, I saw him at the Barclays, and he seemed like a real nice guy. He hit a drive right, and while waiting for a ruling, he was chatting and joking with fans. Instantly made me a fan.
1. When/why did kim change caddies? Doesn't look like the same guy looping for him in the states.
2. What shaft is he now playing in the driver?
3. What scotty is he gaming w/ that sweet cherry bomb?
4. Is there a way he can tuck that damn hat adjustment strap somewhere??
Fischer looks quite promising to me. I like the way he goes about his business.
Totally agree, he does look very promising ! Very long and accurate, good looking swing, no real obvious weeknesses to his game, positive attitude, acknowledges the crowd after every shot.........even the bad ones. I like him alot.
Ross Fisher is, genuinely, one of the nicest pros out there. I've been lucky enough to play with him a couple or three times over the last few yaers and, as well as being a hugely impressive player all-round, and one of the best drivers of the ball I've ever seen, he's got his feet firmly on the ground and has the same approcahable and friendly manner that, by all accounts, he's always had. Whilst he's confident in his abilities he nonetheless hasn't a shred of arrogance about him and he's an absolute pleasure to be around.
After his performances at Winged Foot and Turnberry, he can hopefully gain more confidence from this victory and use it as a springboard to finish the season well and to hit the ground running next year. If he can lift his putting to the level of the rest of his game I think he's a major champion-in-waiting. Well done Ross.
Ross Fisher is, genuinely, one of the nicest pros out there. I've been lucky enough to play with him a couple or three times over the last few yaers and, as well as being a hugely impressive player all-round, and one of the best drivers of the ball I've ever seen, he's got his feet firmly on the ground and has the same approcahable and friendly manner that, by all accounts, he's always had. Whilst he's confident in his abilities he nonetheless hasn't a shred of arrogance about him and he's an absolute pleasure to be around.
After his performances at Winged Foot and Turnberry, he can hopefully gain more confidence from this victory and use it as a springboard to finish the season well and to hit the ground running next year. If he can lift his putting to the level of the rest of his game I think he's a major champion-in-waiting. Well done Ross.
Fully agree as it was the putting that won him the trophy yesterday. From what I saw on the last 18 there were numerous occasions where the door had slightly opened for Kim to creep back in being virtually stone dead and then Fisher just stepped up from eight - ten feet plus and holed it leaving Kim with 'just' another half. That eagle putt from around twenty feet on the driveable par four really did some damage.
From what I saw of the tournament he consistently putted very well. Given a similarly competent performance on the greens at Winged Foot it's not beyond the realms of fantasy that he could have bagged the US Open back in the summer. More factors were at work on the Sunday at Turnberry than just a balky putter, but to be right up at the top of the leaderboard in two consecutive major championships tells you a great deal about his composure and the strength of his all-round game.
For all the fanfare that accompanied Paul Casey's rise to No. 3 in the rankings, I think the true standard bearer for English golf at the moment is Fisher. Lee Westwood has also returned to winning ways (and found a putter that works) and after a few years of woe, and players like Donald, Howell and Dougherty falling away a bit, it seems that English golf is once again on the up.
Anders, an annual trip to Wentworth for the World Matchplay was always a highlight of my year along with the Open Championship and the old Dunhill Cup up at St Andrews. Some of the best golf I've ever seen was played over that course on chilly October days in the late 80s and the 1990s and, as you say, that was when even the Sandy Lyles and Greg Normans of the world were really pleased to knock it on 17 in two. Nowadays the really good juniors at Wentworth can just about reach it with an iron.
I'm not sure that the move to the Costa del Sol was entirely down to the blazers at Wentworth deciding to hoik the greens up, but it's a shame that an iconic event and venue has been knocked off the schedule, even if its latter days were a bit disappointing and featured a few no-name players to make up the numbers rather than the who's who of golf that they boasted for years.
If you look carefully on those videos of the finals in '86, '87, '88 and '89 you may see a curly haired, skinny youth appear in a few shots of the crowd. Come to think of it I was also at that Walker Cup too...
Couldnt agree more, bring back the 80s / 90s!
I'll look out for any "youths" with that description, did you ever play Walker Cup golf?
I've just got it! The reason why Anthony Kim has the Majeikaesque bit of his flapping around is that it is a pressure relief valve for his head so that he can deflate his cubic head capacity to fill his baseball cap. Almost like a Reebok pump hat!!!!
I think that picture's from 1986. And, yes, I wouldn't have been far away from wherever Greg Norman was in those days. Cracking trews Greg. Stick a recorder into the flies of those, give the legs a squeeze and you could play Flower of Scotland on them I reckon.
Old Tucker is cutting a dash there too, on the right, with his brown cords and one of those waterproof jackets that used to be dripping with beads of condensation on the inside of the thing after you'd walked half a mile in it. And I swear that's Paulie from Rocky with the white cap on. And a young Steve Wright behind him.
Anders, unfortunately I never had the honour of playing for Blighty in the Walker Cup. Not catching the eye of the selectors and not being good enough were, sadly, my downfall. My mate did manage it though that year and played quite nicely. It was a cracking weekend's golf and I got a front row view of that snap-wafted mid iron that Woods hoiked out of town on 18 to lose to Gary Wolstenholme.
Anthony has a guy from New Brunswick named Brodie Flanders caddieing for him, they went to school together and are great friends. Brodie is also a very good player, he may hit it farther than Kim!! Great Payday for Brodie, off to a good start.
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mat562, on Oct 31 2009, 07:28 AM, said:
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