Shooting High or Low on the PGA? What's your fave?

[Rockford35]

I've always been a big fan of seeling big numbers on the board come Sunday. All these tournaments where they've made the course harder and harder by not watering, letting the rough grow to 6" and creating more hazards sorta got me thinking.

What do you like to see on the PGA? An eagle on the 18th for a 63 on Sunday or a guy tapping in for bogey and finishing at -1 for the tournament?

Here's you chance to vote.

R35

[Loop]

I like numbers not to go below -5, as it shows the course is difficult but doable.
I wouldn't want every hole to be crazy madness (aka Shinne**** ice slippery breaking green of death). But make difficult holes very difficult is great as it leaves room for error (ie. VJ and Kenny Perry at the 72nd hole of Bay Hill....).
So the best courses are still Augusta and St-Andrews.

Numbers like -30 is boring.... It's like playing mini-putt...

[Bravo]

First - a great question...good thread.

I hate to be a fence-straddler here but I like both.

In routine Tour events, I enjoy watching the players go low. It's fun to watch eagles, etc. There's a thrill to it.

In the majors however, I enjoy watching defensive golf also...It requires the players to have an additional set of skills (especially mental ones).

An exception to this was the absurdity at Shinne**** last year. The USGA blew this. A ball should hold the green if you hit it Somewhere on it.

I also like the modified Stableford format that they have in colorado once a year.

One of the best tournaments I ever saw (on TV) was the International there 2-3 years ago. Rich Beem was way ahead but Steve Lowery (within the span of 4-5 holes) had par, eagle, birdie, double eagle to make it exciting. The announcers were going nuts and so was the crowd. This would have never been possible in a "major course set-up"...

And overall, my favorite tournament is the Masters. It can have some of both. A close second is the Open Championship because - due to weather conditions - you can have both in the same tournament on different days.

[Rockford35]

I was just watching a bit of the Canadian tour from last weekend. There was a guy named Tom Johnson who had a shot at a 59, sitting in the fairway on 18. He pulled his shot left and made par for a 60, but that had me watching his game more than if he was shooting for a 71.

I dunno, i like the excitement and pressure of "he has to make birdie here because Vijay is going to and he'll only be one back". That's better than par-par-par-par-par-bogey-par-par....

Just my $0.02.

R35

[DaveE]

I chose could care less but that's not quite true.

I don't care if it's high or low but I do care if it's close. Watching Tiger and Phil fight it out to the end was fun. Every shot had meaning and seeing their ability to handle or not handle the pressure made for interesting viewing.

Watching a final round with the leader 6 shots up is a snore. I'd love to see Sunday at this year's Masters feature a battle like last year.

[IrishGolfer]

Originally Posted by Loop

Numbers like -30 is boring.... It's like playing mini-putt...

Totally agree. Tough but fair is best. I'd rather see good shots being rewarded than just a "drive and putt" fest. I also love watching the golfing dudes perform in tough weather conditions (wind and rain). Hitting knock-downs and 2 iron stingers, bump and run pitches and allowing for wind on putts is fascinating to me. The winning score is not important.

The other stuff -30, is just robotic golf. Gets to be fun when 2 or 3 are going head to head, trading birdies down the stretch, but otherwise boring.

[Bama Duffer]

I voted low, but I really don't care. The think I hate to see is when the pros start complaining about how the course isn't manicured enough for them. As long as it's fair to all the competitors, then they should just play. Sometimes, like when the grounds crew waters down the greens after a couple of foursomes play through, that's not fair in my mind and complaints are legit.

I'm agree with IG. I like to see good shotmaking, not just drive, wedge putt. Let 'em manage the course some.

[The master]

Yep I agree with IG, I enjoy seeing the Mickelson flop, the tiger over excagerated hack out of the rough were he does cray things with his hands and the tiger stinger this is what I love to see, my favourite event is the british opeb by miles only because I'm always at it and always have a big flutter on it.

[Rockford35]

Jones is -7 through 18 holes. That's a projected -28 through 72 holes.

Are alot of you barfing with this sort of play at the TPC?

R35

[cyberious]

I wish they'd show more of the times when the Pros shank the ball. I know they do cause I've seen it at the events I've attended but it hardly ever makes it onto TV. Nothing is more fun than to see guys like Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, or Tiger Woods shank it into the crowd or better yet dead center into the middle of a water trap.

It redeems my hope that everyone who plays golf has the heart of a hacker.