Players

[MCDavis]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

Oh by no means am I saying his putting has turned around, but its making huge steps, and i just think that Miller was being a bit of an ass about singling out the couple putts he missed, vs the huge number of putts he was making this week. I think he is starting to get back to what he did better as an amateur and will start making more runs if he just chills and trusts his ability.

But no question he played absolutely AMAZING tee to green this weekend.

If Sergio ever truly does this, he will be amazing IMHO.

[PhillyEagle]

If Sergio's mental game improves, I think he'll give Tiger a run in the next few years.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by PhillyEagle

If Sergio's mental game improves, I think he'll give Tiger a run in the next few years.

Never happen. He'll never putt as well as Tiger, and putting wins championships.

[figjam]

Lets put things in perspective here. Sergio won, but the playoff was a travesty. Using the 17th hole to decide the championship was akin to tossing a coin. Goydos shot got a gust of wind and came up short, Sergio got lucky and hit it on. I note that Sergio didn't mention his good fortune in his acceptance speech. He has been qucik to bemoan all his bad breaks when he chokes, but when the luck goes his way it's because he played well.

What a jerk. I hope this is the last time we see his ferrety looking face on the winners podium.

[Sandpiper3]

figjam, you gotta be kidding right?

You have to play that hole to perfection to hit that green, duh luck is minorly involved, pretty sure it is in every good shot anyway.

Yes its gimmicky, but YOU STILL GOTTA HIT THE GREEN.

[Eracer]

Maybe they should decide the playoff using a "Big Break" glass-break challenge.

[MCDavis]

Originally Posted by figjam

Lets put things in perspective here. Sergio won, but the playoff was a travesty. Using the 17th hole to decide the championship was akin to tossing a coin. Goydos shot got a gust of wind and came up short, Sergio got lucky and hit it on. I note that Sergio didn't mention his good fortune in his acceptance speech. He has been qucik to bemoan all his bad breaks when he chokes, but when the luck goes his way it's because he played well.

What a jerk. I hope this is the last time we see his ferrety looking face on the winners podium.

You want true perspective? Sergio hit the better golf shot from the tee at #17 to win the playoff. Also, Sergio played better down the stretch on Sunday to put himself in 2nd place. Goydos blew it on #18 to allow Sergio the opportunity to beat him.

That's the true perspective, period.

And, I was pulling for Goydos, not Sergio.

[IrishGolfer]

Originally Posted by figjam

Using the 17th hole to decide the championship was akin to tossing a coin.

Wrong here dude. I can't think of a better hole to have a suden death playoff (with the exception of the 12th at Augusta). It's a big time test of nerve and luck plays no real factor. A well struck shot is a well struck shot.

Originally Posted by figjam

He has been qucik to bemoan all his bad breaks when he chokes, but when the luck goes his way it's because he played well.

Agreed to some extent, but most pros / golfers moan. I don't think Garcia relied on luck to win this. To me he played the best golf all week and deserved the win.

Originally Posted by figjam

What a jerk. I hope this is the last time we see his ferrety looking face on the winners podium.

A jerk in general or one for winning this week? I'm no real Garcia fan, there are plenty more I'd like to see winning, but I would consider that comment most unfair. I love watching great ball strikers and there is no denying that this dude is right up there.

OK, the gay spat and mouthed off a bit, move on.

[bryank]

Well, I for one thoroughly enjoyed watching Sunday final round. Actually watched all 4 rounds, but definitely one of the best nail biters in a long while IMO. Goydos is the man, and hope he continues to do well.

[Eracer]

I'm not a big fan of Garcia, and I absolutely wouldn't compare him to the great Bobby Jones, but I remember hearing something about a young Jones quitting in the middle of an Open Championship round. Absolute heresy! But he was forgiven.

Garcia has made some mistakes, and if he makes a conscious effort to clean up his act a little, then I'm willing to forgive and forget. I certainly can't argue the man's talent. Just his maturity.

[figjam]

I don't know how any guys here can say the 17th for a playoff doesn't rely on luck. early in the week even the mild mannered Ernie Els said the hole should be blown up. I think he knows a little bit about golf, and is not known for emotional exaggeration. Sergio himself said he was just hoping the wind didn't gust whe he hit his tee shot there. Goydos shot was definitely affected by the wind. Sure the wind could affect any shot in a playoff, but on any other hole bar the 17th the penalty for missing the green due to the luck of the draw with the wind is not as severe. The 17th was chosen because organisers caved into the tv stations who sacrificed the traditions of the game for manufactured drama. Sergio may have been the best tee to green and deserved to win as people here have said, but both players deserved a fair and even test of their golfing ability to decide the playoff. Sudden death is dicey enough, but adding the 17th at TPC at Sawgrass makes it a throw of the dice.

[figjam]

Originally Posted by Eracer

I'm not a big fan of Garcia, and I absolutely wouldn't compare him to the great Bobby Jones, but I remember hearing something about a young Jones quitting in the middle of an Open Championship round. Absolute heresy! But he was forgiven.

Garcia has made some mistakes, and if he makes a conscious effort to clean up his act a little, then I'm willing to forgive and forget. I certainly can't argue the man's talent. Just his maturity.

And let's not forget that big John has had his fair share of misdemeanours and walk offs (even during a US Open) but he's still a fan favourite. But maybe Sergio's problem is his all round personality, not just his actions in isolated incidents. He comes across as a whiny, pretentious drama queen. IMO he will never endear himself to the fans, and from all reports has defnitely not endeared himself to other tour players, who are in a better position to judge him than fans. I think Tiger takes more pleasure in whomping Sergio than he does Phil. His "I just stomped Tweety Bird" text after that Open championship was a classic.

As for Sergio's major championship aspirations I think his thankyou to Tiger for not coming was more insightful than the tongue in cheek line it was intended to be. Sergio has gone down the stretch 3 times head to head with Tiger in majors, and each time he has performed a little worse than the previous time. I think Sergio's chances in majors are directly influenced by the proximity of Tiger to the top of the leaderboard. Although last year he showed he doesn't need Tiger breathing down his neck to choke spectacularly.

[Sandpiper3]

Hell if I won the Players i'd be thanking Tiger for not being there too!!

If one person says its a duck, it still could be a goose, if two ppl say its a duck, its probly a duck, if three people say its a duck, its a goddamned duck. Your the only one disagreeing here.

EVERY SINGLE SHOT requires a level of luck, you just have to take everything into account, theres not that much luck involved in hitting a green 130 yards away, you just have to pick the right club and play the elements, wind is part of the game.

Done your spat against Sergio and the 17th yet?

[VtDivot]

Say what you want about Sergio, and I am prolly in the minority but I like him, well not him really as much as his game. I still think he's the 2nd best player in the world, he's just got some putting issues

But he's prob the best ball striker on the planet IMO

[figjam]

He may well be the best ball striker on the planet, but ball striking is less than half the game. Until he can chip and putt he will not win major championships. I've read they've the stimp meter going over 13 this week so lets see how Sergio goes. If he wins this week, it will put to bed any doubts about his game forever.