Monday
Jun162008
"I think this is probably the best ever"
First, in the 2008 U.S. Open, lede department...
Doug Ferguson says:
Tiger Woods cradled the silver U.S. Open trophy in his right hand and limped toward the edge of the Pacific bluffs, each step as much a burden as the 91 holes he played at Torrey Pines for a major that might have been his most amazing yet.Lawrence Donegan writes:
The man wearing red won the 108th US Open at Torrey Pines yesterday, but for once on the decisive day of a major championship Tiger Woods looked vulnerable before passing yet another milestone on his march towards Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors, defeating the dogged American journeyman Rocco Mediate after one of modern golf's epic days.Larry Dorman in the NY Times:
While this victory, his 65th over all and his 14th major championship, had none of the social significance of his 1997 Masters win or the total dominance of his 2000 United States Open victory at Pebble Beach, it was so compelling over 91 holes that people were leaning over their hotel banisters and overflowing the grandstands at Torrey Pines to see it for themselves.
Jim Moriarty offers this on the 18-hole playoff concept:
It's time, by the way, for this antediluvian extra day to go the way of the mashie-niblick. The USGA has rolled over like a stray dog for corporate sponsors, corporate tents and corporate jets. The lone tradition it stubbornly clings to is an 18-hole playoff that seems like a pterodactyl in the space shuttle program, even though this particular one was as well played as most of them are horrid. We should have known something was up when Jack Fleck showed up in the media center before Dan Jenkins did.Craig Dolch in the Palm Beach Post touches on Tiger's post round knee-related comments:
After deflecting questions all week about his left knee that 10 weeks ago was operated on for the third time, Woods, 32, finally admitted he'd been told by doctors he had risked further injury to his knee by playing in the national championship.
Had he re-injured it?
"Maybe," Woods said, again not wanting to go into details.
What is clear is we won't see Woods for a while, perhaps not even at next month's British Open at Royal Birkdale, a place where he finished second to buddy Mark O'Meara in 1998.
"To be honest, I really don't know," Woods said when asked when he will return. "I've got to shut it down. But I'm not real good at listening to doctor's orders."
Cameron Morfit at golf.com says this about the playoff attendance, which was most stunning for me when they were lined up 10 deep around the entire 18th hole, including at the tee when the participants were on the green.
The official attendance was 21,558 Monday, but at three gates no one was scanning tickets. According to a USGA official, the fan count was closer to 25,000, the most ever for a Monday playoff, shattering the mark of 11,000 from the 2001 playoff between Mark Brooks and Retief Goosen. For the fans at Torrey Pines and everyone who watched on TV, it will be hard to top the 108th U.S. Open, and even Tiger Woods, not a man given to overstatement, admitted it.
Nick Canepa on the prospects of a return to Torrey Pines:
"The only question now is when we'll come back," U.S. Golf Association executive Director David Fay was saying. "This has been a home run."And finally, in the images category...
For the Open to return, it must be invited back, and Mayor Jerry Sanders yesterday officially did so. Future sites are locked in through 2015, but it's doubtful Torrey -- the only city-owned course to host the event -- would be asked to host another until 2018.
SI Sunday
SI Monday
GolfDigest.com features mostly wire stuff
Golfweek's slideshow comes with some edgy and annoying copyright free music.
Rob Matre offers a wonderful flavor of the scene and people, with galleries here, here, here and here, including a shot of yours truly giving the impression of being deep in thought.
And each day of the San Diego Union Tribune's images are here.
Monday, June 16, 2008 at 09:47 PM
Reader Comments (37)
Is a three-hole play-off for a major golf championship, Mickey Mouse?
The course was in fantastic condition with a mix of tee and pin positions that encouraged a ´risk and reward´approach to major golf, unlike some of the defensive play and tricked up shots, some of which rely on a great deal of luck, at the likes of the US Masters.
As a Scotsman from the home of golf, it was fantastic to see the likes of putters and pitch´n´run shots being played from off the green at Torrey Pines, complimented by punishing rough from off the green which required ´Americanised´ flop shot execution, which gave this event so much variety of shots.
The course was absolutely stunning with some picturesque views and the greens were firm, as they should be for this type of event. It did not suit the fader or drawer of the golf ball, but encouraged players to hit the ball in both directions, high towering shots and punches under the breeze.
The USGA could not have written a better script, with it coming down to the final putt on the 72nd hole, which led to an 18 hole play-off, and yes, which came down to the final putts on the 90th green to decide whether there was going to be sudden-death or not.
In the final anaylsis, it was a couple of big hooks at the end that cost Rocco Mediate the 2008 US Open but this was done over 18 holes play-off and then sudden death.
This is the way a major should be contested, unlike the British Open which plays-off over three holes which is Mickey Mouse! It was pleasing to see the USGA showing the R&A how to properly conclude a major championship in such a scenario, rather than the flip of a coin or roll of the dice, such as a 3 hole play-off delivers after 72 holes of stroke-play. This was far better TV viewing and one of the best major golf championships that I can recall. The Ed., GolfbloggerUK
http://www.golfblogger.co.uk/2008/06/17/us-open-golf-blog-congrats-to-usga-on-the-way-a-major-golf-championship-should-be-held/ (graphic)
Tiger woods for the win.
Also, quality comment their golfblogger, and nice site also.
All round, good site geoff, i will check back more regularly for more news :)
Not that it wasn't thrilling, not that it wasn't great to see the Open on a public course. But it happened to be the right guy who rolled in the bombs, giving us golf fans our version of "The Natural." Or maybe this movie should be called "The Supernatural."
A bit of a correction. You mentioned "not listening to the asinine rhetoric of those who would take our National Open, the Championship of Ouimet, Jones, Hogan, Jack, Arnold and Tiger, and dishonor its value..."
The USGA has already changed the championship of Ouimet and Jones... Jones was required to play a 36-hole playoff in 1929 at Winged Foot. The championship of Tiger is different since it is now 18 holes...
And that is the way it should remain.
"Sudden Death" will always come into play at one point and after a mandatory 18 holes it seems the most fair.
Newbie... consider, if it was sudden death and played out hole-by-hole then Tiger wins on #1. If it is a four-hole cumulative play-off such as in the PGA & British Open Rocco wins after 4. If it is an 18-hole playoff as the USGA does it, it is still tied after 18.
Interesting that two different champions emerge depending upon the shortened playoff system that can be accomplished on the final day. If you believe that a sudden-death style is right, how do you justify how Rocco outplayed Tiger over the next three holes?
If you deem a four-hole playoff as proper, how can you justify Rocco as champion in the face of what Tiger accomplished by getting a substantial lead, Rocco overtaking it and finally Tiger conquering both his opponent and history in a most memorable way?
If this was not an 18-hole championship,think of the story that our children and theirs and so on would have never been given to be inspired by...
The PGA has a 3-hole playoff, followed by sudden-death.
The USGA could adopt such a format, but it would require them to finish the final round with at least an hour of good daylight to spare. When the tournament is held on the east coast, this means a finish by 6:00, which hurts ratings.
That's why it won't happen.
While Tiger won, Rocco won the people's hearts. May be the first time Tiger has played the role of villain. Rocco was a dead duck on No.7 and the crowd was still chanting "Let's Go Rocco."
It doesn't get much better than the last three days.
because the players finish at the same time after 90 holes...
Indeed, TP had nothing to do with this playoff, it was as architecturally neutral as a course could possibly be. The setup generally held.
As for what setup and which courses, see my comments on redanman.blogspot.com. It would take the need away from destroying older course design and have the players play courses intended for today's game -the most fundamentally changed "game of golf" the world has ever seen.
I personally prefer the 18-hole playoff, but I also know that the commentators would be much less rhapsodic today if the playoff had been Mediate v. Westwood.
I agree completely with your observation.
If the national champion must be determined by an 18 hole playoff, then the Senior Mens and Women's tournaments should not be considered national championships because of their incomplete playoff system.
Newbie, I'd say there is one major difference. In a sudden death on Sunday, you could conceivably have one player in the playoff who has been finished for an hour or more. Sure, he's probably been hitting balls, but he's been off the course for a long time, and has probably lost all rhythm. This is especially true in an event like the U.S. Open, where there is so much carnage, and 69 from a guy who starts the day six shots back could be enough to get into a playoff as others come back to the field. Conversely, maybe that extra time hitting balls will help work something out that's been failing him on the course, and could be the difference in the playoff. There's an appearance of unfairness one way or the other.
But sudden death after an 18 hole Monday playoff is between two players who've played under the exact same conditions all day, who've been in the same group, who've played all the holes at the exact same time. It also comes after a round in which only two or three guys have been walking around spiking up the greens. I love the former L.A. and Western Opens, but it's not going to kill me if a guy loses in a playoff because of a bad break on the greens. Both guys go into the day with their normal preparation, their normal routines.
So I definitely think there's a difference between sudden death after 72 and 90 holes. Personally, I like the 18 hole playoff and I hope the U.S. Open doesn't change a thing.
No. Those tournaments are less important because they aren't open to every living, breathing human on the planet (theoretically).
I think we are in the minority. It's like Tiger's knee has cast a spell on everyone. Geoff didn't even want to talk about Torrey Pines a couple of months ago. Now I have a feeling he's not going to stop talking about it.
It was so refreshing that the story was not about double-secret rolling of greens in the middle of the night, greens stimping off the charts, or salad for the rough. The story was the golf play itself and we were dealt a timeless classic here.
This sports moment ranks at the upper end of PTL's scale, defined by what I call the "Phone Dad Moment" (PDM).
Payne Stewart at Pinehurst, that's a PDM.
Red Sox in '04, that's a PDM.
Tiger/Rocco at US Open in '08, hell there were a few PDMs.
This tournament was a gift for all of us who are sports fans and I am grateful that we were given a tournament where players and not the course conditioning dictated the outcome. Hopefully, the suits at the PGA Tour will see that this also translates into higher ratings and more money, and we'll see less of the foolishness from the past.
Bravo!
Have the sites for 2016 and 2017 pretty much been determined already, but not yet announced?
I sure hope Shinnecock fits in the USGA plans somewhere.
That's what separates golf from other sports--the playing field is, or at least should be, an integral part of the story. And hopefully it's a good story.
Are we saying that as long as the rough isn't too high, the greens aren't too fast, the fairways aren't too narrow, and there are opportunities to post good scores, the actual design of the course is inconsequential?
The tournament ends at 72 holes. Everyone plans for and expects 72 holes. When there is a tie, the fairest thing to do for all competitors is finish the thing the next day.
Short playoffs are exciting and gratifying, but they sort of trivialize the meaning of the 72 holes that came before. Of course everything must come to an end eventually, and I think it's perfectly reasonable to resort to sudden death once you've given both players a fair shake in an appropriate playoff.
I'm wondering when the next open will feature the winner hitting 5 or 6 shots at least 50 yards offline, and playing those holes under par.
2 - What were the scores for the participants in the playoff for the first hole? Rocco made 5 and Tiger made 4. So much for the hole kicking Tiger's butt when the $$ was on the line.
3 - As for the timing of a return to Torrey Pines, I have no problem with that but why would it be sooner than ten years from now anyway? Don't we go to Pebble every ten years? Why would Torrey Pines be more frequently than that?
Tell that to Lee Westwood.
thanks for posting that question, I was wondering that myself.
Also, curious to see how many amateurs you see this weekend doing the Rocco Stretch with their club before their shot. I think that one will really catch on.
I've attended three, and found staying over an extra day to be a PITA.
No more. I'm a couch-hugger now, too.
I suppose they could have gone 1, 2, 6 if they'd wanted to, but that takes 18 out of the rotation, and it's a great hole to finish on. And as Mark said, just that day, Tiger parred #1 to Rocco's bogey, and #1 isn't exactly a great hole for a guy with a draw. Neither are 2 or 6. ALl three are doglegs right of varying degrees. But I think Smol's point was that it would be just as unfair for them to say "Even though we've planned all along to start the sudden death on #7, Rocco hooks it, so we should really start on #1." How is that fair, exactly?
I will point out, though, that the NBA plays an overtime period which is 1/4 of the game's length, just like we do at the U.S. Open. It's not "first basket wins!" So there's a major sport that "plays another entire game" (the same portion as the "main event"), to answer the one person above.