59...And The Coverage?

Admittedly I've been traveling all day to England and not really too eager to surf around for some stories on Paul Goydos' 59, but it was shocking that this was about as extensive a version as I saw. I'm off to enjoy a lovely English evening, so if you see some more detailed accounts please post a link!

Update on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 01:54 PM by Geoff

Here's more of Goydos' predictably entertaining thoughts and the full transcript or here.

Comments

[Del the Funk]

Good on ya Paul!!! I look forward to seeing the highlights of the round.

[jw]

Birdied 8 out of 9 on the back 9.

[dbh]

According to the radio broadcast, he made a 7 footer on the last for the 59. That's pretty cool...

[al p]

Wait just a second off to England.....

What about the rest of us?

[Tuco]

Geoff, hope you are enjoying the delights of DEAL

[Jay Townsend]

I heard Goydos' 59 was shot under preferred lie rules. In my book, that is not a legitimate 59!! Great round, but NOT a true 59, sorry

[Ekenfish]

212 feet of putts

[OWGR Fan]

Jay...... Al Geibergers 59 was also under LCP.

[Del the Funk]

Jay, is that right? I've been listening to it on PGA Tour radio and have heard no mention of that. They interviewed David Duval and he sure didn't seem to think it was anything short of an amazing feat. Al Geiberger's 59 was shot on a lift-clean-place day.

How'd you like to go out and shoot 7-under 64 and have been lapped by 5 shots?!

But even worse, how'd you like to shoot 12-under 59 and only be leading by 1?!?!

These guys really are good!!!

(Stricker just hit it to 2' 3" on 18 to shoot 60)

[Jay Townsend]

Yeah, I only found out about Geiberger today. I guess Chip Beck was the first one to really shoot 59. LCP DOES ONT COUNT

[Jay Townsend]

Sorry, DOES NOT COUNT

Sorry for the typo

[Del the Funk]

Jay, a lot of people say the course Chip shot it on was substandard, a wide open pitch and putt.

They just interviewed Chopra and he said in his opinion the LCP was irrelevant today.

Under the most strict terms I guess Duval's 59 is the most credible.

[fatgoalie]

Does not Count?
Scoreboard says?>>>>> 59

[RM]

One of the main themes in golf is to "embrace the conditions"...good (preferred) or bad! The 59 counts!

[Media driven]

Why would they play LCP in July? Was course outrageously wet and muddy? Seems a very strange decision, but yes, detracts from the feat. How many times did he touch his ball in the fairway?

[Del the Funk]

Media, they had a ton of rain overnight: http://qctimes.com/sports/golf/professional/article_16aeb196-8af0-11df-bd92-001cc4c03286.html

Paul only missed 1 fairway so I'd assume he LCP'd it 12 times.

All the players interviewed were completely on board with the legitimacy of the 59.

[Jonathan]

Almost as astounding is that Paul is only 2 shots up!

[* See footnote]

@RM,

Going back to forever ago, THE main theme in golf is play the ball as it lies. A 59 under LC&P is still an amazing feat but unfortunately it will always carry an asterisk.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Of course the score counts, but it has the same validity as those of one of my former regular playing partners who always bragged about what he "shot." Finally, one day I couldn't take it any more and said, "I guess you aren't counting those 20 or 30 penalty strokes: Every time you move the ball that's one penalty stroke, and every time you fail to move it back to where it was that is another penalty stroke." Bless his heart, he took the hint and played it down for a couple of weeks and actually did OK. But he just couldn't resist the jones to roll it around and had a permanent relapse. Alas.

[Del the Funk]

Ky, F.O...

...you're lost.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Why, thank you, Del. Coming from you that sure means a lot!

[PABOY]

Johny Miller shot 63 once on a future Women's Open venue.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Uh, Del, awfully sorry to bother you again, but "he (Goydos) added that he did not land in a divot or have mud on his ball at anytime during the round." So my question is why play "lift, clean, and place"? Sounds like the Rules of Golf would have covered things (casual water) pretty well. No? Anyway, it would be great if Paul, who is one of the most interesting players on TOUR, could win this weekend. Go Dirtbags!

[Del the Funk]

Ky, if Paul were the rules arbiter then possibly things would have been handled differently, but Paul is not the rules arbiter -- he just plays by the rules at hand. In addition, if he said he was never in a divot. nor did he have any mud on the ball. then effectively no benefit was gained.... You do believe that Paul is a straight shooter, dont you?

Also, you are certainly entitled to your own opinion but David Duval is 110% supportive of Paul's 59....

....and you think you are more qualified than Duval to render judgement?!?

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Del: Read what I wrote. I said the score counts. I have no problem with Paul Goydos playing under the "local rule" known as "lift, clean, and place" (some, including yours truly, have said 'cheat' instead of 'place'...I admit that). He shot a 59 and that couldn't have happened to a nicer guy on TOUR. But if you are not playing the ball "down" you are not really playing Golf; I'm not by a long shot the only person who believes this. The TOUR and the networks must believe this, too, because when such a dispensation is granted you almost never, ever see the "best players in the world" actually doing the lifting, cleaning, and placing except on the greens, where the Rules of Golf provide for such. Nor do the broadcasters talk about it much. I have tremendous respect for professional golfers, and David Duval is a particularly remarkable example; it would be a great event for him to win his second Major next week. But I am perfectly qualified to make the point that "lift, clean, and place" is something other than golf, strictly speaking. As is anyone else, including you. And that the course wasn't a mudhole indicates that LCP wasn't really required. I have played in tournaments where a hole next to a creek that overflowed was largely designated ground under repair or even LCP in that particular fairway. But never the entire course. Moreover, arguments from authority do not impress me much. Nor should they you. Now, take it up with Jay Townsend up-thread, who is a former European Tour player and multiple winner IIRC. He is as qualified by your lights as David Duval to "render judgment." Which he has, by the way. I'm just a lowly amateur Shackelfordian and I freely admit that. I hope your golf this weekend is excellent. Peace.

[Del the Funk]

Ky, why does the Tour ever put LCP into play?

[Del the Funk]

PS...Duval trumps JT, and you too. Shooting 59 is the ultimate credential, otherwise pipe down...

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Del, my fellow Shackelfordian, that's a very good question. I don't know. Probably because they feel they have to, perhaps to make the Game "fair" for all the players. Personally, I'd like to see them deal with a mud ball like the rest of us: Take out a wedge instead of a 3-iron and lay up while knocking the mud off the ball. Well, I suppose there are those of us who would just pick up the ball and wipe off the mud?

Seems that a 58 would be even more ultimate, doesn't it?

Anyway, try this one. Yeah I know, you told me to pipe down. That's coming soon, so show just a moment's patience. But first let's do a little thought experiment that occurred to me while I was painting my house this morning. I was going to just keep it to myself, but you had to tell me to pipe down. Seems like I saw that the Steve Prefontaine Memorial Track Meet was recently held in Eugene; maybe it's going on right this minute, I don't know. Let's say that Tyson Gay and Usain Bolt were both in the 100-meter final, and Gay finally beat Bolt with a time of 9.48, which is a new world record by 0.10 second, not to mention his personal best by about 0.2 second. A magnificent performance in every way! Except that the wind was blowing at 15 mph behind their backs. Tyson wins the race, gets the blue ribbon and first-place money, the time counts as the fastest ever over that distance. But does he get the new world record? Nope, because his time was wind-aided. Kind of like being able to tee up every shot in the fairway when you shoot a 59, or depending on the golfer, a 69, 79, 89, or 99. So, we have had four 59s on the PGA Tour. Each of them was the result of out-of-this-world golf by very attractive personalities. They all count (no world records in Golf). But two of them were "wind-aided" so to speak. That's all. Unless you don't believe that being able to put your hands on the ball is an advantage, that is.

Hope you had a good golf day. I was run off the course by a thunderstorm (sorry, Thor missed yet again) after 2 birdies (one a chip-in), 2 bogeys, and a par. Typical, except for the birdies. Cheers!

P.S. I hope Paul Goydos and Steve Stricker flirt with 60 tomorrow in a shootout between two great players and great guys.