The Golf Thread - Good Walks Spoiled

[Stig]

Saw some reports on twitter (so pinching salt) about them also verbally abusing the Spanish lads. Good job they did their talking on the green, it was a great comeback.

[feltmonkey]

This is genuinely fantastic at the moment. Everyone is playing great, the European fightback is continuing, and McIlroy and Pieters in particular are on fire.

 

I still think the USA will win it, but this is spirited stuff from Europe. When it comes down to the singles, Europe's weak links will be exposed, I reckon.

 

I love how fired-up McIlroy is. I feel that he and Garcia are getting Europe going, and pulling a few of the new guys along with them through their sheer enthusiasm. The other big names in the team - Stenson and Rose - aren't such demonstrative characters.

 

I feel sorry for Danny Willett, who's debut has been sabotaged somewhat by a stupid article written by his own brother. 

[glb]

There are a handful morons in the crowd, just blindly bellow the first thing that shunts its way into their heads. 

 

But to be fair, there is almost near silence for shots, and the European players haven't been shy about getting pumped up and giving some back when warranted. Thought they might wilt after Friday morning, but think if anything that session galvanised the team somewhat, because they've been pretty bloody good in the sessions since.

[feltmonkey]

Yeah, the American crowd have been good. The Ryder Cup isn't the Ryder Cup without a partisan crowd. It's hardly surprising that Willett has had some stick, considering the content of the article.

[Stig]

Some of these America fans are taking the piss now. Stopping balls going into the ruff and calling out when Euro players are trying to putt

[feltmonkey]

Willet and Westwood properly cocked up that 17th hole, contriving to both make bogeys playing against one American after the other found the water, and they suddenly go from all square to one down with one to play.  The USA are going to go into Sunday three up.

 

edit - Oh god, and Westwood missed a 3-foot chance to halve the match on the 18th.

[Stig]

How did Westwood miss that, Jesus Christ. He better hope that isn't that margin the US win by if they do.

 

Think this is the US's year, I know we came back from certain defeat last time but I don't see it happening tomorrow.

[feltmonkey]

It was an awful moment, wasn't it?  He's a Ryder Cup legend.  It would have been huge for him to claw that half a point back after that fantastic approach shot.  A real shame.

[milko]

Yup. He brought his closing-out-a-major form to the Ryder Cup, sadly (and harshly!). It's very unlikely to go Europe's way now, though not without precedent so a glimmer of hope remains. 

[glb]

That was a pretty tough session for Europe. Dreading the singles, especially with a few of the European stalwarts off form. Westwood having jitters, Kaymer a shadow of his Major-winning self and Garcia putting to his usual standard.

 

Not over, but there's no momentum like there was at Medinah after Poulter put on his one-man Saturday show.

[Stig]

Rory at the end of the 8th then, cupping his ear to a round off boos from the Americans. Haha, he's reveling in it.

[Mercury]

Whatever the end result, this has been a fantastic competition. I do hope Rory wins his match as Reed is a complete bellend. 

[feltmonkey]

There's an awful lot of red on the board at the moment.

[glb]

Yep, looking more and more like a formality every hole. The Americans' putting in particular has been stupendous, giving Europe very few openings. 

 

Think we just have to watch on and applaud a very good Ryder Cup team, certainly their best by a long way for years.

 

On the plus side, Pieters is a special talent, think he'll get his hands on future Ryder Cups and a few Majors before long.

[feltmonkey]

Patrick Reed has just beaten Rory McIlroy.  I can see how Reed would be unpopular with us Europeans, but he's played magnificently, and I actually like how passionate he's been.  It's meant a lot to him, and that's what we've wanted to see from the USA over the last few years.

 

Europe are still scrapping, and in terms of the quality of the golf they've actually played very well.  A few players have just sunk, such as the unfortunate Willett, but there have been a lot of fantastic performances.  The Americans have just kept coming up with brilliant shots when it matters, great performances across the board.  It's not quite over yet, but it will be soon, and the USA have deserved the win.

 

edit - Yeah, Pieters has been amazing.  4 points out of 5 as a rookie.  That's extraordinary.

[milko]

Willet has had almost nothing but disaster this tournament, poor guy. I bet his brother stays quiet for a while now. 

 

The USA have deserved this and it's good for the tournament overall. 

[feltmonkey]

Europe are refusing to lie down.  Westwood has got himself 2up, Garcia is finding some form, the excellent Cabera-Bello has won his match.  The problem today has been a succession of 10-footers that haven't gone down. In the last half-hour, Rose, Wood, and Sullivan have missed ones to win holes, and they could all prove to be crucial in the final analysis.  Sullivan too now.

 

edit - The Mickleson-Garcia match is one for the ages.  Ridiculous stuff.

[jonamok]

Think it's gonna be comfortably red in the end. But while there's hope...

[feltmonkey]

Great to see Sergio sink that putt to halve the match with Mickleson.  They both hit about ten birdies, didn't they?

 

It's pretty much all over now.  The USA need a point and a half, and are up in most of the remaining matches, with at least a half guaranteed already.  Europe have had a few too many weak links.

[milko]

Sergio and Phil, wow. They both seemed to just keep getting better, ridiculous stuff.

 

Yeah, as the pundits just pointed out, the bottom half of our team hasn't been able to turn anyone over this time. All those near misses that in winning years seem to drop in and rescue points from nowhere.

[feltmonkey]

And meanwhile the Americans seem incapable of missing any putt.  It's not as if Europe have played badly and lost it, the US have been fantastic.

[feltmonkey]

It's looking ominously like the US will get the final point, or half a point, they need to win through Westwood missing a putt.

[jonamok]

Westwood losing from 2up and 3 to play. Sad. Still the yanks would have won it anyway. Garcia v Phil was immense golf though.

[milko]

Those Masters are quietly going along there, huh.

 

Two days of most people struggling mightily to get a decent score, but the weather looking like it'll help out for the second two days and things seem fairly open right now.

[glb]

 Great seeing Fred Couples on the first page of the leaderboard.

 

Augusta looking its usual spectacular self, what a course.

[feltmonkey]

It's been interesting. Garcia did well to keep his head after the scoreboard incorrectly showed him as getting a triple bogey on the tenth. It stayed that way for ages, too. I really hope he wins it, but you just know he'll have that one bad round he always has.

[feltmonkey]

It's going to be an exciting last day. So many still in contention. Spieth has dropped a shot, but I still think he'll be in the mix at the end. For me, most of the evening is going to be spent waiting for Sergio's inevitable tragic capitulation.

 

Edit - he's started with a couple of early birdies just to make it worse. It's the hope that kills you.

[the_debaser]

Garcia will find a way to fuck this up. He's Garcia. 

[feltmonkey]

Justin Rose is making a bit of a charge.

[milko]

Great stat from the Guardian just now:

Quote

Rose’s cumulative score to par over the back nine in his Masters career is -11. Sergio’s is +31.

 

Come on Sergio! Somehow. If he can't do it I would not mind seeing Justin win another, but still. 

 

edit: stop hitting it into trees, Sergio!