U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

[WriterDom]

It doesn't get much better than this. Not surprised to see one betting site having Tiger as the favorite. Along with Phil at 13/2. Phil would join Woods, Nicklaus, and Palmer to be the only golfer to win the first two legs of a grand slam in a year.

 

[Bette_coquette]

Is that this week? I love the 7-Mile drive. That's about as close as I come to a golf course these days.

 

[WriterDom]

Is that this week? I love the 7-Mile drive. That's about as close as I come to a golf course these days.

Yep, bright and early Pacific time on Thursday.

 

[Lizzie_Borden]

Yay, something other than soccer on tv next weekend.

 

[midwestyankee]

I figure that Mickelson will join Sam Snead as one of the most talented and otherwise successful players to never win the U.S. Open. Phil is much more likely to win a British Open than ours, though he has not had a whole lot of success in that tournament either. "I am so stupid" is the best one-line summary of Phil's approach to the U.S. Open.

It will be interesting to see if being in a major, and at Pebble Beach to boot, will help Woods keep his game under control. There's no way that he'll come close to repeating what he did in 2000 but that stunning performance will dominate the pre-tournament talk.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

I figure that Mickelson will join Sam Snead as one of the most talented and otherwise successful players to never win the U.S. Open. Phil is much more likely to win a British Open than ours, though he has not had a whole lot of success in that tournament either. "I am so stupid" is the best one-line summary of Phil's approach to the U.S. Open.

It will be interesting to see if being in a major, and at Pebble Beach to boot, will help Woods keep his game under control. There's no way that he'll come close to repeating what he did in 2000 but that stunning performance will dominate the pre-tournament talk.

I pretty much have to agree with both your points. Phil's game - well, his game as he usually plays it - doesn't set up very well for Open conditions. If he were to make certain modifications to his style, like TW did at the British a few years ago by hardly ever taking the driver out of his bag, play a little less hell-for-leather and a little more conservatively on certain holes, he could have a good shot at Pebble. I just don't think he's disciplined enough to do it for four rounds, though.

As for TW getting or keeping *his* game under control, the facts that it IS a major and it IS Pebble offer him a good chance to show the world that he's still one hell of a golfer. He's only shown flashes of his old style since his "comeback," but this would be a really really good time for him to buckle down and focus on what's made his life what it is - and what it should be. I wish him luck.

Hell, I wish all the players in the Open luck. To reach the level they have, they've demonstrated a commitment to excellence and willingness to work at their craft far beyond that of the average 9-to-5'er, and I admire that level of dedication and skill.

 

[WriterDom]

I like Phil's chances this year. He's won there three times. Being Phil, he can find a way to lose it.

I think Tiger is still way too fucked up mentally to win it. With Jesus possibly, but not with Buddha. Buddha has a great short game but just not the long game of Jesus.

If I were betting I'd draw straws between Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker.

 

[midwestyankee]

I like Phil's chances this year. He's won there three times. Being Phil, he can find a way to lose it.

I think Tiger is still way too fucked up mentally to win it. With Jesus possibly, but not with Buddha. Buddha has a great short game but just not the long game of Jesus.

If I were betting I'd draw straws between Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker.

I don't know about the Buddha, but we all know that the Dalai Lama, well he's a big hitter, the Lama.

Pebble has given us only one plodder champion in Tom Kite ('92). Nicklaus ('72), Watson ('82), and Woods ('00) were at the top of the game at the time they won their Opens at Pebble. Expect the same this year. This means no Stricker or Furyk. Pebble is a challenger course; it will bring out all your faults, which is why Phil will not be a factor by Sunday afternoon. Because Tiger's game is not where he usually likes it, I'm not certain that he'll prevail.

 

[WriterDom]

I'll be surprised if Tiger makes the cut, much less wins. There has always been a certain side to him that allows him to win only when he's on the top of his game. A certain lack of emotional stability. Now all or most of the demons are out and after a few duck hooks in the deep rough he'll lose it.

I'm not sure I buy the whole neck injury either. If you are worth a billion dollars or so and you make your living with your body, couldn't you afford a MRI before things got so bad you had to drop out? Besides that, I'm sure he has Blue Cross, Blue Star Wars shield.

 

[WriterDom]

This is one place Tiger could very well win. He can pretty much keep the driver in the bag all day. But he has to make a move pretty quick. Shoot par or better today.

Phil on the other hand does things that just make you want to scratch your head. A lot of golf to go until Sunday though.

 

[midwestyankee]

This is one place Tiger could very well win. He can pretty much keep the driver in the bag all day. But he has to make a move pretty quick. Shoot par or better today.

Phil on the other hand does things that just make you want to scratch your head. A lot of golf to go until Sunday though.

Phil the Phoolish showed up yesterday, didn't he? He played the eighteenth like a redneck on steroids (could almost imagine him saying to Bones just before he hit his second shot on eighteen, "Y'all watch this now"). Still, he's only 7 off the lead and a decent day today will keep him within sight. Same for Woods, who played very steadily yesterday but missed a couple putts and blew the eighteenth with an overcooked third shot.

What impressed me about Woods's play yesterday was how well he hit the driver. With the number of times that he has hit driver thirty yards offline to the right, you'd think that that stretch of holes right along the beach cliffs would have had him hitting his 2 iron stinger all afternoon. Instead he brought out the big dog and showed that he has it under control. He probably won't screw up much and as long as he shoots about even par for the next three days he'll probably add to his hardware collection.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

Par may well be a winner for this Open, especially if the weather kicks up just a tad. I don't think the winner will have to do anything spectacular "against par," just stay at or just below (or just above) it. +3 after day one is not a knockout in an Open at Pebble.

 

[WriterDom]

It's just starting to get good now. No one has two rounds in the 60s yet. Phil could make a statement with a 68 or so. Or he could limp in with a 74.

The best thing for Tiger would be a Phil win. That might get him going. Not saying Tiger can't win still but he pretty much has to break par today.

 

[SirLeo]

I think Tiger is 8 months away from being ready to win/dominate again. I agree that Phil winning the Open would be a big motivator, but until Tiger works through his swing problems and mental/emotional stuff he just doesn't seem like the old Tiger.

Actually, I really like watching some of the young guns. Looks liek this one is wide open. A lot will depend onthe weather.

 

[satindesire]

I've had golf lessons before, but my boobs get in the way of my swing.

I'm not trying to brag or anything, this is a genuine frustration. I want to learn how to golf but my swing always gets pushed "out" by my chest.

Minimizing bras are, right now, out of the question, because I'm still breastfeeding.

What else could I do? Can anyone give me a suggestion?

 

[Kikori]

All I can think of is different club lengths or ball placement, whichever could evade being interrupted by your chest. :<

 

[satindesire]

All I can think of is different club lengths or ball placement, whichever could evade being interrupted by your chest. :<

Putting is just about the only thing I can do well, because I can lean forward so much that my boobs don't get in the way. It's kind of hard to explain, the visual of it, but I lean forward a lot more than most people.

 

[midwestyankee]

Satin, there are a number of women playing successfully on the LPGA tour with good-sized breasts. I'd tape a tournament or two and study the swings of some of the bustier players. One you might want to look at in particular is Christina Kim. She may be shorter than you are but she gets the club around her chest just fine.

 

[satindesire]

Satin, there are a number of women playing successfully on the LPGA tour with good-sized breasts. I'd tape a tournament or two and study the swings of some of the bustier players. One you might want to look at in particular is Christina Kim. She may be shorter than you are but she gets the club around her chest just fine.

Oh, thank you so much!!

ETA: I just looked at some pictures of her...what a cutie!

 

[midwestyankee]

Oh, thank you so much!!

ETA: I just looked at some pictures of her...what a cutie!

One of the best lessons I ever learned was to pay attention to the swings of players with my basic body type and size. I'm sure you can find height and weight stats at lpga.com and possibly come up with someone who's an even better match for you than Christina Kim. I agree with you: she's a doll. I'd rake her trap in a heartbeat.

 

[midwestyankee]

It's too bad that Tiger is eight months away from being competitive. I guess a 66 just isn't as good as it used to be. Woods is playing better with each successive day. That should make tomorrow pretty interesting. At this moment, the leaders are playing 12 and Woods is sitting in second place at -1 with two players ahead of him at -5. Wonder what the leader board will look like in 90 minutes.

 

[WriterDom]

One thing is for certain. For Tiger to win he has to do something he has never done. Beat Dustin Johnson in a round of golf at Pebble. 25 year olds aren't supposed to win Opens. But this kid is pretty good.

I don't know who will win but we could have more golf on Monday again.

 

[Bette_coquette]

One thing is for certain. For Tiger to win he has to do something he has never done. Beat Dustin Johnson in a round of golf at Pebble. 25 year olds aren't supposed to win Opens. But this kid is pretty good.

I don't know who will win but we could have more golf on Monday again.

Tiger won the Masters when he was 22. If he can find his mental game again, he'll be as deadly as he's ever been.