Official British Open thread

Anybody have a flashback after Tiger won to MJ beating the Sonics in '97?
And didn't Steve Williams look to be the most uncomfortable person on the planet?

TW is the man. Best ever, though I hope DiMarco gets one one day.

 

Woods has the self-control to do the obvious, which other golfers, ranging from 30-handicappers up to Phil Mickelson, cannot. Having trouble hitting the driver? DON'T USE IT!
As a corollary, it's true that Tiger was hitting from further back than say, Els, but since he hits all his other clubs besides driver further than just about anyone else, this was a smaller sacrifice than if Sergio were to try the same move.
Most pros have their egos tied to their games. Woods' is tied to winning. That's his real advantage over his peers.

 

The snobby R&A insists that it be called THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP as if calling something the U.S. Open is down a notch on the prestige meter. What the hell. They invented golf. Plus, a faction of the golf media, led by Ferguson is going to always suck up to the traditionlists and cover this sport as if it were still in the 19th century.

 

going back to fenians point earlier about the tiger cheerleading, i think alot of these guys are afraid of having their access cut off to him. a few years ago, peter kostis said something mildly critical about him on the golf channel, and woods never forgot. then, they had another issue, and woods demanded he not have to deal with the guy again.

so, kostis no longer interviews him. its a joke. some of these guys so badly (tirico, azinger) want to be woods bumboys that theyll do anything to make him sound good. the few who dont give a shit (faldo) are rare.

 

Yeah...it was the Open championship in 1863. Guess what? Another country decided to play golf, and call it the U.S. Open. But to get all huffy because it's referred to as the British Open is the height of snobbery. And guess what else: An American has won your stuffy, snobby OPEN championship, played on surfaces not worthy of grazing cows, for the last 13 years.

Conversely, a player from the British Isles hasn't won the U.S. Open since 1970.

 

"This one's for Pop."----Mike Tirico as final putt on 18 goes in.

Very Nice.

 

Every time I've heard Tiger, he's called Earl "Pops".

 

Except for the one major I've ever covered, which was won by the immortal Steve Jones. :

(unless, like Jack Nicklaus, you count the U.S. Amateur as a major, in which case I've covered two)

 

You'd have one too if you were a billionaire.

What, you thought she married him because of his sparkling personality?

When Bobby Jones won his Grand Slam, both the U.S. and British amateurs were considered majors. When did that stop?

And why is the PGA Championship still considered a major while the Tour Championship and Players Championships are not?

Surfaces not worthy of grazing cows? I have to agree -- that course looked like shit, just like the one The Open was played on last year. How does anyone justify staging major championships on courses with more brown showing than green? What a disgrace.

 

Except for the one major I've ever covered, which was won by the immortal Steve Jones.  :

(unless, like Jack Nicklaus, you count the U.S. Amateur as a major, in which case I've covered two)
I remember just before the final round of the '96 Open started, I turned to my dad and said, "I don't know who's going to win, but I can tell you who WON'T win -- this Steve Jones guy. A nobody never wins the Open."

Oops.

 

I said almost never. Larry Mize did chip in to win the Masters in '87.

 

Man, not to get all Mushnickian, but I get so uncomfortable with the dead parent stuff.

I can't imagine how much grief DiMarco must be feeling, but to use the death of a parent as motivation for winning a freaking golf tournament seems so wrong to me. To say that he feels that he is destined to win or that he dedicated his performance to his mother just makes me sick to my stomach. If I said that I was going to dedicate my next deposition to the memory of my grandmother, people would look at me like was insane -- yet it is perfectly acceptable in sports.

And yes, Tiger and his father were closer than anyone ever was or will be to their dad.