PGA Championship

No one forced Rory to play up. He could have waited, even complained that he didn't want to continue. Would have been branded a poor sport if he had. So I think they all understood the situation and did their best to allow everyone to finish.

If Mickelson's chip for eagle on 18 had gone in and forced a tie, I do wonder how Rory might have played differently.

 

Why?
The logic behind the "Rory playing up hurt Phil/Fowler" doesn't make sense. They both needed eagle. That's the only thing they should have played for. Rory hitting up doesn't change that unless he power yanks it into the crowd and makes birdie good.
If anything, Rory was hurt by the play. He would have watched Phil come up short and Fowler on from a mile away and knows par is good. So he bangs 3-wood to take the water out of play on the right and hopes Phil doesn't chip or or Fowler doesn't drop a bomb. Then he bangs an iron short, throws a wedge in tight and closes with a two putt from 12 feet.
Phil was pissed because that's how he is. He isn't the angel everyone thinks. He's a great guy when the cameras are on but when nobody's around, it's a different story.

 

But none of what you just said affected (effected? I've been out of the game for a while) how Phil played the hole. You always play like your opponent is going to make shots.
All the analysts saying it changed how he played the hole are wrong because Phil/Fowler's second shots - the shots that mattered - came before Rory. How Rory hits his second shot doesn't change how they would play their third because they're not playing for par.
If Rory doesn't play through, Phil/Fowler has to finish out because Rory's not hitting until the green is clear unless he's planning on laying it up 70 yards short of the green, which he wasn't doing. If anything, watching Rory dump his second into the bunker helps them because it gives them hope that birdie might get them into a playoff. It hurts Rory because not knowing what happens in front of him changes everything; if he sees one of them make eagle, his second shot strategy is incredibly different than it would be if he sees a bird in front of him.
I think it didn't matter when Rory was hitting his second shot. If he did it tonight, he's doing it the same way regardless of what happened in front of him. If they made him wait, he's coming in tomorrow, hitting 8 iron, wedge and two putts for the win.

 

If Phil was only 1 shot behind; okay the breach of "protocol" could have been something but two shots back? Come on, its not going to change anything. Sure Phil came close to jarring the chip/pitch but that's all it is, close but no cigar.

Rory has won 2 majors in a row; 4 in last 4 years and all before 26; amazing.

That's all that matters.

 

What happened at 18 probably didn't impact the outcome. But there will be a next time when they're trying to beat darkness, and in circumstances where it's not a two-stroke difference, as it was this time, it's going to be a cluster_____. Can you imagine a scenario where Rory's second shot at 18 is right of the hole, over where Phil was, and it's to his advantage to see Phil's shot and how the ball breaks on the green? That would be a freakin' disaster.

 

Tiger who?

Everybody LOVES Rory!

 

One tweak to that ratings story is that everything I've seen is that it's highest ratings since 2009, not 2007 (and were below 2009). 2009, otherwise known as a tournament that had Tiger in final pairing.

Seems like many people who bemoan the fact golf coverage is all Tiger, Tiger, Tiger -- there's more to the game, people! There are so many amazing players around here, why do you focus on one guy? These guys are good, right? All of them! -- are now bound and determined to make sure Rory gets overwhelming coverage and is sole face of golf (and those people weren't just complaining about Tiger coverage from 10-14; they've been around since 1997).

Meaning somewhere, at some time, we'll have someone complaining that no one cares enough about the John Deere Classic or this era's Jim Furyk.

 

The next 10 years, it's going to delight me greatly to watch you twist yourself into knots of rage as Rory's long march toward 14+ majors unfolds.

 

I think the guy finishing second drove some ratings, too.

 

Plus the fact the tournament extended into prime time, and of course had a dramatic finish.

If Rory was winning by six strokes, I doubt the numbers would be very good. Rory isn't going to drive ratings by himself — yet. But if he wins the Masters next year and goes for the Rory Slam, he will start to.