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Luck or skill

Tadashi70

Tadashi70

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Many of us know by now that Paula Creamer sank a 75' right to left, down hill 20' breaking putt to win this weekend. It was great to see and really gets the blood pumping. Happy for her and this is not to take away from her win.

I would however like to know if that was skill or luck? I think luck because pros don't often practice those putts let alone in that type of situation. So the age old adage that pros practice to get lucky doesn't apply for me.

Chipping in or holing out from bunker to me is skill. But putts like that just don't come about all that often. So what say you, luck or skill?
 
I think that she still had to pick the line and pick the speed. I go with more skill than luck. If I can go some of both I will. More skill but some luck.
 
I don't see why it couldn't be a little bit of both. A putt that long, you almost have read the green in segments, and to me that part is skill. The rest of it is probably luck though.
 
A bit of both for sure. Took some skill to even come close to getting that one near the hole. Skill only gets you so far however. The more I practice the luckier I get.
 
Howzat said:
A bit of both for sure. Took some skill to even come close to getting that one near the hole. Skill only gets you so far however. The more I practice the luckier I get.
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This. Exactly.
 
Agreed with above, a little of both, line and speed are practiced but lets be honest, 75ft??? Lucky :act-up:
 
Agreed, both IMO. Have to have a good line and speed and then pray.
 
I think it was luck that was allowed to happen because of her skill. Takes a lot of skill to get that one close, and luck that it fell in the hole.
 
Skill to get it close. Luck that it went in.
 
I'm going to say both. If she had rolled that putt up where she had a really decent chance at holing out her second putt most people would, I think, attribute it to skill at green reading and distance control. The fact that she got that exactly right and the ball fell in the hole had to be dumb luck.
 
I agree that its a bit of both along the lines of what everyone mentioned. If you visualize the different parts along the length of the put and judge that accurately your going to get it close. It going in the whole from that far was probably 'luck'.
 
I agree with the combination of both, but if it's something you can do 9 out of ten times it's skill. If it's something you do one out of 100 times that's luck. As great a shot as that was I can't see her replicating that more than the one time out of 100 tries.
 
I'll go more on the skill side. She said in an interview she had that long putt on that line a couple times this week so she had some idea of where the line and speed would be. There was some luck to it obviously, but having a putt on that line before I think really helped her.
 
I'd say also a little bit of both were in play. Reading angles and understanding speed control takes skill. Putting into play to get it near the hole is what you would be hoping for, it actually falling in the cup is the luck part.
 
Both. She had to have a good amount of skill to get the putt close and had to have some luck that the putt was perfect and the ball went in.
 
I'm going little bit of both. Skill got it their, luck got it in the hole. Really think she was lagging it to get to that famous 3ft circle and luck took over and put it in the jar.
I loved it.

Grip n Rip
@bigtazzGOLF
 
You must have skills to have that kind of luck.
 
BigTex said:
I think it was luck that was allowed to happen because of her skill. Takes a lot of skill to get that one close, and luck that it fell in the hole.
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Good way to put it. She has a much higher chance to "get lucky" than the average ameteur because of her ability to read the green & visualize how the ball will roll, & gauge how hard to hit it.
 
Skill to read it correctly and luck that at that speed it didn't hop the hole and roll a long ways past....
 
To me it is both. You have to good to be lucky.
 
Both without a doubt.

No amount of "skill" can consistently make that putt.
 
I think everyone can get lucky but you have to typically have some type of skill for luck to kick in


Proud Member of #TeamParadise
 
Took a huge amount of skill to get the putt any where close but for that to go in was nothing but pure luck. She could putt 50 more from there and not make another in all probability.
 
Both....
 
It's a combination of skill and luck.
Skill will get you close, luck will drop it in on long putts like that or anything holed out from off the green.
 
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