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CA Championship (Spoilers)

Dent said:
Alright go Phil!!
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Even though I had it on while cleaning the garage and did manage to see the finish I'm watching it over again on DVR....that tee shot on 18 was MONEY. The jerk bag that yelled "get in the water" was probably Sergio.
 
Phil owes Watney a sand lesson after those shots gave him the tourney. I couldn't believe it when Lefty decide to go for it righty with the upside down iron despite Bones' caution. He was one bad sand shot away from another "I'm such an idiot" interview. That said, I was sort of excited when he decided to go for it too.

Watney's chip-in was stunning.

Noticed Camilo's "Sunday" outfit too. Guess if you leave the game for 8 months any claims or entitlements go away with you.

Paddy dissappointed me again, though. I really want to see him come back to form. Tiger should be pleased (despite the stupid post-round interview question: "so on a scale of 1 to 10, how frustrated are you?". Where do they get these guys?). His ball striking was great, his knee is better than ever apparently, amd every day he regained some of his feel on the greens.

All in all, I thought it was a great competition this weekend. I really enjoyed Phil and Watney's head to head, and Furyk's late surge was cool too.
 
Puttin4Bird said:
Thanks for the recap Bake. I would have to agree with what he said, we all know it is true, but it's nice to hear the potential next #1 say that. Am I out of touch with reality if I think that Phil will be #1 by the Masters? I just think as well as he's playing right now he'll get an extra boost of motivation from being so close and I really see him doing it. How long he stays there is another question, but getting there is the first part.
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It depends how soon Tiger gets his game back.
Im personally not a Phil fan. I think the guy is an idiot and doesnt deserve to be world #1.
 
worst_shot_ever said:
Phil owes Watney a sand lesson after those shots gave him the tourney. I couldn't believe it when Lefty decide to go for it righty with the upside down iron despite Bones' caution. He was one bad sand shot away from another "I'm such an idiot" interview. That said, I was sort of excited when he decided to go for it too.

Watney's chip-in was stunning.

Noticed Camilo's "Sunday" outfit too. Guess if you leave the game for 8 months any claims or entitlements go with you.

Paddy dissappointed me again, though. I really want to see him come back. Tiger should be pleased (despite the stupid post-round interview question: "so on a scale of 1 to 10, how frustrated are you?". Where do they get these guys?). His ball striking was great, his knee is better than ever apparently, amd every day he regained some of his feel on the greens.

All in all, I thought it was a great competition this weekend. I really enjoyed Phil and Watney's head to head, and Furyk's late surge was cool too.
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Phil gives the fans what they like to see. He keeps the game alive during dull moments. He is constantly taking risks which I find makes him very enjoyable to watch. He is probably one of the most exciting golfers to watch, because you will see him take risks that others won't.
 
I agree with you Dent. It's not my money on the line so if he wants to take risks and make the game more fun I say go for it. I know as a spectator I enjoy watching it.
 
Dent said:
Phil gives the fans what they like to see. He keeps the game alive during dull moments. He is constantly taking risks which I find makes him very enjoyable to watch. He is probably one of the most exciting golfers to watch, because you will see him take risks that others won't.
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True, but sometimes Phil needs to step back and consider risk-reward instead of just going for it.
I honestly dont know how Bones can continue to caddy for Phil. I know that I sure as heck couldnt stand it if I was someone caddy and they asked me what I thought but then did whatever they wanted to regardless of what I said.
If thats how its gonna be, Phil could probably save some money by picking some random fan out of the gallery to carry his clubs and hand him whatever club he wants to hit.
I agree that Phil is exciting to watch because he's a trainwreck waiting to happen, but he doesnt play very smart.
 
I really don't think Phil really cares about playing it safe. Risk reward appears to mean nothing it's more along the lines of "Damn the Defiant Full Speed Ahead." Guess you have to give it to a guy who plays it his way win or lose. This was a good win for him, I have to admit I was pulling for him today.
 
Lets analyze the Risk-reward situation a second....
It seems to me that most people have some inherent R-R ratio...from super conservative to super risky. For some, as long as there is nothing catastrophic to lose, they tend towards the risky side. For Phil, I would think that would be money....of which I dont think he is hurting. I myself am also a very big risk taker....At 44, I probably do a lot of things a 24 yr old would not do....i think a lot has to do with the exhilaration factor as well....We could all plod along keeping the status quo, never really having the super good day(The Masters) or super bad day (Winged Foot). Or we can put ourselves out there to experience life at its fullest...I will take the latter every day..(man..I need to quit trying to be so philosophical on midnight shift...):thinking:

bama
 
I think Phil did take the most conservative approach in this case.

(a) the announcers said that taking a a two club-lengths drop would not provide any relief.

(b) they also said that taking relief by going back to a point that kept the ball in a line to the hole would have put Mickelson in a sandy area where his ball could embed when dropped.

(c) either one of those option would also involve a 1-stroke penalty. As a result, Mickelson could lose a shot and still end up with a bad lie and/or angle.

On the other hand,

(1) Mickelson is naturally right-handed. Turning around is not a big deal for him. (Confirmed by his swing when he did it.)

(2) His right-handed stroke was, essentially, a free stroke because if he took relief by declaring his ball unplayable, he would incur a 1-stoke penalty anyway.

Therefore, by hitting right-handed, he gave himself a chance at a miracle shot but, even if it didn't work, he would almost certainly end up with a better lie than his relief options if he declared his ball unplayable.
 
Harry Longshanks said:
I think Phil did take the most conservative approach in this case.
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Agree and it worked out for him pretty good with just a bogey.
He's definitely fun to watch.
 
With his play this year I'm starting to become a Lefty Fan never really was that much before but he's kind of grown on me. I guess being another lefty and all I should be pulling for him but I've always pulled for Weir. Good Canadian boy from Sarina if I don't miss my guess and beat the pea around the rink a little when he was young. See I've got this whole Dual Citizenship going on both a Yank and Canuck.
 
I wouldn't say it was the safest alternative. I think the risk was the relatively high possibility of ricochet off one of the many tree trunks and palm fronds in his way. As Bones pointed out, he would have no control over where it went. Phil clearly concluded a bad ricochet wasn't likely enough to warrant taking a one-stroke penalty and possible sand embedation ( :smile: ), but in fact Bones's fear wasn't unjustified. Phil did hit something -- he just was fortunate that it dropped and didn't vear out of bounds or something.
 
worst_shot_ever said:
Has anyone here played the Blue Monster? It's one of those courses like Augusta, Torrey, Spyglass, Sawgrass and a few others that I really want to play before I die.
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I played it often as a teenager in the late '70s. My teammate on the high school team had some sort of family membership and he'd invite me to play. I had to shell out 20 bucks for a cart, otherwise free.

It was a demanding course, particularly in the afternoon wind, but I was a confident player at that point, about a 3 handicap. Plus I knew the holes from walking the tournament every year. It used to be the Doral Eastern Open.

What stood out to me was how much different the course looked without the tournament bleachers. On #18 in particular you lose depth perception. It's basically flat and without the bleachers there's a cart path then a considerable gap to the low hotel buildings. During the tournament that green is framed by the huge bleachers, which also cut the wind. Roger Maltbie mentioned that last week a couple of times, that the gallery bleachers on nearby #9 blanket the wind. I remember an assistant pro telling me that #18 actually plays much more difficult on a day to day basis, when the prevailing wind is playing havoc at the green. During the tournament the drive is more strenuous than the second shot.

On my first round I remember hitting a good drive on #18, intentionally low to fight the wind, right side of the fairway. Persimmon was so workable. That's what younger fans don't realize when the old equipment gets knocked. It was nothing to intentionally draw, fade, high or low.

Anyway, I had a beast of a shot remaining into 18 into a left to right hurting wind. Fairway woods were the weakest part of my game and I wanted nothing to do with trying to fly the corner of that greenside lake, even though the pin was on the upper left. I took a 2 iron (yes, a 2 iron) and nailed a line drive at the right bunker. It scampered up the bank, never threatening the water, and settled just shy of the bunker on the front right fringe. I was able to putt it and managed a par after a very good lag putt.

I attended Doral last week. Luckily I managed to time it properly this time, seeing the pivotal shots while moving from group to group. Last year I was witnessing nothing but pars. This year in round one alone I saw Phil dunk it in the water twice, along with the three chip-ins.
 
Congrats on your first post. Next year if you are there, let us know since we are there covering the event.
 
JB said:
Congrats on your first post. Next year if you are there, let us know since we are there covering the event.
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Thanks. I joined more than a month ago after a positive mention by worst_shot_ever on another forum.

I don't know why it took me so long to post, other than noticing plenty of Gator logos here. Yuck.

I'm from a Canes family. :D
 
One owner from UF and another from FSU. You might be in trouble. hehe
 
LOL Awsi...one owner of this site (me) is a Gator and another owner (JB) is a Seminole. I will admit growing up I was a Canes fan because I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, but once I went away to college I became a true Gator fan.
 
Awsi,
Good to see you posting. Great story. Persimmons and 2 irons -- that's golf at its most fundamental state. Sounds like you had a great experience at the tournament. I would have loved to see Phil's chip-ins in person. Did you also catch the crazy shot Watney holed on the 9th (I think)?
 
Great story, Awsi. Welcome!
 
Welcome Awsi! I thought I recognized the name.
 
GolferGal22 said:
LOL Awsi...one owner of this site (me) is a Gator and another owner (JB) is a Seminole. I will admit growing up I was a Canes fan because I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale, but once I went away to college I became a true Gator fan.
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My sister is a Nole. LOL. We don't know what to make of her. :dont-know:

I couldn't do it. My senior year in high school I was set to go to Florida but then the honors English professor took a roll call of everyone's collegiate destination, writing them on the board. The 4 or 5 people in that class who weren't exactly my biggest fans, and vice versa, were headed to Gainesville. That was all the shove I needed. LOL. I ended up cross country at USC. But the Canes always remained my #1 rooting interest, above my alma mater.

Gator fans might be interested in this video, something I posted on YouTube a year or so ago. It is a silent video I found in my parents' home movies, Miami vs. Florida football 1956. Florida Field looks remarkably different than all my visits from the '70s and '80s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD2tioqEiCs

BTW, I did bet on the Gators last night in the NIT vs. the Canes. The -5 looked cheap. I never let allegiance ruin a wise investment. :D
 
worst_shot_ever said:
Awsi,
Good to see you posting. Great story. Persimmons and 2 irons -- that's golf at its most fundamental state. Sounds like you had a great experience at the tournament. I would have loved to see Phil's chip-ins in person. Did you also catch the crazy shot Watney holed on the 9th (I think)?
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Hey worst_shot_ever. I did have a terrific time last week. Dozens of stories. I really moved around from group to group the first three days.

I was there when Adam Scott had a clanky driver on #5 on Thursday. Gad, did that thing rattle. He hit his drive into the left rough and was tinkering with the driver while walking toward the ball. It was outside the gallery rope so I was within 5 feet. He called a tour official who quickly showed up in a cart. Scott rattled the driver head and the guy tilted his ear. It sounded like a beer can in a drum. Scott was joking with the guy and telling him where the backup driver could be located, totally convinced the tour would allow the club to be replaced within the round. The guy sped off in the cart, back toward the clubhouse. Then on #9 tee Scott was miffed that the tour had disallowed it. He was gesturing in frustration to Bones, Mickelson's caddy, while the two groups were stacked up on the tee of the par 3. Golf World wrote this week the problem occured on #8. Nonsense. They gave him the ruling on #8. It happened on the tee shot on #5. On the 6th tee Scott was relying on his 3 wood and suddenly had to ask his caddy for carry distances that wouldn't have come into play with a driver.

But no, I missed the final round, other than TV. My brother-in-law had the masochistic idea of driving here from North Carolina to compete in a Sunday triathlon on Key Biscayne. I stood in the sun and watched hundreds of people stagger around the final turn. :sweat:
 
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