2011 US Open at Congressional

[buckeyebri]

Kuchar is already 32 and while he is playing well, I'm not sure he will break through at one of the majors. I would replace him with Jason Day.

I agree Jason Day is looking very good in the majors. It would seem he ought to be winning some regular tour tournaments.

 

[buckeyebri]

I think there's reason to believe that Rory could be the next great golfer. He's dominated 7 of the 8 rounds of major tournament golf this year and he put up a similar type of round in the first round of the British Open last year.

Its too early to annoint him, but its certainly not too early to think about the possibilities. He could be special.

All true....of course he could be the next Andy North as well....for once it would be nice if the media would allow it to happen and report it as opposed to trying to force\create the next one....

 

[Flocka]

I agree Jason Day is looking very good in the majors. It would seem he ought to be winning some regular tour tournaments.

I just read that Jason's 72 hole total of 8 under would have won the Open in 49 of the past 50 years.

All true....of course he could be the next Andy North as well....for once it would be nice if the media would allow it to happen and report it as opposed to trying to force\create the next one....

It gets annoying, but it is to be expected of the media. And it isn't necessarily their fault because the majority of water cooler talk uses the same measuring stick.

 

[cincibuck]

All true....of course he could be the next Andy North as well....for once it would be nice if the media would allow it to happen and report it as opposed to trying to force\create the next one....

I think the media and PGA believe that they have to have Nicklaus or a Tiger to sell the brand. I don't buy it.

The other thing I don't buy is this current field. It's not that a major is being won by some new guy every 8 weeks, it's that there doesn't appear to be a pack of consistent top 5 - 10 finish golfers in the mix at each tournament, -- Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, Player -- or am I missing something?

I would add that the lack of Americans on the scene is alarming.

 

[AKAK]

I think the media and PGA believe that they have to have Nicklaus or a Tiger to sell the brand. I don't buy it.

The other thing I don't buy is this current field. It's not that a major is being won by some new guy every 8 weeks, it's that there doesn't appear to be a pack of consistent top 5 - 10 finish golfers in the mix at each tournament, -- Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, Player -- or am I missing something?

I would add that the lack of Americans on the scene is alarming.

Come on Cinci... you're respose is supposed to be like,

"Problem now is this dadblasted equipment and no one separates themselves. Persimmon separated the men from the boys!"

Anyway, I can't see how you can't get a little caught up in the performance from McIlroy, here. That was awesome... Almost certainly a Tom Watson level career, I'd say. The problem for the PGA is of course that he's not American... and I don't mean that completely in a nationalistic "Go USA" kind of way, I mean it in the "How much is going to play here vs. Europe" kind of way.

THe reason they do need Tigers and Phils is because of the tournament attendance on a week to week basis...

 

[BB73]

I am amazed at how quickly Johnny Miller and others are to anoint Rory as the second coming of Nicklaus and Woods. Give me a break, the kid has won one major. Was it an amazing performance, yes, it was amazing. That still doesn't mean he is going to win boat loads of them. Can you say whatever happened to Trevor Immelman and Geoff Olgilvy.

It's not just the TV guys like Johnny Miller. Before he had even finished his round on Friday, some idiot in this thread said that McIlroy could win 10 majors.

OK, that idiot was me. He's at 1 and counting. Ogilvy, Immelman, and a bunch of other guys that have broken through to win a major didn't do it when they were 22 years old, and didn't set all kinds of records when they did it. McIlroy looks like the next superstar in golf to me. I think he'll have a career better than Phil, Ernie Els, or Greg Norman - something along the lines of Gary Player or Arnold Palmer. Not equal to Jack or Tiger, but among the next tier of all-time greats.

Time will tell. Don't worry - if he wins several more majors over the next decade, I'll be bumping this thread eventually.

 

[Bucklion]

The Tour can rebrand itself on depth if some guys step up. McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Luke Donald, Kuchar, Stenson...if they can get 15-20 guys who are playing well in most tournaments they are in, then at least they can brand the excitement of the competition aspect. Back in the day, there was Kite, Watson, Ballesteros, Norman, etc., etc. Of course there was Nicklaus as the king cat, but he wouldn't have been nearly as interesting or great if he hadn't had to beat all of those guys all the time.

The problem comes that guys who win play less and less tournaments because of the money they get when they win nowadays...so you only get 6-8 chances to see these guys compete against each other all year, and then you have Webb Simpson versus Derek Lamely in playoffs the rest of the time. That ain't going to sell tickets.

 

[Bucklion]

It's not just the TV guys like Johnny Miller. Before he had even finished his round on Friday, some idiot in this thread said that McIlroy could win 10 majors.

OK, that idiot was me. He's at 1 and counting. Ogilvy, Immelman, and a bunch of other guys that have broken through to win a major didn't do it when they were 22 years old, and didn't set all kinds of records when they did it. McIlroy looks like the next superstar in golf to me. I think he'll have a career better than Phil, Ernie Els, or Greg Norman - something along the lines of Gary Player or Arnold Palmer. Not equal to Jack or Tiger, but among the next tier of all-time greats.

Time will tell. Don't worry - if he wins several more majors over the next decade, I'll be bumping this thread eventually.

And if he doesn't, you will write "I believe in the legend of Shaun Micheel" 100 times on the blackboard...

 

[AKAK]

The Tour can rebrand itself on depth if some guys step up. McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Luke Donald, Kuchar, Stenson...if they can get 15-20 guys who are playing well in most tournaments they are in, then at least they can brand the excitement of the competition aspect. Back in the day, there was Kite, Watson, Ballesteros, Norman, etc., etc. Of course there was Nicklaus as the king cat, but he wouldn't have been nearly as interesting or great if he hadn't had to beat all of those guys all the time.

The problem comes that guys who win play less and less tournaments because of the money they get when they win nowadays...so you only get 6-8 chances to see these guys compete against each other all year, and then you have Webb Simpson versus Derek Lamely in playoffs the rest of the time. That ain't going to sell tickets.

Don't forget Berhard Langer mother fucker!

Well... yes, actually do...

Great example of a guy who won a Bazillion times in Europe and pretty much only played Majors here. That's the worry.

(I would have thrown in Faldo and Nick Price- the great zimbabwean-- but Their prime timelines might be a bit later than what you're talking about... regardless, lots of good guys in the mid 80's to mid 90's and I'm sure we missed a bunch)

At any rate... so, yeah... Not 10, but if McIlroy had a Nick Faldo level career, that wouldn't be much to be ashamed of.

 

[jlb1705]

Anyway, I can't see how you can't get a little caught up in the performance from McIlroy, here. That was awesome... Almost certainly a Tom Watson level career, I'd say. The problem for the PGA is of course that he's not American... and I don't mean that completely in a nationalistic "Go USA" kind of way, I mean it in the "How much is going to play here vs. Europe" kind of way.

Agreed.

The gallery really seemed to take a shine to McIlroy though. He's never going to sell or draw a crowd like an American star, but if he does take off he may be the most marketable foreign golfer since Greg Norman.

I read one commentary last night that said if you didn't hear his accent or know he was from Northern Ireland, you could mistake him for a midwesterner. He seems to come from a modest background (by golf's standards at least). He has been accessible to media and fans and candid with his statements.

I'm just a casual PGA fan - I just watch the majors and the Ryder Cup for the most part and typically root for just Americans. I'm a Rory McIlroy fan now though. A couple months ago I watched him choke away the Masters, hitting shots that looked like they came out of my bag rather than his. I respected him for the way he took his medicine afterwards and answered all the questions. I also respect him for the way he learned from that failure and finished his very next major in such a resounding way. I don't know if his star will rise any further - or really care for that matter. I'll be rooting for him though.

 

[cincibuck]

Come on Cinci... you're respose is supposed to be like,

"Problem now is this dadblasted equipment and no one separates themselves. Persimmon separated the men from the boys!"

Anyway, I can't see how you can't get a little caught up in the performance from McIlroy, here. That was awesome... Almost certainly a Tom Watson level career, I'd say. The problem for the PGA is of course that he's not American... and I don't mean that completely in a nationalistic "Go USA" kind of way, I mean it in the "How much is going to play here vs. Europe" kind of way.

THe reason they do need Tigers and Phils is because of the tournament attendance on a week to week basis...

Please note that I twice posted what an impressive performance McIllroy put on.

I'm looking for someone to argue that the reason there's a new winner every eight weeks and the reason no one in the current field, other than Tiger, seems to finish consistently in the top 5/10, is that the field is much better, i.e. there's more talent top to bottom than in the 60s and 70s.

I'm not a huge golf fan, but I watch the Masters, US Open, Brit Open and the PGA regardless of who is playing. I don't watch the Buick/Inverness/IBM/Barclay/Charles Schwab Invitationals.

I watch because the courses are incredible and the golf played is always a wonderful mix of incredible shots and shots like I make -- which, now that I think about it, are also pretty incredible if by 'incredible' you mean, "I don't think I ever saw a golf ball go there or that way before."

Regardless of who is playing, the majors seem to always center on guys getting hot, guys getting the yips, guys gutting it out, guys getting lucky/unlucky and guys either folding or coming back despite being lucky/unlucky.

It's good entertainment while waiting for football season to return.

 

[LitlBuck]

The gallery really seemed to take a shine to McIlroy though. He's never going to sell or draw a crowd like an American star, but if he does take off he may be the most marketable foreign golfer since Greg Norman.

As of today, I totally agree with this statement but the question that I have is how long will American crowds go see a foreign player win all the majors. Frankly, I am tired of these Euros coming over here and winning our dollars and taking them back across the pond. Call me American but that's how I feel.

I thought the new phenom in golf was supposed to be Ricky Fowler or maybe even Dustin Johnson but those guys don't even win regular tour events.

I say close the borders when it comes to tennis and golf because we really don't have anyone to compete with the foreign players which makes me wonder if Tiger watched any television over the weekend:popcorn:

 

[buckeyebri]

Can't close them now that we got the prestigious Fed Ex Cup and the WGC tournaments going on.

I hope that the likes of Ricky, Bubba, Mahan, Barnes and a few other young Americans can stand up and start playing consistently well. We need them to if we are going to gain back the Ryder Cup next time out.

 

[Steve19]

It was a most impressive performance by McIlroy. After the Masters and this, I think he has arrived. Day also impressed me.

Whether he wins ten majors or not, I think he is going to be in the hunt.

I would very much have liked to be able to watch Tiger Woods watching the performance.

 

[cincibuck]

It was a most impressive performance by McIlroy. After the Masters and this, I think he has arrived. Day also impressed me.

Whether he wins ten majors or not, I think he is going to be in the hunt.

I would very much have liked to be able to watch Tiger Woods watching the performance.

I'd rather have watched Tiger trying to catch this guy with an 8 stroke deficit. I think it would have affected how both played.