You’ve forgotten the current Champion Golfer of the Year and the current US Open Champion.
Golf 2023
- Thread starter calodo2003
- Start date
I get that. But the biggest chunk of those Team Europe guys have been playing those same PGA courses.
Wyndham Clark is definitely a good player but I’m not sure he brings the same fear & X factor a DJ or DeChambeau would. 4 of the Americans big guns all seem to be currently having issues, Scheffler, Spieth, JT and Morikawa. Mind, Schauffele & Koepka are exceptional players obviously. I just don’t think they’re quite a strong as 2 years ago mainly due to the form of a few players and the missing LIV golfers.
Where as the Europeans have gone a bit under the radar. Rahm has been struggling with his driver recently, but almost all the other squad are looking in fine pickle and there’s some exceptional young talent in that side.
It’s going to be a thrilling battle. My only concern is that nearly all the Europeans are very popular with the incrowd on the PGA tour and that there’s a danger it could get a bit too matey. Luckily Brook’s there to ruffle a few feathers.
Genuinely baffled by this opinion. No doubt Meronk can feel hard done by, but surely it’s the Hojgaard pick or even Ludvig that he’d have been competing for?
Meronk had a good year on the DP world tour. Lowry is playing week in week out on the PGA tour. Meronk is 51st in the world. Lowry is 32nd.
Lowry finished 8 on the world points list for the Ryder cup qualification which is the harder list to make. Meronk is 11th. The European list is only there to protect the European tour. They’ve played 7 events this year together with Lowry finishing above Meronk in 5, including 3 of the 4 majors.
And this is during Lowry’s supposed off form year. So add the other factors like Ryder cup experience, like winning big events, (major winner, European Tour flagship event wentworth winner 12 months ago, Rolex events and WGC event), Meronk’s 3 wins in run of the mill European Tour events just don’t come close.
Jamie Weir spoke well about it on No Laying Up the lowry v Meronk debate is a nonsense one.
Shot 73 yesterday with 4 birdies an an eagle. four par 3's, played them in +7 .Gotta love golf
.Gotta love golfWyndham Clark is definitely a good player but I’m not sure he brings the same fear & X factor a DJ or DeChambeau would. 4 of the Americans big guns all seem to be currently having issues, Scheffler, Spieth, JT and Morikawa. Mind, Schauffele & Koepka are exceptional players obviously. I just don’t think they’re quite a strong as 2 years ago mainly due to the form of a few players and the missing LIV golfers.
Where as the Europeans have gone a bit under the radar. Rahm has been struggling with his driver recently, but almost all the other squad are looking in fine pickle and there’s some exceptional young talent in that side.
It’s going to be a thrilling battle. My only concern is that nearly all the Europeans are very popular with the incrowd on the PGA tour and that there’s a danger it could get a bit too matey. Luckily Brook’s there to ruffle a few feathers.
What he started to bring is the ball in the fairway off the tee, if he continues in that vein of form he'll be very dangerous for the US team. The Ryder cup will be won by the team hitting the most fairways, and from the 2022/23 PGA season, there are only 3 Ryder cup players in the top 20 for fairways hit... all 3 of them on team USA (Morikawa, Harman, Cantlay). You have to go to 38th on the list for the first team Europe player (Hovland). The second cut of rough looks insane in Rome, and if you stray much further, forget about it. Harman is a bit of a trump card for team USA too, his interview after the open about dealing with the heckles was pretty sublime, he can expect similar treatment in Rome and he has the ability to silence people.
Add in Scottie Scheffler the best player in the world, and Rory and Rahm being pretty erratic off the tee, I just don't see how the U.S. doesn't win in a landslide here.
The problem with those fairways hit stats is that the fairways are much wider and longer on the PGA tour than what they’ll experience in Rome.
I’m of the position par 3’s are the hardest holes in golf. Less shots, less chances to get yourself out of the shit.Shot 73 yesterday with 4 birdies an an eagle. four par 3's, played them in +7
I’m struggling at the moment. I have one bad shot a hole and it’s absolutely fecking me. My ball striking is coming along leaps and bounds and I should almost be shooting single figure handicap, yet my execution is hurting.
my block practice now is 150 yards and in and a lot of par 3 courses on the sim.
Daly was right, great golfers are sensational 150 yard and in.
True - but why would you think golfers who struggled to hit wide fairways will suddenly be better on narrow ones?
Golf isn’t like that. Each hole is unique, so if they put the rough in places you wouldn’t expect to find in a PGA tour event, then it might require a different kind shot to what they’re used to in the States. Having said that, most Europeans spend most of their time on the PGA Tour anyway as had already been pointed out by another poster, so it might be difficult to gain much of an advantage. I still feel that the European team looks very strong when you take a closer look. Aberg in particular looks a bit special (as they’ll probably know better in the US where he smashed to University tour). Where as the Yanks have a few issues with their big guns and have been weakened by LIV no matter what anybody says. Even Scheffler, who tea to green has been on a different planet than the rest of the golfing World the past 2 years, has serious problems with his putting and that’s definitely not a good thing in match play. So even though at first thought you might think the US are massive favorites, closer inspection might tell a different story.
Oh I agree it's a coin flip, especially given Scheffler's failings in putting which has translated to awful showings in match play. I just didn't understand why you seemed to be implying that the US team being better at hitting fairways in easier conditions would fail to translate compared to Europeans with worse stats.
Don't fully get what you mean about the groundskeepers putting rough in places you wouldn't expect - feels like that'd be more of a problem for a European team that has long bombers who are more likely to take risks off the tee versus their US counterparts?
What I’m getting at is that I think they play different type of shots more often on either tour compared to each other. So what I’m getting at is that for example accuracy whilst bombing it 300 yards with a high draw might work in Illinois or Texas, but that type of shot might not work in the Ryder cup in Rome as you’ll be in the rough. I think it’s been evident that the US team has generally struggled with the fairways & and the way they’re set up in the Ryder cup events in Europe for a long time now, where as the European tour players generally struggle with their short game in the US tour for example.
Sounds to me like he’s playing less & spending more time with his family. I thought that’s what he wanted?
Apologies and not to be pedantic, but what are you basing this on when all of the stats suggest otherwise? Surely you have to admit that this US team is less filled with bombers compared to the likes of McIlroy and Rahm?
Not to mention, most of the US team hits a stock fade with their driver.
Stats don’t tell the whole story. Yes most golfers in general use a fade because it’s much easier to control, but the top players will go to a draw when required. I used a draw to highlight that individual players have go to shots, I could have also mentioned the trajectory for example.
But the actual point is the US team have struggled with the way the fairways are set up in the Ryder Cups in Europe for a long time now, although most of the European team play most pf their golf in the states nowadays so it might not make a big difference.
What a ridiculous finish to the European PGA championship yesterday evening, bit of a farce really. Shame, because it’s one of the few times in a season the European takes precedence over the PGA tour.
Aberg really is something special. He really stands out. He already has all facets to his game. Driving, irons, wedges, chipping, and putting. The last time I saw a rookie like that was..
Aberg really is something special. He really stands out. He already has all facets to his game. Driving, irons, wedges, chipping, and putting. The last time I saw a rookie like that was..
What happened?
It was dark and there were 3-4 groups waiting on the 18th tea to finish. It was a mad scramble, supporters & alterations with players everywhere. They even put a bright light on the scoreboard to light up the 18th green so the players could see their puts.
Did they all play as one group? I was in a twelve-some one time in an AJGA event, there was no 'away plays first,' we just wanted to be able to post a score. Guys were hitting at the same time as others. Only when we got on the green did we start playing properly in sequence.
Me after thinning my 8th wedge from 50 yards out for the day.
This is very good.
Bracing for a few times crying while watching this.
It's a tear jerker, but well worth the watch.
Held out until the end, then it got me.
This movie hit hard for I played in a couple of Future Masters growing up, I had a father who sacrificed a good bit to allow me to play all over the southeast, & my addictions really put my folks through some tough times dealing with me, especially in college.
Total gut punch in a good way. Beyond poignant for me personally since my brother passed away last year and my dad lands tomorrow for our first real golf trip since...
Have a great time. Y’all deserve it.
Genuinely thank you for the kind words from the bottom of my heart - we take all these forum interactions for granted at times but I feel touched by you taking the time to respond and I'm grateful.
I'm sure it'll be tough at times but hopefully cathartic and therapeutic as well; lotta time to think over 18 holes which is both a blessing and a curse. Still though have been looking forward to this for months.
My pop made me promise to take half of his ashes onto ant course & for me to play a full round & spread them somewhere around the green. He wanted a piece of himself to do one of the things he most loved - playing golf with me.
The round was during a day in the low 40s F, rainy, & super windy, the sort of day we'd say 'feck it' & go toss back some Bloody Mary's in the 19th hole. I gutted it out, stopped keeping score very early on, & was able to spread the remainder of his ashes in a pond adjacent to the green. It took me a while to compose myself.
Shortly after, I blew out my back & haven't played golf since, about five years now. Don't know if I ever will pick up the sport again as I've done some cool stuff re: golf & I think I like the fact that my last round ever was with my pop.
Thank you for sharing that story mate - really appreciate it. It's amazing how a stupid infuriating game that is basically hitting rocks with sticks can be so meaningful in a fundamental way to so many of our shared life experiences.
No clue what I'd do when my dad passes beyond being a complete wreck - but glad for you that you have such a beautiful and meaningful memory to look back on. Wishing you all the very best and thanks again for taking the time to chat this evening!
Back at ya, brother!
This could be some good golf...
Been watching for the last 20 minutes…. literarily this Is the worst putting I’ve ever seen
Sorry to hear that, hope the trip goes well for you, I'm sure it will be hard.
USA whipping Europe. On a side note, what has Charlie Hull done to herself?
What do you mean?
Decent afternoon from the European players, a lot of matches have gone down to the last hole.