Sunday
Jun292008
Annika's Grand Finish
It's 8:37 PM PST and no YouTube posting yet of Annika's final shot in U.S. Open play (until she's back in three years). So until then, we at least have Rob Matre's shot along with other images from Sunday of the all time great.
Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 08:37 PM
Reader Comments (28)
not if you were actually watching the Open, (if you have a heart and even the slightest sense of history).
the sustained ovation from that crowd was priceless and, considering she WAS in the process of shooting a 78, pretty awesome.
Amazingly historic tournament, first teen U.S. Open winner, only second amateur to finish under par, and whether you like it or not, a beautiful career capper for one of the great players in professional golf history. Definitely felt like a changing of the guard type of tournament, Lorena and Paula and the rest of the twenty-somethings notwithstanding.
Oh, by the way, In Bee Park may be around the top of LPGA leaderboards for a long, long time to come.
ironically, the teen wins on the day Kenny Perry, (with the In Bee look alike swing) wins for the second time in a month at more than twice her age.
Tiger's out and the PGA kids still can't get on the board....
I read a quote fro Annika a few years ago where she said that the #1 thing she took away from her experience on the men's tour was that the short game is all important, and that she had been using the wrong techniques for many shots.
i had understood that the difference in short game aptitude between the ladies and men was due to the women's focus on getting longer and the resultant shortage of time to practice the short game. can it really be that they aren't getting the best short-game information/coaching?
And maybe I mistyped; she certainly knew of the importance of the short game before her experience. But she definitely learned that it is played a different way on the PGA Tour, adopted it, practiced it, and set about dominating her tour even more than she did previously.
Utley was working with the winner - In Bee Park.
"Baffling" to watch choking during the last round of a major championship? Did you happen to catch a certain left-handed PGA pro make a NINE on a reachable par five just a couple weeks ago - and this is arguably one of the best short game players in history! At a course he's played on since he was a kid. (And it was the second round...)
Helen's 43 and has been a basket case for years, Creamer's 21 and since she was 19 she has been the "best player not to have won a major."
Major championship pressure is unlike any other, and by the fourth round, it just kind of crumbles people.
The other thing about Park is that unlike another famous LPGA teen or two, she has gone the Tiger route of learning how to win. By beating up on kids her own age for years, competing in the highest level junior events, she now finds herself perfectly comfortable when participating/contending/winning at the Pro major level.
Probably not, but we live in radically different times. The fact that Annika's ovation was ten times as long as the one Park got for winning speaks to the impact that a modern "sports hero" can have.
Only time will tell if they put a matching plaque out there for Annika with Bobby's....
I don't think Annika knows what ironic means either. I didn't see anything incongruous in what happened. What occured would have been better described as "unexpected" or "befitting."
the ironic part was that nothing was going in the hole for her all week...
Here's what she said after winning at Newport CC in 2006:
"To come here this week with not such a great season and then to win, I think, is pretty ironic," Sorenstam said.
Holing out from 199 yards when you can't make a 4 foot putt, ironic.
maybe she got's her a dictionary fo Christmas...
I think the female pros are generally very good drivers and fabulous fairway wood players (take it from someone who can't hit water from a boat with the driver), but as it is I'd like my chances in a short-game match with Creamer or Alfredsson anytime.
P.S. So Utley's with Inbee? That makes sense. You could tell that she knew what she was doing on that pitch-in at the first.
"Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs:"
Annika is correct on both counts; the eagle on 18 was unexpected, and winning the 2006 Open during a poor season was unexpected.
What a capper for an amazing run of competitive golf.
Anyways, how come there has been little discussion about the setup at Interlachen, which was arguable even more interesting than the setup at Torrey Pines?
I think the irony had to do with how she had played the hole the previous rounds.
True irony would be if she had given up altogether and hit the shot away from the hole on purpose only to have it hit a tree and bounce back into the cup.
This is rather a case of the somewhat watered-down but quite commonplace version of the idea which I like to call "sportscaster's irony."
ironic |īˈränik|
adjective
using or characterized by irony; happening in the opposite way to what is expected, and typically causing wry amusement.
--
According to this definition, I would say that Annika is correct in stating that it was ironic that the shot went in. She was cruising towards an 80 and had just chipped out of the woods after an awful tee shot. Knocking the next shot in the hole from 199 yards would certainly be the opposite of what was expected, from her and all who witnessed it.
And I believe the broadcast showed a certain degree of amusement in her reaction as she walked down the fairway and stood at the side of the green as Kerr putted out.
So in RM's opinion: from Annika's point of view, it WAS ironic that the shot went in the hole. And with apologies to Greg, it is an historical shot and an epic moment that will not be soon forgotten.
And...I wonder if it would be considered ironic that posting the photo led to a discussion on irony, rather than golf? I doubt it was Geoff's intention, and he's probably amused by some of the comments.
imagine if tiger had to quit competitive golf to start and raise a family ?
frank D
moreover, regarding gender bias, a mediocre male can cruise on the tour and make an extrodinary annual haul, whereas the comparable ranking on the ladies side would probably not fully cover expenses.
tiger's caddie nets more than most of the lpga competitors.
and let's see, didn't phil have his share of meltdowns ? could he have been PMSing at WF ?
frank D
RM, while you've got that dictionary handy, you might want to look up the word opposite. When Annika hits 6-iron from the fairway, she might not expect that the ball would go in the hole -- but it's hardly the opposite of what she or anyone familiar with her game would expect.
Anybody wonder what kind of career Juli Inkster has had after having children? If Annika wants to quit playing competitive golf, that's all well and good. She's entitled to live her life the way she wants. But starting and raising a family are certainly not impediments to a successful career, even for a woman golfer. . .