Handicappers Beware: ANGC Now Listed As Muddy
;)
The 13th green Tuesday (click to enlarge)The golf course is indeed soft, slow and the turf dense, with more rain coming Tuesday night and more forecast for later in the week. It's going to lead to conditions which erode the local knowledge edge veterans rightfully believe they had, opening the door to inexperience and youthful aggression. Rory has to be licking his chops.
Tiger Woods, opening his media conference.
TIGER WOODS: The golf course is a little bit wet out there. Obviously we got some pretty good rains here. Today I played nine holes with Freddie and Sean, and seven drives and had seven mud balls. So hopefully it will dry out, but I think the forecast is for more rain. But the greens are absolutely perfect. They are quick, there's no doubt, but they are pretty soft and pretty receptive.
Phil Mickelson's comments were shocking in their brutal honesty but certainly accurate. Having sat in on this session, I didn't feel that Phil was deflated, but he also did not dance around the fact that many more players are in the equation due to the soft conditions, a product of a warm spring and recent rains.
It seems that some of the planning I have made may go by the wayside. As soft as the golf course is, you can fire at a lot of the pins. The greens are soft. I don't want to say they are slow, but it's just not the same Augusta. It's wet around the greens, and there's no fear of the course. You've got to attack it this week.
Unless something changes, and I know they have SubAir and hopefully they will be able to use it, but unless they change it, it's going to be a birdie‑fest.
Q. Since you put in so much time preparing, is it disappointing not to see the conditions?
PHIL MICKELSON: When the subtleties don't come out, the experience of playing here in the past is not as important, because you don't have to fear the greens and you don't have to know where the ball will end up and you don't have to fear certain shots because you can get up‑and‑down from the edges. Those shots are not as hard.
Therefore, I think there's a very good chance that a young player, inexperienced, fearless player that attacks this golf course can win if you don't need to show it the proper respect.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 11:49 PM
Reader Comments (17)
http://www.exilgolfer.de
Would say best news for Rory, Day, Fowler, Aggressive younger players
As long as the greens are Sub-Aired enough to prevent them from resembling landing pads versus true putting surfaces...then it's OK by me. Maybe one day they'll build a Truman Show type bubble over the entire property thus making weather a moot point.
You have got to be frigging kidding me!
Maybe you're correct, but more likely what you saw on the 18th at Bethpage in 2009 was the players taking relief from casual water.
Q. There was a lot of mud on the ball yesterday and again today in some of the practice rounds, would you consider, I know you wouldn't like to, but lift, clean and place?
FRED RIDLEY: We would all‑‑
CHAIRMAN PAYNE: You'd better let me answer that one.
FRED RIDLEY: Excuse me? (Laughter).
CHAIRMAN PAYNE: I'm going to start with that one, and you can correct me.
We surely would not want to have to do that. That would be a decision very difficult to make. However, we are also bright enough to know that weather conditions can have an impact on that, and possibly cause us to change our minds on that issue.
Were you going to say that (looking at Mr. Ridley).
FRED RIDLEY: I couldn't have set it better, Mr.Chairman.
CHAIRMAN PAYNE: Thank you. (Laughter).
And a player can reduce his mudballs but cuts and their shot selection. Sergio was whining at Bethpage about mudballs (and I like Sergion), but Duval hit a cut every shot, took less yardage but almost no mudballs. Toughen up guys.
I actually think his iron play is good because with those he doesn't try to hit it so hard. If only he would do it with the driver more.