07 British Open (1 Viewer)

[stunpals]

That may have been the best final round of a major championship I have ever watched.

I also love the fact that it comes on so early to go with my coffee and I have the entire afternoon to do whatever.

Poor Sergio. Wow.

I can't wait for the PGA Championship.

 

[superchuck500]

It was pretty good. I like Paddy but was pulling for Sergio.

I don't think it topped the final round of the 2004 Masters though, where Mickelson, Els and Choi battled to the last hole. But it was a great final round today for sure.

 

[nolaDante]

I missed it...how did Sergio blow the lead?

 

[superchuck500]

It was a lot more complicated than him just blowing the lead (unlike Vandevelde 8 years ago at the same course).

It wasn't so much as Sergio blowing the lead as it was the Harrington had a stellar final round. He shot -4 to take a 1 stroke lead to the 18th tee. But he hit his drive into the burn (creek). Then his second shot trickled into the water. He managed to get up and down nicely to save a bogey.

But that puts Sergio back into the lead with a 1 stroke lead on the tee at 18 (2 groups behind Padraig). Sergio hits an iron, leaving himself with 254 to the pin. He hit his second shot fat and fell in the bunker. But not too big a worry. He gets out of the sand okay, but left himself a real tester for the championship. About 12 feet or so. It looked like he had the line, but it never quite fell over into the cup. Instead, it rimmed out and he groaned with disgust.

Sergio's bogey on 18 meant they were tied and went into a 4 hole playoff, cumulative score to win. Paddy was on fire in the playoff. He birdied 15 and never looked back. Sergio took some chances, but he couldn't get anything going. Harrington won and displayed the flag of Ireland. (just the second Irishman to ever win the British Open).

 

[nolaDante]

Thanks man. As a type this I'm finally watching ESPN's recap of the whole ordeal too. Sergio seemed to have missed every crucial putt just slightly to the left...poor guy. He's got to win a major eventually with all that talent.

 

[purvis_guy]

I still Liked John Daly's Brit playoff win in 1995 over Costantino Rocca at St, Andrews, big time drama there.

 

[taygolf]

It was a lot more complicated than him just blowing the lead (unlike Vandevelde 8 years ago at the same course).

It wasn't so much as Sergio blowing the lead as it was the Harrington had a stellar final round. He shot -4 to take a 1 stroke lead to the 18th tee. But he hit his drive into the burn (creek). Then his second shot trickled into the water. He managed to get up and down nicely to save a bogey.

But that puts Sergio back into the lead with a 1 stroke lead on the tee at 18 (2 groups behind Padraig). Sergio hits an iron, leaving himself with 254 to the pin. He hit his second shot fat and fell in the bunker. But not too big a worry. He gets out of the sand okay, but left himself a real tester for the championship. About 12 feet or so. It looked like he had the line, but it never quite fell over into the cup. Instead, it rimmed out and he groaned with disgust.

Sergio's bogey on 18 meant they were tied and went into a 4 hole playoff, cumulative score to win. Paddy was on fire in the playoff. He birdied 15 and never looked back. Sergio took some chances, but he couldn't get anything going. Harrington won and displayed the flag of Ireland. (just the second Irishman to ever win the British Open).

Paddy made double bogey instead of bogey on the last and that gave sergio the lead going into the last hole then sergio bogeyed and put it in a playoff. It was all over but the crying after the first playoff hole. paddy biridied and sergio bogeyed. 2 shot swing and sergio never recovered but I did think that putt on the last hole was going in for birdie to continue play.

T

 

[champ76]

Sergio has a tough time putting on Sundays.

 

[st dude]

I was pulling for Harrington, Sergio always irked me for some reason during the ryder cup matches. He has played well in Ryder cup, but gets pretty cocky about it. He is not my favorite player.

He did play well in the British Open and it was great golf to watch. If his putting continues to improve he will win a lot of tournaments.

He keeps talking about all his bad luck though. It wasnt bad luck that caused him to bogey the last hole (and a handful on the front). It was his putter. Most great players have been great clutch putters. Sergio is not one. He needs to be up by two strokes on the final hole and not have to make a short putt to win. He can putt okay when not under pressure.

 

[taygolf]

I guess the reason he was talking about it being "bad luck" was he was dropping every putt from almost any where for 3 days. That is why he was in the lead in the first place. He switched to that belly putter the week before and he has been dropping them. Then on Sunday they just would not fall for him. I am sure it had something to do with pressire but he will never say so.

I thought the biggest mistake he made was pulling out the driver on the last 4 or 5 holes on the front nine. The front nine is where you want to make your birdies on that course and he had been hitting irons all week and making plenty of birdies but when he pulled out the driver, which he does not hit that far, he was playing from the ruff more and had longer putts and fewer birdie putts. If he had be playing from the fairway on those holes instead of the ruff he would have had birdie putts instead of par putts and he would not have made so many bogeys ion those holes which would have given him a large lead on the back nine.

He made one bogey on the front nine for the first 3 days and he made 3 bogeys on the front nine in the last round. Yes he was missing putts but they were longer putts and they were for par saves more often than for birdie and that had to do with his tee shot which was bad most of the day sunday.

He changed his game plan and he lost because of it

 

[superchuck500]

Paddy made double bogey instead of bogey on the last and that gave sergio the lead going into the last hole then sergio bogeyed and put it in a playoff. It was all over but the crying after the first playoff hole. paddy biridied and sergio bogeyed. 2 shot swing and sergio never recovered but I did think that putt on the last hole was going in for birdie to continue play.

T

right, it was double bogey. he went from a one stroke lead to a one stroke deficit.

 

[st dude]

I guess the reason he was talking about it being "bad luck" was he was dropping every putt from almost any where for 3 days. That is why he was in the lead in the first place. He switched to that belly putter the week before and he has been dropping them. Then on Sunday they just would not fall for him. I am sure it had something to do with pressire but he will never say so.

I thought the biggest mistake he made was pulling out the driver on the last 4 or 5 holes on the front nine. The front nine is where you want to make your birdies on that course and he had been hitting irons all week and making plenty of birdies but when he pulled out the driver, which he does not hit that far, he was playing from the ruff more and had longer putts and fewer birdie putts. If he had be playing from the fairway on those holes instead of the ruff he would have had birdie putts instead of par putts and he would not have made so many bogeys ion those holes which would have given him a large lead on the back nine.

He made one bogey on the front nine for the first 3 days and he made 3 bogeys on the front nine in the last round. Yes he was missing putts but they were longer putts and they were for par saves more often than for birdie and that had to do with his tee shot which was bad most of the day sunday.

He changed his game plan and he lost because of it

Whether its strategy or execution is so hard to say. If he had hit driver on the last hole in regulation he could have easily reached the green and two putted, as he did in the playoff. Instead he hit iron and had 240 in which landed him in the trap.

Its his putting that failed him in the end and he had to pick his poison. Laying back with irons off the tee could just as easily put pressure on his putter by making it hard to get close to the hole.


Had Sergio hit the same drive in regulation on 18 he hit in overtime he probably would have won. Each player needs his own strategy. Woods can play for tough two putts because he is like 99.5% on 5 foot putts or less. Sergio cant make them under pressure. Hey, I cant either. I hate 5 foot putts.

 

[champ76]

I hate 5 foot putts.

Isn't that a gimme?

 

[nolaDante]

I was pulling for Harrington, Sergio always irked me for some reason during the ryder cup matches. He has played well in Ryder cup, but gets pretty cocky about it. He is not my favorite player.

He did play well in the British Open and it was great golf to watch. If his putting continues to improve he will win a lot of tournaments.

He keeps talking about all his bad luck though. It wasnt bad luck that caused him to bogey the last hole (and a handful on the front). It was his putter. Most great players have been great clutch putters. Sergio is not one. He needs to be up by two strokes on the final hole and not have to make a short putt to win. He can putt okay when not under pressure.

I know exactly what you're referring to here.

I caught an interview with Sergio after the championship, where he was more or less pouting about having to wait to hit his shot on 18. He made it sound as though this wait caused him to completely lose his mindset and blow the tournament. I mean, even if you did have to wait, even if it did somewhat fluster you, a championship golfer doesn't go and cry to the media about it after the round. You overcome that situation and control yourself. Anyway...

 

[Waymer]

Isn't that a gimme?

Yep, anything inside the flag stick.