Watching Phil yesterday I got the distinct impression that he tired. I say this because he began coming up short on his chips. He is probably the master of the flop shot and he had several opportunities to use it on the back nine. Every time he did it was short. He just wasn't able to use the short game to his advantage, like when he put that divot in the green.He seemed to get anxious with those shots also. Again, on the divot in the green, his head appeared to come up way early. His putter went south on him also. I mean the commentators mentioned that last year he missed 5 putts 3 feet or closer all year out of something like 900. He missed that many yesteday when any one of them would have won him the tournament. Maybe that staying in San Diego and flying in every day kind of left him a little bit drained.
This is the way Phil will always play, so nobody should be surprised. He'll win his share, finish close in many, and lose some he should win (often due to falling to pieces either off the tee, missing some short putts, or both). He is what he is, and that's the second-best golfer on tour, around a billion miles behind Tiger. It's like the old question: What do you call a guy who finishes last in his class in medical school? Doctor. In this case, what do you call a guy who finishes either first, second, or in the running in almost every tour event? Rich. Phil did blow this one, but he played well, overall, the entire weekend. It was a pretty tough field, so what are some of the other "pretenders" currently doing with their game?
"You are drawing a conclusion of : winning ("important matches") = result of intensity That might be accurate; regardless I'm not arguing that. The problem is that you're drawing several other conclusions, which are all false: - Winning = the sole criteria that determines my fanhood All I said is that I don't knock Phil for having the perceived lax attitude. - Tiger winning tournaments = I should accept all of his shenanigans Although I like and appreciate Tiger much more than I previously did, I still don't care for this part of him. And, from here on, his number or quality of wins will have absolute Zero impact on increasing how much I like him nor will I be any less annoyed by his antics. - Phil not winning (presumably in your mind because he doesn't care) = I shouldn't like him Pretty sure I get to make my mind on that. I just mentioned one of the reasons I choose to like Phil, regardless of his trophy case. Him losing a tournament isn't going to reduce how I feel about him - now, if he acted like a jackass after losing, that could be a different story. posted by littleLebowski at 2:49 PM CST on February 19" You are the one drawing conclusions. I did not say anything about liking Tiger, but I do like when a player in any sport obviously gives a shit when something is on the line. Like it or not, professional sports is about winning, that is why we pay to watch. Tiger is a fierce competitor and I have never seen him violate any rules of play - I hate matching up against that type in amateur sports that I play, but once things are done, I respect them. Sorry, but I do not respect people that do not give everything they have for every second that they compete. Maybe that is just the way I am.
Professional sport isn't about winning, it's about money. Amateur sport is about winning. And beer. Lots of beer.
Hit the nail Right on the head there JJ!! If more people were as dedicated and able to focus intently on a game as their profession there might be more professional golfers and bowlers and a helluva decline in beer sales!!!
