2010 Leaderboard: (Final) 1 Phil Mickelson -16 2 Lee Westwood -13 3 Anthony Kim -12 T4 K. J. Choi -11 T4 Tiger Woods -11 6 Fred Couples -9 7 Nick Watney -8 T8 Hunter Mahan -7 T8 Y.E. Yang -7
CBS Sports President predicts the 2010 Masters will be the biggest TV event in the USA in the past decade excluding the Obama inauguration.
Everyone and his brother will be tuning in to watch the return of Tiger Woods. He hasn't played since last November. How will he play? Will another long break away from golf effect him negatively?
Personally I'm not interested in his personal life whatsoever, he's apologized, said he's trying to fix things... There's nothing more I need to know. All I want now is to watch the best golfer in the history of the sport play the game at one of this most historic golf courses in the games history.
There are some other recent side stories to Tigers return, such as the recent surge of some old timers, Els is coming off back to back wins for the first time since 2003 and last week we had some old fart huge names near the top of the leader board, Goosen, and others, will they be able to carry this recent resurgence of solid play into Augusta? Only time will tell. We're a week away from opening day and I can't wait. As a golf fanatic I absolutely love majors and all the drama that they bring. I always go to PGA events when I can and the atmosphere and excitement, drama, focus and intensity is insane.
golf is fucking epic. And it's just the biggest challenge ever. Pure mental fortitude. I would say golf and starcraft are aren't that similar because starcraft is a young person's game (retirement at 25 wtf), it's all about reactions and hand speed; whereas golf is slow, and all about single shots...the toughest test of mental constitution out there, where people up to their later years can still be world-challenging! They both require a metric ton of practice and talent but what sport doesn't...golf also includes the politeness and etiquette which are unique to it and very nice.
Here's hoping for a triumphant Tiger return. His last pro year was phenomenal so let's hope he hasn't been too damaged. Hoping I will be able to see some Tiger magic...seeing as he is one of the greatest sportsmen to ever live and I want to enjoy living in his era just like Roger Federer. So I can tell my kids about him just like older people can talk about watching Jack Nicholas
Yeah I guess hand speed and reactions are a huge part of professional starcraft but I still think they share alot of other elements. I always try to find comparisons with starcraft and other things.
The approach to practice is much the same. In golf you really have to understand why you have the swing flaw you want to fix. If, for instance, you slice is it because you swing from outside/in, because you have an open clubface, or both. Then, why are you coming over the top: bad weight shift, taking club too inside and flat going back, etc.etc. If you try to fix the slice without knowing the problem you won't get far.
Same with SC, you might know you macro poorly; but if you do, why? Is it bad expansion timings, missed pylons, insufficient gates, too many gates, etc.
Things like running on the other hand, is pretty much a get out and do it sort of practice. Also, both games are pretty mental. If you get into a bad mindframe in SC your decision making will probably get shitty, and you could well get tense and lose some degree of control. Golf is much the same, lack of confidence mentally results in all kinds of things, whether its poor decision making or tenative swings that result in a loss of rythhmn followed by a loss of fell, etc.
And yah, golf is an infuriating game at times. You go out one day and shoot 65, being able to low slices under the wind, high soft landing draws to pins tucked behind bunkers; then the next day you come out and can barely get a wedge on the green and shoot 80. But man, do those good shots and rounds ever keep you coming back.
As far as the tournament goes, I'm picking AK, cause he is a streaky player that has a complete shortgame and has looked very good recently, Padraig, cause he is strong mentally and has said the changes he was working on were specifically designed to make his game a bit better suited to Augusta. Also Els comes to mind, but man does he have a lot of scar tissue around here and majors in general, especially against Tiger.
Speaking of whom, definitely excited to see his return as I love watching him play (though I haven't ever really cared much for Tiger the person) and am interested to see how he'll perform. I expect he'll play well. I wouldn't be surprised to see him win, but by the same token I'm not expecting it.
Edited to Say: Holy Shit! There is a sports and games subforum, I've been here for like a year (lurking time included) and never noticed this. Wow.
Yeah insane, what about Couples atop the leaderboard? That's pretty awesome he seems to be playing super good right now...
Shot of the day for me was Tiger on the 9th, tee shot sucked, hit a tree branch and went straight down, he hooked a 5 iron from like 200 yards to within like 12 feet and made the putt. so sick rofl.
Tiger being only 2 back going into Saturday is gonna be tough for the rest of the field especially if he has a strong round tomorrow.
Poulter and Westwood are going to be playing RIGHT behind him all day tomorrow. Tiger typically owns the weekend when the pressures on. If he birdies an early hole or two and the roars get going look out.... those two dudes are in for some shaky times trying to hold that lead.
I'm such a golf geek... I'm like making sure I can watch during the day tomorrow and it's only gonna be the 3rd round rofl.
Tiger struggling today, not driving the ball well, and his putting is struggling. This is really becoming a trend for him. Seems like ever since 2006 Tiger has really fought his putting, especially in that 5-10 foot range.
Westwood playing straight up solid, haven't seen any chinks in the armor so far, except for 1 awful drive on seven; but he followed that up with a sick recovery between the trees.
Westwood leading, Mickelson hanging in, Tiger falling back and then coming back, Freddy Couples making a run, and the chance of back to back South Korean major winners with KJ Choi in the running. Definitely going to be an exciting finale.
Wow Tiger is done for - full on sellf-destruct mode. In other news the Korean players are just tearing it up. Kim, Choi, and Yang are all over the leaderboard right now.
On April 11 2010 06:54 L_Master wrote: Mickelson with back to back Eagles!
Tiger struggling today, not driving the ball well, and his putting is struggling. This is really becoming a trend for him. Seems like ever since 2006 Tiger has really fought his putting, especially in that 5-10 foot range.
Westwood playing straight up solid, haven't seen any chinks in the armor so far, except for 1 awful drive on seven; but he followed that up with a sick recovery between the trees.
only at augusta. I think he putts too defensively there.
Awesome day, if mickelson 3 jacks 17 hell only be up 1.
Yeah great to see Mickelson win it. Yesterday was more epic scoring wise but today like they said was a pretty emotional win for Phil and everything he's been through the past year.
and wow 3 koreans in the top 8. Kim had a nice run on the back nine today. Choi could have had it if he didn't have a few meltdowns on the back nine like his second shot on 13.
Ya that shot on 13 was Choi's only pulled shot of the day. Then again how close was that to disaster on #3? Another inch and that ball was going 30 yards down the hill where it would have been impossible to get up and down. That hole is a sleeper; cost Woods the Grand Slam in 2000 when he made 7 there. Love short holes like that and #10 at Riviera. Good stuff.
The pine debris that landed on Phil's putting line on #2 was one of the most bizarre moments I can ever remember seeing at the Masters and I've never missed a single masters since 1986 when I took up this game. .. and what a masters 1986 was. Bogey free final round for Mickelson! How unlikely was that? The shot at 13 was epic Phil. If he had only made that putt, it might have been one of the greatest shots in major championship history. Anywho, that was a great Masters. I'm glad to see the roars back at Augusta. That 1 over par Zach Johnson shit was gay.
edit: ya korean players (both american born and korea born) are on the rise on the men's tour as well now. Esp Kevin Na and Anthony Kim, and that aussie dude who won the US Amateur, the future of korean men's golf is pretty bright~
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