2020 PGA Championship- Harding Park

cshea

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Time to find out what a fan-less major looks and feels like.

JT- 9/1
Brooks- 11/1
Bryson, Rory, Rahm- 15/1
Xander- 18/1
DJ- 21/1
Cantlay 25/1
Berger 30/1
Webb, Tiger 33/1
Morikawa 35/1

Spieth is 70/1 in his annual grand slam bid

JT is coming off the win at the FedEx St. Jude and re-claiming world #1 from Jon Rahm. Brooks is the 2-time defending champion and coming off his best finish of the season. Tiger has played 4 competitive rounds since February, so who knows how he'll look.

I think it'll be a great tournament but I worry that it'll feel just like a regular PGA tour stop without fans.

Edit: Also, west coast tournament means prime time golf here in the east which is always awesome, although they are up against the NHL playoffs, NBA return and MLB.
 

johnmd20

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Time to find out what a fan-less major looks and feels like.

JT- 9/1
Brooks- 11/1
Bryson, Rory, Rahm- 15/1
Xander- 18/1
DJ- 21/1
Cantlay 25/1
Berger 30/1
Webb, Tiger 33/1
Morikawa 35/1

Spieth is 70/1 in his annual grand slam bid

JT is coming off the win at the FedEx St. Jude and re-claiming world #1 from Jon Rahm. Brooks is the 2-time defending champion and coming off his best finish of the season. Tiger has played 4 competitive rounds since February, so who knows how he'll look.

I think it'll be a great tournament but I worry that it'll feel just like a regular PGA tour stop without fans.

Edit: Also, west coast tournament means prime time golf here in the east which is always awesome, although they are up against the NHL playoffs, NBA return and MLB.
Tiger's schedule is amazing. He basically plays in majors. I had him in the fantasy league last year and he never played and I remember after the US Open Tiger saying, "I'm really going to have to slow down my playing schedule." And he had played like 3 tournaments total after the Masters. Obviously he's protecting his body, but more Tiger is always better, so it's depressing.
 

ezemerson

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Watch out for guys with bad backs (Tiger, Day) as the weather will certainly be cold and damp throughout the week
 

Comfortably Lomb

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Interesting course. It was designed by the same duo that designed the Lake Course at The OIympic Club. It seems relatively flat but the treelined fairways look like a major factor. It's also on a spectacular chunk of land:



And photographs well:



 

Tangled Up In Red

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I used to play Harding quite a bit. Public course, recently spit-shined to major tournament quality. Or maybe sold and no longer public?
Regardless, there is an SFPD firing range nearby, which always use to scare the sh*t out of me (noise, not fear of being hit). I assume they shut it down for the tournament?!
 
Does anyone else remember the 2005 Tour Championship at Harding Park, when Tiger defeated John Daly in a playoff? Or the 2009 Presidents Cup at Harding Park, when Tiger went 5-0 (mostly alongside Steve Stricker)? Not saying that Tiger is going to do well this week - particularly if the weather is cool and his back never gets warm - but he does have form there.

As for the course itself, I vaguely remember hoping that Harding Park would be the west coast equivalent of Bethpage Black - another public course renovated into a national treasure - and being somewhat underwhelmed. But that was a long time ago, and I'm going into this week with fresh eyes and high hopes.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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I vaguely remember there being complaints in.... I guess it was 2005 for the Tour Championship, about the length of a par 3. Looking at the score card, I am guessing it was 8. 230, and I am thinking uphill? Players had to hit long irons into the green, horror of horrors. I'll be curious whether 15 years of player/tech development has "shortened" that hole.
 
Are there any courses you are not underwhelmed by?
Yes! But I have very high standards for major championships, and the PGA of America has a decidedly mixed track record in choosing the right courses. And hey, I want to be wowed by Harding Park - it's not that I'm hoping to be disappointed by the course. (FWIW, the main thing I look for in a course is green complexes with interesting topography: well crafted and well-placed bunkers, greens with slopes that make them look like they'd be fun to putt on without being easy, and usually areas around each green where it's safe to miss a shot and other areas where it's really not.)
 

benhogan

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Nov 2, 2007
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Does anyone else remember the 2005 Tour Championship at Harding Park, when Tiger defeated John Daly in a playoff? Or the 2009 Presidents Cup at Harding Park, when Tiger went 5-0 (mostly alongside Steve Stricker)? Not saying that Tiger is going to do well this week - particularly if the weather is cool and his back never gets warm - but he does have form there.

As for the course itself, I vaguely remember hoping that Harding Park would be the west coast equivalent of Bethpage Black - another public course renovated into a national treasure - and being somewhat underwhelmed. But that was a long time ago, and I'm going into this week with fresh eyes and high hopes.
I'm wondering if you'll see the guys that play well at Pebble (poa annua greens) have similar success at Harding?

Will this be a bombers paradise (Daly v Tiger were the longs guys back then) similar to Bethpage Black?
 

Monbo Jumbo

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I used to play Harding back in the 80s. It was nice for a muni course, but nothing special. But they did to quite a big makeover turning it into a TPC course.
 

TFP

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Apparently ESPN+ is doing the featured groups this week. I’m assuming this requires a subscription?
Yep. I ponied up the $4.99 for a month. If you have Disney+ and Hulu already it’s $12.99 for the bundle of all 3.
 

johnmd20

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Thanks. I hate racking on another subscription.
It is probably easy to cancel if you sign up month to month. I just bit the bullet and signed up for ESPN+ for a year, it was 50 bucks. Maybe there will be some utility there over the next 12 months. I cannot do the Hulu bundle deal because I have Hulu with no ads. Hulu with no ads is worth it and then some.
 

ezemerson

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ugh i may have to sign up too - stinks pga tour live is basically useless during majors......but no chance of seeing morning featured groups by the time regular coverage begins so i may succumb to the pressure
 

cshea

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Yeah, it's annoying to have to pick up another subscription. It is typically free through the tournament websites but I guess the PGA of America realized they could make money off it. Long live the Masters, the best streaming experience in sports!

Anywho, the featured groups for tomorrow:

11:22 DJ, Spieth, Rose
11:33: Rory, JT, Tiger

Not venturing too far out on a limb, but I think it's JT's week.
 

johnmd20

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Yeah, it's annoying to have to pick up another subscription. It is typically free through the tournament websites but I guess the PGA of America realized they could make money off it. Long live the Masters, the best streaming experience in sports!

Anywho, the featured groups for tomorrow:

11:22 DJ, Spieth, Rose
11:33: Rory, JT, Tiger

Not venturing too far out on a limb, but I think it's JT's week.
I see the featured groups as:
  • Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland, Shane Lowry (11:11 a.m.)
  • Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose (11:22 a.m.)
  • Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas (11:33 a.m.)
  • Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott (4:47 p.m.)
  • Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia (4:58 p.m.)
 

cshea

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See this is what happens when they move the featured groups away from PGA Tour Live. My world has been rocked, I don’t know where to look.
 

ezemerson

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Yea but the afternoon featured groups dont mean anything because their the only players the telecast will show anyway
 

johnmd20

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See this is what happens when they move the featured groups away from PGA Tour Live. My world has been rocked, I don’t know where to look.
I'll admit, I only researched it because two groups felt like way too small an amount. So I wanted to prepare myself for tomorrow if that was it.

But that is not it.

I personally despise prime time golf,(particular the Sunday night) but I'll get through it. Gonna be a few late nights for me.
 

johnmd20

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Coverage is already live on ESPN+.

Not the featured groups, just the round. That is a pretty nice surprise.
 

ezemerson

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all the scoring is lagging way behind unless you are watching - a lot of early birdies out there
 

TFP

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Dumb question- is it possible to watch both featured groups or do I have to choose one or the other?
Gotta toggle. I'm debating going two tabs/windows for the computer. Not sure about the ESPN app for Apple TV/Roku.
 

cshea

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This main stream seems to be showing everything?

Duval analyzing Tiger's gait as Tiger walks into the port-a-potty was great.
 

TFP

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This main stream seems to be showing everything?
Yeah that's like a regular broadcast, then they have the individual featured group channels.

Frankly as someone who complains about golf coverage a lot, I'm overwhelmed because there is TOO much golf being shown to keep up with, which is awesome.
 

johnmd20

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Note, I just looked it up. ESPN+ allows for five separate streams.

So that's basically more than any other service offers. You can watch all the featured groups and the main coverage if you want.

edit - thus, time to pull out the iPad too. I'm going three screens!