2015 Masters Thread (Tiger's playing)

Deathofthebambino

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I don't think the fact that he broke the four day record means all that much in the grand scheme.  I think the fact that the course was playing the same for everyone, and he won by 4 strokes, and really never allowed anyone to get close to him is what's truly impressive.  I was one of the first folks to point out how easy the course was playing, but let's not make it sound like it's the local municipal either.  If it were that easy, then why wasn't the rest of the field, arguably one of the best in the history of the Masters, able to score better and get within four shots of the kid?  
 
To me, a four shot victory on an easy course is harder to do than a 6 or 7 shot victory on a harder course, because eventually, there is a ceiling.  Guys aren't going to go out and shoot -25 at Augusta no matter how easy it's playing.  It seems to me folks are saying that for this to compare to be truly impressive and historic, Spieth should have blitzed the field, but that would have required him shooting like -27 or something, and that's not realistic on that course unless they start taking out some hills and flattening the greens.  Yeah, it was playing easy, but it was playing easy for everyone, and only one guy won by 4 shots.  That's not to be ignored entirely.  
 

BigMike

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Shame Spieth hit a horrible putt on 18.  I really wanted him to post -19.
 
This was a fantastic field, and a fantastic group of players at the top of their game who he whipped. 
 
Tiger was Babe Ruth in 97.  He was transformitive in the way he worked out, and hit the ball.  Now all these guys work out and hit the ball like that, and it is so much harder to do now than it was then.
 
Rory was almost frustrating to watch shooting a 66, as it felt like it could have easily been 4 strokes better than that today.  Just so many makable putts that he missed along the way
 

WayBackVazquez

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Deathofthebambino said:
 To me, a four shot victory on an easy course is harder to do than a 6 or 7 shot victory on a harder course, because eventually, there is a ceiling.  Guys aren't going to go out and shoot -25 at Augusta no matter how easy it's playing.  It seems to me folks are saying that for this to compare to be truly impressive and historic, Spieth should have blitzed the field, but that would have required him shooting like -27 or something, and that's not realistic on that course unless they start taking out some hills and flattening the greens.
Hey, a win is a win. But he didn't need to go out and shoot 62 to make a dominating statement. He shot 70s on the weekend. There were 15 guys that did better today and 8 who did yesterday. He may be the best player in the world, and he certainly was this week, but he didn't need to be superhuman to get to 22 or 23 under this week. He had like 8 bogeys and a double this weekend; there were shots out there.

Again, it's totally fine that he didn't, but I just don't think this was some kind of dominating performance.
 

doldmoose34

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The allegations from his college days were very similar to what is said about Patrick Reed's college days today.


Who knows the truth. But it was out there in the early 70s.
I've never heard anything about Crenshaw in that regard, sure you're not mixing him up with Kite? There were Reed like rumors about him
 

WayBackVazquez

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Scoring average today was 70.909, lowest of any day (not just final round) in Masters history.

47 eagles (17 today) broke the old tournament record by 10.
 

Lupe Whalewatch

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I think Tiger popping broken wrist bones back into place mid round has to rank right up there with his finest major performances to date.
 

BigMike

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Lupe Whalewatch said:
I think Tiger popping broken wrist bones back into place mid round has to rank right up there with his finest major performances to date.
 
 
Honestly I think the healing of the wrist bones is going to be a large part of the canonization discussion when Tiger passes on. Although not sure if miracles count when you perform them on yourself
 

fletcherpost

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I'm always impressed when a 20 year old can win a US Masters leading wire to wire and never be less than three shots clear over the final 36.  It might not be the greatest or most dominant performance; sure the course was softer than we've seen it before, but that diminishes nothing for me. He has at 20 years old got the monkey off his back .It's a very small monkey and compared to the one on Westwood's back or the one Monty donated to the Scottish Museum it was barely ever there. Like Rory and Tiger, Speith was fancied as a youngster to do great things in the game. He's delivered. We've all seen players fall to bits the second they get a lead in the Masters, never once did Spieth look like capitulating. Some folks spend too many neurons trying to compare rather than see something for what it is. For me it was an amazingly mature display of Championship winning golf. Speith showed amazing mental strength on the quiet. He rolled with the punches, set backs didn't lead to blow outs, which has happened so many times in majors, where a guy just drops off the leader board like Rory did a few years back.Soif it wasn't the greatest ever or most dominant, who cares? What we got to see was the flowering of a talent that we expect to see win more majors in the future, which is much more important in my view.
 
Now we need Fowler to get a major and we're all set for a great age of golf.
 

Average Reds

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Lupe Whalewatch said:
I think Tiger popping broken wrist bones back into place mid round has to rank right up there with his finest major performances to date.
 
This is such bullshit.
 
Don't you realize that Tiger slept at  Holiday Inn Express for THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT?
 

Corsi

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fletcherpost said:
I'm always impressed when a 20 year old can win a US Masters leading wire to wire and never be less than three shots clear over the final 36.  It might not be the greatest or most dominant performance; sure the course was softer than we've seen it before, but that diminishes nothing for me. He has at 20 years old got the monkey off his back .It's a very small monkey and compared to the one on Westwood's back or the one Monty donated to the Scottish Museum it was barely ever there. Like Rory and Tiger, Speith was fancied as a youngster to do great things in the game. He's delivered. We've all seen players fall to bits the second they get a lead in the Masters, never once did Spieth look like capitulating. Some folks spend too many neurons trying to compare rather than see something for what it is. For me it was an amazingly mature display of Championship winning golf. Speith showed amazing mental strength on the quiet. He rolled with the punches, set backs didn't lead to blow outs, which has happened so many times in majors, where a guy just drops off the leader board like Rory did a few years back.Soif it wasn't the greatest ever or most dominant, who cares? What we got to see was the flowering of a talent that we expect to see win more majors in the future, which is much more important in my view.
 
Now we need Fowler to get a major and we're all set for a great age of golf.
 
God, this is so well said.  Thanks, Fletch.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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I'm always impressed when a 20 year old can win a US Masters leading wire to wire and never be less than three shots clear over the final 36.  It might not be the greatest or most dominant performance; sure the course was softer than we've seen it before, but that diminishes nothing for me. He has at 20 years old got the monkey off his back .It's a very small monkey and compared to the one on Westwood's back or the one Monty donated to the Scottish Museum it was barely ever there. Like Rory and Tiger, Speith was fancied as a youngster to do great things in the game. He's delivered. We've all seen players fall to bits the second they get a lead in the Masters, never once did Spieth look like capitulating. Some folks spend too many neurons trying to compare rather than see something for what it is. For me it was an amazingly mature display of Championship winning golf. Speith showed amazing mental strength on the quiet. He rolled with the punches, set backs didn't lead to blow outs, which has happened so many times in majors, where a guy just drops off the leader board like Rory did a few years back.Soif it wasn't the greatest ever or most dominant, who cares? What we got to see was the flowering of a talent that we expect to see win more majors in the future, which is much more important in my view.
 
Now we need Fowler to get a major and we're all set for a great age of golf.
*cough* 21 *cough*



Just bustin your balls man. Well said.
 

fletcherpost

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Papelbon's Poutine said:
*cough* 21 *cough*



Just bustin your balls man. Well said.
 
I know I know - I just read an article about him and realized my egregious error. But it's too late to edit now. Anyway, I'm bowled over by this young man. In much the same way i was by Rory. I've watched Golf and the Masters since god knows when I was a kid and somehow was able to watch on TV late at night. Craig Stadler's Master's win I remember fairly clearly, but i think i watched The Masters before that. Anyway, the point is I've seen more drama on that course than any other.  Seen grown men reduced to flailing mentally combust smithereens  time and time again. The fact that Speith learned from his losses and won the Masters as the designated 'form player' at the ripe old age of 21, impresses the shite out of me. And...this is important for me, we expect Speith to win more majors. I can't wait to see him play on the Links at St Andrews in my home patch in Fife, it's not the longest course, but, links golf is good for the creative shot maker and for the mentally strong who can roll with the bumps and bounces and take what the course gives you. 
 
As for Tiger. Here's my take. He's too fuckin eager. He's like the guy who gets ill and convinces himself he's back to full health and then boom, surged too soon and it's back to the sick bed. Most sportmen and women play hurt at some point, but Woods is making a habit of it and it's destroying his body swing by swing. That's 100% on Tiger. His lust for Glory, and it's an understandable lust for the ultimate glory, is impeding his progress in terms of his day to day game, not his A game, Tiger doesn't have an A game at this point, his body won't let him optimally perform some of the shots we know he can envisage in his mind and that must be so frustrating, but that's how injury works. 
 
Maybe Tiger will never win another major, if he continues in the same fashion this looks more likely. But if he waited until his body was as good as it's going to be I reckon he can win another Masters and another Open at the very least. The quote i read was 'I worked my ass off to get ready for the Masters...to do this again' - this ought to worry anyone who wants to see Woods win majors. He's pushing his body beyond it's limitations in the mid to long term, for short term results, in this case over The Masters week.  The vanity of the sports star; a dangerous thing and Woods has every right to push his body beyond it's limits to see eternal glory but it's not working. Maybe his goose (his aging bod) is cooked...maybe he needs to let it rest and have a slower rehabilitation. I dunno. I never rooted for Tiger ever, but i felt sorry for him this week, and I know he had a decent tournie, but he's hurting himself out there and no golf fan likes to see that.