[Stymie]

I'm a golf nut, but watching tournaments/matches in person is like watching paint dry, unless you have access to the Bollinger tent or a dog in the hunt, or find a spot in the grass on the knoll overlooking the 16th of Cypress Point during the Crosby (when it was the Crosby)  with good friends and a keg of pin coladas and a basket of hors d'oeuvres......  I've spent ~40 years of my adult July's in the UK and have only watched the (British) Open on the ground twice and that was two times too many.  Now practice days, that is another question.  You can get really up close and personal to the relevant personnel, and nobody cares if you fart in their backswing.

[Stymie]

I'm a golf nut, but watching tournaments/matches in person is like watching paint dry, unless you have access to the Bollinger tent or a dog in the hunt, or find a spot in the grass on the knoll overlooking the 16th of Cypress Point during the Crosby (when it was the Crosby)  with good friends and a keg of pin coladas and a basket of hors d'oeuvres......  I've spent ~40 years of my adult July's in the UK and have only watched the (British) Open on the ground twice and that was two times too many.  Now practice days, that is another question.  You can get really up close and personal to the relevant personnel, and nobody cares if you fart in their backswing.

[CornFed]

I agree that the best time to attend a golf competition is during practice rounds.  For example, stationed at the 7th green at The Olympic Club during a practice round, it was fascinating to watch the various players explore the putts and chips they would be facing on that 3-tiered little beast.  At one point, following Greg Norman on the par 5 16th, I watched him hit an ENORMOUS drive (at least in terms of 1987).  That hole in nearly any other geographic location, would be hittable in two by most of the field, but due to soft ground and moist air is not even remotely hittable.  The people watching Norman booed playfully when he hit an iron and a number of them shouted for him to go for it.  He went back to his bag, got his driver and another ball, teed it up in the middle of the fairway and unleashed another monster stroke.  His ball landed short.  :P

[CornFed]

I agree that the best time to attend a golf competition is during practice rounds.  For example, stationed at the 7th green at The Olympic Club during a practice round, it was fascinating to watch the various players explore the putts and chips they would be facing on that 3-tiered little beast.  At one point, following Greg Norman on the par 5 16th, I watched him hit an ENORMOUS drive (at least in terms of 1987).  That hole in nearly any other geographic location, would be hittable in two by most of the field, but due to soft ground and moist air is not even remotely hittable.  The people watching Norman booed playfully when he hit an iron and a number of them shouted for him to go for it.  He went back to his bag, got his driver and another ball, teed it up in the middle of the fairway and unleashed another monster stroke.  His ball landed short.  :P

[Papa John]

FWIW, LSU is leading U-S-C 3-1-1 after holes 7-10 in the men's finals:


http://golfstatresults.com/public/leader...025R3.html

[Papa John]

FWIW, LSU is leading U-S-C 3-1-1 after holes 7-10 in the men's finals:


http://golfstatresults.com/public/leader...025R3.html

[terry]

LSU wins! Normally I wouldn't root for LSU in anything, but I made an exception here. Didn't want to see U'S'C come any closer to our national championship total.

[terry]

LSU wins! Normally I wouldn't root for LSU in anything, but I made an exception here. Didn't want to see U'S'C come any closer to our national championship total.

[Farm93]

Too true!  Congrats Tigers. USC was in every match but each sc golfer faded in the end.  Would feel bad for many Pac 12 teams, but not USC.

[Farm93]

Too true!  Congrats Tigers. USC was in every match but each sc golfer faded in the end.  Would feel bad for many Pac 12 teams, but not USC.

[Hulk01]

It seemed anticlimactic.  I wondered if the kids were gassed after four rounds of medal play followed by 36 holes of match. 

The announcers tried to create some excitement--no doubt asked to build up this event for future tv audiences--but they hand't done much homework.  A dozen different platitudes about the pressure and shifting momentum, nothing that a dozen of you guys couldn't provide, and that Slide, for one, could have done much better. 

I'll blame the producer. Set up the stories, help me better understand golf and college golf.  For that matter, give me a better understanding of the ideal strategy for each hole.  This isn't that hard.

[Hulk01]

It seemed anticlimactic.  I wondered if the kids were gassed after four rounds of medal play followed by 36 holes of match. 

The announcers tried to create some excitement--no doubt asked to build up this event for future tv audiences--but they hand't done much homework.  A dozen different platitudes about the pressure and shifting momentum, nothing that a dozen of you guys couldn't provide, and that Slide, for one, could have done much better. 

I'll blame the producer. Set up the stories, help me better understand golf and college golf.  For that matter, give me a better understanding of the ideal strategy for each hole.  This isn't that hard.

[teejers1]

Maybe it's the total d-bags from LSU I saw talking about how they punched out some hapless kid in Florida way back in 1985; or maybe it's the fact that I know several likable folks (young and older) who attended SC; or maybe it's the conference allegiance . . . but whatever the reason, I found myself wanting USC to win. 

And come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever rooted for LSU in anything.  Ever.

P.S.  And I maintained this rooting interest today, even after a tremendous (first) visit to New Orleans in October.  Maybe my views would change with a trip to Baton Rouge.

[teejers1]

Maybe it's the total d-bags from LSU I saw talking about how they punched out some hapless kid in Florida way back in 1985; or maybe it's the fact that I know several likable folks (young and older) who attended SC; or maybe it's the conference allegiance . . . but whatever the reason, I found myself wanting USC to win. 

And come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever rooted for LSU in anything.  Ever.

P.S.  And I maintained this rooting interest today, even after a tremendous (first) visit to New Orleans in October.  Maybe my views would change with a trip to Baton Rouge.

[Hulk01]

Agree that it's hard to cheer for LSU.  They seemed the somewhat lesser of evils, but I could easily be persuaded otherwise. 

What tipped me farther away from them was when a USC player refused to concede a 15 inch put early in his match yesterday.  it made no sense strategically, either.  It pisses off the opponent and gives him another shot at getting his short putting stroke in rythym.  Give  several early easy putts so they don't get into sync.  It makes the rest of shorter putt (3"-5" feet) a bit harder.

[Hulk01]

Agree that it's hard to cheer for LSU.  They seemed the somewhat lesser of evils, but I could easily be persuaded otherwise. 

What tipped me farther away from them was when a USC player refused to concede a 15 inch put early in his match yesterday.  it made no sense strategically, either.  It pisses off the opponent and gives him another shot at getting his short putting stroke in rythym.  Give  several early easy putts so they don't get into sync.  It makes the rest of shorter putt (3"-5" feet) a bit harder.

[CornFed]

I don't think that conceding a putt will necessarily deprive your opponent of the ability to sync his stroke.  In match play, aren't contestants allowed to stay on the green and putt after the hole is completed anyway?

[CornFed]

I don't think that conceding a putt will necessarily deprive your opponent of the ability to sync his stroke.  In match play, aren't contestants allowed to stay on the green and putt after the hole is completed anyway?

[Mick]

As a non-golfer, I am perplexed by this whole business of conceding putts. A basketball player with an uncontested breakaway steal still has to make the shot. A football wide receiver who gets loose in broken coverage still has to catch the ball and cross the goal line. And in the NFL, where 99.6 percent of extra-point attempts are converted, the kicker still has to boot the ball. Why should anything, ever, be conceded in a sport or game where score is being kept?

In the NFL in 1979, there was some suspense on extra kicks, they only converted 91% of them.  So last year, during the preseason, they tested 33 yard extra points, and the conversion percentage went down from 99% to 94%.  So in 2015, the NFL is moving the extra point line to the 15 yard line.
Yes, but they realized that it was so bogus, they just positioned extra points (by kick) to the 15 yard line from the three yard line. 

[Mick]

As a non-golfer, I am perplexed by this whole business of conceding putts. A basketball player with an uncontested breakaway steal still has to make the shot. A football wide receiver who gets loose in broken coverage still has to catch the ball and cross the goal line. And in the NFL, where 99.6 percent of extra-point attempts are converted, the kicker still has to boot the ball. Why should anything, ever, be conceded in a sport or game where score is being kept?

In the NFL in 1979, there was some suspense on extra kicks, they only converted 91% of them.  So last year, during the preseason, they tested 33 yard extra points, and the conversion percentage went down from 99% to 94%.  So in 2015, the NFL is moving the extra point line to the 15 yard line.
Yes, but they realized that it was so bogus, they just positioned extra points (by kick) to the 15 yard line from the three yard line. 

[CornFed]

I'm not sure what the specifics are regarding the practice of conceding putts.  First, and foremost, it is a reflection of the nexus of the game as a sport of gentlemen (and ladies).  It is a crucial component of non-competitive golf now, and the practice helps avoid six hour rounds.  Even in charitable tournaments, which are truly just for fun, when the event forces players to putt out there are players who will try to emulate their favorite tour pro's pre-putt routine even for a six-inch tap in.

I've gone through two periods of struggles with Y*PS over the years.  In both of those, my friends began to concede putts just to avoid the extreme discomfort of watching me struggle.

[CornFed]

I'm not sure what the specifics are regarding the practice of conceding putts.  First, and foremost, it is a reflection of the nexus of the game as a sport of gentlemen (and ladies).  It is a crucial component of non-competitive golf now, and the practice helps avoid six hour rounds.  Even in charitable tournaments, which are truly just for fun, when the event forces players to putt out there are players who will try to emulate their favorite tour pro's pre-putt routine even for a six-inch tap in.

I've gone through two periods of struggles with Y*PS over the years.  In both of those, my friends began to concede putts just to avoid the extreme discomfort of watching me struggle.

[Mick]

I've gone through two periods of struggles with Y*PS over the years.  In both of those, my friends began to concede putts just to avoid the extreme discomfort of watching me struggle.

Men of a certain age just need to loosen up.  Like this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsqvVCm7VqY

[Mick]

I've gone through two periods of struggles with Y*PS over the years.  In both of those, my friends began to concede putts just to avoid the extreme discomfort of watching me struggle.

Men of a certain age just need to loosen up.  Like this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsqvVCm7VqY