[bbm233]

I'd love to see us get to match play, and we did manage to outplay two top ten teams (LSU and Alabama) in the Regionals, but I hope no casual Stanford fans expect that Stanford should advance.  It's just not a very talented team. 

This course, however, favors us relative to many of the top 20 teams.  It inflicts much heavier penalties on bad shots--doubles and triples--and doesn't offer up a lot of birdie chances.  The team that can grind out a lot of pars and avoid the woods and the wrong parts of these greens has an advantage. 

It also places a premium on reading speed; if someone kept a tally of three putts (and four putts), this course probably lapped the previous NCAA record.  

The afternoon rounds could get especially wicked if the wind and heat go up. 

It's a terrific test.  (I amend my earlier nasty comments about Tom Fazio.)  If we get into the final eight, it's a sign that we're a damn good team that just plays too many courses where intelligence,  course management, patience/emotional control, and accuracy matter too little.

Getting to the championships has already exceeded my expectations for the team. I was surprised how well they did at regionals - Wu showing the form he had last fall was a pleasant surprise, and I didn't think Snyder had enough power to shoot under par on a championship setup (although I am still concerned that the course in Stockton isn't really a good indicator for this weekend). If both of those things continue, they might get to play four days. I agree that match play is very, very unlikely.

[bbm233]

I'd love to see us get to match play, and we did manage to outplay two top ten teams (LSU and Alabama) in the Regionals, but I hope no casual Stanford fans expect that Stanford should advance.  It's just not a very talented team. 

This course, however, favors us relative to many of the top 20 teams.  It inflicts much heavier penalties on bad shots--doubles and triples--and doesn't offer up a lot of birdie chances.  The team that can grind out a lot of pars and avoid the woods and the wrong parts of these greens has an advantage. 

It also places a premium on reading speed; if someone kept a tally of three putts (and four putts), this course probably lapped the previous NCAA record.  

The afternoon rounds could get especially wicked if the wind and heat go up. 

It's a terrific test.  (I amend my earlier nasty comments about Tom Fazio.)  If we get into the final eight, it's a sign that we're a damn good team that just plays too many courses where intelligence,  course management, patience/emotional control, and accuracy matter too little.

Getting to the championships has already exceeded my expectations for the team. I was surprised how well they did at regionals - Wu showing the form he had last fall was a pleasant surprise, and I didn't think Snyder had enough power to shoot under par on a championship setup (although I am still concerned that the course in Stockton isn't really a good indicator for this weekend). If both of those things continue, they might get to play four days. I agree that match play is very, very unlikely.