2021 Golf Majors thread

[Thomkal]

So we get back a bit of normalcy with the return of the Masters starting tomorrow. Smaller crowds of course, but it will be nice to have golf majors on a normal schedule again (I hope!). I'm also hoping my man Dustin Johnson will be able to win back to back Masters. Who are you guys rooting for?

[GrantDawg]

I am rooting for the golf balls. I think they are tired of getting knocked around, and this year they are going to strike back.

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[Thomkal]

heh, I think the PGA and European tour are too-they have started studying ways to decrease the distance they are being hit.

[Breeze]

I'm a terrible person to ask - as the results in my golf pool for the majors will attest, but I think Justin Thomas is in prime position coming into the tournament.

Some interesting things to watch this year:

- Speith coming in after finally getting back in the Win column, and despite his recent struggles he's made the cut every year, so what can he do with a little confidence

- Dechambeau after shooting his mouth off last year about playing the course like it's a par 67 and managing to only finish in the 30s, has another change to try and use his distance to create a huge advantage

- DJ coming off the win in November has quietly been playing well, and he's certainly built for this course

- Koepka playing after having knee surgery just a month ago - can he even complete 4 rounds and if so can he get in contention.

- several young guys are playing well and could make this their first major...

I'm excited to watch...I hope it stays dry, firm, and the wind blows.

[Thomkal]

Well it looked like Hideki Mastusyama (sp) was going to walk away with Japan's first golf major for a while there but Masters Sunday sure got a hold of the field, some pretty epic fails on the back 9 including Hideki. But glad he regained his composure to win by 1.

[Thomkal]

Phil wins a major for us old guys, probably nobody would have predicted on Thursday. It was nice to see a golf course play tough again

[albionmoonlight]

Interesting to go from "best player to never win a major" to "oldest player to ever win a major"

I'm sure he much prefers being the latter to the former :-)

[Vince, Pt. II]

Those crowds on 18 were wild. Security was a joke, and there was a while there I was worried for Koepka.

Awesome to see Phil win it though - those drives he was bombing at the end were absurd out of a 50-year-old.

[henry296]

Based on Koepka's quotes he was bumped in his knee during the crowds.

[sonalford]

It sounded like Hideki Mastusyama (sp) was walking away with the first golf major from Japan for a while, but Masters Sunday certainly had some dramatic failures on the back 9, including Hideki. But he was happy to win again by 1. he won again.

[Thomkal]

So here's a crazy story. Spanish Golfer Jon Rahm, leads the Memorial Tournament after the third round by six shots. As CBS ends coverage for the day, you see, but not hear a tour official tell Rahm something right there on the 18th green. He's devastated by whatever they told him, again right there for the world to see. What did they tell him? He tested positive for COVID-19 and had to withdraw. Whoever made the decision to tell him right there on the 18th green should withdraw too-be fired.

[AlexB]

I dunno, they can’t let him mingle with a few people first and then tell him. If he has Covid then they have to tell him ASAP to minimise contact.

If they should be fired for anything (they shouldn’t) it would be for letting him finish the round.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by AlexB

I dunno, they can’t let him mingle with a few people first and then tell him. If he has Covid then they have to tell him ASAP to minimise contact.

If they should be fired for anything (they shouldn’t) it would be for letting him finish the round.

Because the mortality rate is sooooo high. {eye roll} ... and he's literally wrapping up 18 holes with the same people closest to him. He's not transformed instantly into Typhoid Mary by virtue of a test result, he's not becoming more dangerous in the next five minutes.

There's a middle ground here, ask him to step off for something urgent, lead him away calling it protocol - whatever phrasing - but don't necessarily wreck the guy literally standing there on camera.

[AlexB]

It’s optics - if the average guy on the street is supposed to self isolate for 10 days with a positive test (TBF I don’t know if that is the same in the US) it shouldn’t be any different for anyone else, even golfers who are in the open air and unlikely to be very close to many people and yes, unlikely to be majorly affected

His caddy & playing partner are likely the only ‘at risk’ people for infections, and yes, that infection is very unlikely to be serious for a professional athlete, but I still think we need to keep on top of social distancing and be a little cautious for this year at least, until the vast majority of people are vaccinated

[Edward64]

IMO they did not handle it well. They could have taken him away from the press coverage etc.

And yeah, I'm sure he agreed to the rules ahead of time. But com'on, I am sure they could have put additional security around him, create a bubble or whatever, to stop fans or other golfers from coming too close. He should have been allowed to continue especially since he was leading (let's say the top 10). I'm sure he would have been willing to carry his own bag without a caddy if given the option.

[Vince, Pt. II]

US Open spoiler alert!

Rahm with some amazing putts down the stretch. Can't believe Oosthuizen layed up on 18 when he needed an eagle to tie. What does 2nd place versus third or fourth for him at this stage in his career?!!?

[Thomkal]

I was going to post here how it was looking at one point like it was going to be one of the best US Open finishes ever-I think every player in the top 5 of the world rankings were in the top 10 at one point-instead it became one of the most epic collapses by the best players (and a Canadian who somehow bounced a ball into a tree) I've seen, Glad Rahm got some redemption from the COVID withdrawal at the Memorial. Yeah not sure what was going through Louie's head (and his caddie)-don't think he was in danger of falling out of the top 5 if he went for it and it went badly, and he certainly has enough money in the bank. I think just about all of the top players would have gone for it.

[Thomkal]

Not golf news but golf gaming news: Not sure if its been on GoG.com for a while or not, but they are having a sale on my favorite golf game: Links LS! I played the heck out of this back in the day, and had most golf course DLC's too. It's on sale for under $7 now.

[Thomkal]

Nice to see the US finally rising to the challenge of the Ryder Cup-have their biggest lead, 6 points, heading to the last day. Nice too to see the #1 and #2 players in the world Rahm and Johnson play like it in a Ryder Cup. Both have been sensational. Hope I haven't cursed the US Now...

[Thomkal]

US wins the Cup back in a dominating fashion. Not sure what the final total points are, but US close to a record point total. Dustin Johnson cures some Whistling Straits demons by becoming one of three players to go a perfect 5-0