Why don't we have a golf thread?

Well, we do now.

Does Mickelson ever get tired of coming in second at the US Open?

Well, congrats to Lucas Glover, a qualifier, a la "Tin Cup," for winning the US Open.

Golf thread? GOLF thread? WTF? Who the hell cares about golf?

I do.

Well it's too bad for Lefty. Tho I'm sure he'll win it eventually. Looks like everyone wanted to see him winning this year because of the wife story. I hope she'll get better soon, but I doubt she's too upset about him not keeping his promise...more like she just wanted to give him a lil more motivation to win it. And dont foregt about the crowd. The crowd needs a story. There's just so much you can hear about John Daly's drinking habits.

As for Tiger...I'm not so worried about him. I still think he's the best, and I'm sure he'll win a few more majors in the future. Maybe even more than a few.

Nice win for Kenny Perry in Connecticut. It shows you don't have to be pumped or young to excel on the PGA.

Was someone worried about Tiger?

Well, that was win number 68 for him on the PGA Tour. He needs 5 to tie Jack and 14 to tie Sam Snead. And he's still only 33 years old.

Oh yeah. He's already the greatest.

Great performance by Tiger yesterday... One of the commentators yesterday mentioned that Tiger has a 95% closing rate (ultimately winning after holding the 3-round lead) and the next highest was Phil Mickelson who was around 75%? If they kept the stat, I wonder what Jack's and Arnold's closing rates were as their careers progressed.

If that was Phil on Sunday, he would have bogied the 16th to make it interesting. Tiger has a power of concentration that is unmatched on the course. I think Jack had it in his day. Arnie was a little more like Phil. I was hoping that Phil would make the trip to England. Bummer about his wife and then last week they announced that his mom has the same thing.

I'd like to see Poulter make a run at the British. He is due.

Poulter is a good player.

We are currently getting the Womens US open from somewhere in Pennsylvania on TV.

Not watching much of it cos i am watching the cricket on the other channel.

Go Duval! You have no personality, but it would be a great comeback story.

Incredible, Tom Watson shoots a 65. He said the course was tame; no wind. He had 5 birdies, hit 12/14 fairways and his driving distance was 299 to the fields 281. Wow! Can he keep that up.

Unreal. He'll be 60 in September.

It would be the golf story of the century.

I'll be 60 in November and I would shoot a 65 at Turnberry on the front 9

How about John Daly. Love his clothes. I'd love to see him win. The guy's life has been one fuckup after another. He recently had lap (?) surgery to lose weight. He is trying.

Looks like Harrington may miss the cut?

And Poulter is having a nightmare!

Oh. My. God.

Almost 60 year old Tom Watson is tied for the lead at 5 under going into "moving day" (Round 3). If he's still there after tomorrow's round (and I really believe he will be), the wheels are going to come off this thing. See, older guys can still be very competetive on a links golf course. Remember Greg Norman last year? Until he turned into, well, Greg Norman, on Sunday?

And how about Tiger missing the cut?!

Watson's playing with house money. He was my favorite golfer when I was growing up. God, I hope he wins.

Tom Watson has the 54 hole lead at the British Open. This is history making. I mean, he's 60 years old! Does anyone realize what it means for a 60 year old man to have a chance at winning a major sporting event? Especially a Major Championship in golf?

It means that maybe "Rocky Balboa" wasn't so far fetched.

God, I hope he wins!

I was rooting for Watson and he almost did it. Great showing, though.

Nope. He choked, just like he did when he was younger.

I was rooting for Watson also.

Shame!

From a bio on Watson:
"Watson stood up to Nicklaus on numerous occasions, one of the few golfers who consistently went toe-to-toe with Nicklaus and came out on top.

Their duel at the 1977 British Open - where Nicklaus shot 66-66 over the final two rounds, while Watson shot 66-65 to win by one - is one of the greatest head-to-head battles the sport has ever seen. Watson robbed Nicklaus of another major at the 1982 U.S. Open with his famous chip-in on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach. In fact, in four of Watson's eight major championship wins, Nicklaus was runner-up.

His final PGA Tour victory came in 1998. In 1999, he began playing on the Champions Tour. Watson was Player of the Year in 2003, but the year also was marked by sadness: his longtime caddie, Bruce Edwards, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Watson co-founded an organization, Driving 4 Life, to fight ALS. He donated $1 million to the foundation, and during 2003 alone Watson helped raise nearly $3 million for ALS-related causes and other charities. "

Choked? Not even close.

How are handicaps determined?

Handicaps for the average golfer are determined by the course rating and slope and your scores over a set number of rounds. Each course is different and course ratings are determined by the USGA (United States Golf Assoc) You establish a handicap by playing a set number of rounds of golf, reporting your score and entering the rating of the course you played. This data goes into a computer data base. After a set number of rounds played you establish a handicap. Your handicap continually changes. Then, if you enter a USGA sanctioned tournament, your current handicap is applied to your score.

Let's say you have a 14 handicap and you enter a tournament. Each hole on the course is rated; 1 is the toughest hole on the course, 18 is the easiest. As a 14 handicap, you would be allowed one stroke for the holes that are handicapped 1-14. So if you are playing someone with a 10 handicap, in effect you are receiving 4 strokes.

That is a simplified explanation. Handicaps are an attempt to "level the playing field".

My golfing handicap in golf involves picking up the club

Mine is a mental handicap.

So,if handicaps are an attempt to level the playing field, what is the purpose of competition then based on one's ability?

Handicaps are used for the amateur golf "competitors"; not the pros. The pros do not have handicaps. They just have to win based on the number of strokes. But for the amateur to have some competitive fun the handicap system permits players of various ability to play against each other with the less skilled player having a "fighting chance" against a better player. Lets say you are a 9 handicap and I am an 18. You are on average 9 strokes better than me. We want to have a competitive match, but of course you would likely beat me. To make it more interesting and competitive, you will give me a stroke on the 9 hardest holes. So lets say in the #1 handicap hole you score a 5 and I score a 6. In the handicap system I get one stroke so I get a 5 also and we tie.

That is just a general life problem for me

I just played 9 holes at my local course. I've developed a dead pull and when I try to correct it....slice. Somewhere in between is the shot and I can't find it. I had one par (3), but the last hole is a 180 yd par 3 over a pond that is snug up against the green. I finally put a tee shot on the green and then 3 putted.

Tried again today. A little better. Managed two pars, but the pull is still there. Tried weakening the grip......maybe. Should have had a third par at the last hole but I non-chalanted a 18" putt and it did a 360 lip-out. Saw a nice long black snake too. Oh, yeah had the dreaded snowman, but was 12 over for 9. I will survive!

Try rotating you right hand clockwise a bit on the grip and try getting your hips through the ball faster at impact.

Who needs David Ledbetter, I've got SC!....but I think clockwise makes the grip "stronger" which is a pull-grip. Hips are a problem; I can feel that things are out of synch. I think my balls need to be washed too.