Posted on 06/15/2009 12:49:59 PM PDT by cleveland gop
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!! Farmingdale, New York again becomes the center of the golf world as Bethpage State Park and it's stunning renowned Black course hosts the second major of the year. We all remember what happened 7 years ago and if we're not big Sergio Garcia fans, let's hope it happens AGAIN!!! OK, I'm only kidding!!!
Can anything top last year's play and excitement? Probably. If Phil wins in front of a crowd that will be decidely in his favor how cool will that be.........Let's go back a decade and remember......
We all know the details. Fathers Day 1999, Pinehurst#2. A cold, wet Sunday that produced on of the lasting memories of all time. We know how long the putt was. We remember how silent the crowd was. We remember Dick Enberg's famed 2 words to describe it. And we remember the embrace between Phil Mickelson and Payne Stewart and the class that both players showed. We remember Payne telling Phil the great joy he was going to have in becoming a father for the first time............
And then on October 24th, 1999, we remember that God called Payne Stewart home. It is with joy and sadness that we remember what happened at Pinehurst 10 years ago. I miss ya Payne. You were such a great ambassador for the game!!
OK, so who do we like? Who other than Tiger is going to tame the 7,400+ yard layout and come Sunday night will be our next champion?
Feel free to post your predictions and graphics that will add to the enjoyment of the event.......
(Excerpt) Read more at usga.com ...
Thursday and Friday(6/18-19)ON ESPN...... 10:00AM-3:00PM and 5:00-7:00PM(LIVE) and 8:00-11:00PM(REPLAY)
Thursday and Friday ON NBC)..... 3:00-5:00PM Saturday and Sunday(6/20-21)ON NBC.... 2:00-8:00PM on Saturday, and.... 1:30-7:30PM on Sunday..
Also before the coverage starts on Sunday, check out the 2nd annual Golf Digest US Open Challenge. I wanna see Ben Rothlisberger try to break 100 on that track. Ain't gonna happen. But Michael Jordan? Put money on him breaking 90.....Noon-1:30PM!!
For information like tee times, course description/layout, competitors in the field and weather, check out......
www.pgatour.com
www.thegolfchannel.com
www.espn.com
www.nbcsports.com
www.weather.com
Pinging the golf peeps.....
Have at it!! Let’s see some predictions!!!
1. Tiger Woods
2. Jim Furyk
3. Brian Gay
4. Robert Allenby
5. Retief Goosen
6. Geoff Ogilvy
There it is folks - how the top 6 will look Sunday evening. Tiger proved he’s got his game back a couple of weeks ago, now that he can practice as much as he wants. Furyk is bound to win a US Open someday. Gay is the straightest player out there. Allenby is really talented and suited for the tough conditions. Goosen has the pedigree and mindset, and Ogilvy is a combination of Allenby and Goosen.
...possibly Tiger...Brian Gay....Steve Stricker...David Toms...would love to see Phil win, but a long-shot...Kenny Perry...not sure yet, though, who to pick for the win...
I like your picks and thought process, with 1 little exception.....
Jim Furyk is a US Open Champion. 2003 at Cog Hill. I know that cause on a radio program that week I called in and predicted that he would win. Unfortunately for me, so did someone else who got the grand prize and I ended up with the runner up prize......
Geez, I should have said that Furyk is bound to win ANOTHER US Open someday.....
Sorry you missed out on the GP!
I came THIS close to jumping on a Saturday night flight to NY last time they played at BP Black. That was the best tournament I have ever seen.
What the PGA learned from that year is that “Tiger-proofing” the track just kills off every other player.
I'm going to take a dark horse - Paul Casey. You read it here first!
It looks like weather is gonna be an issue again too.
Remember when Sergio cried about the play not being stopped on Friday and that if Tiger played in the afternoon, they would have stopped it......
BTW my pick is Tiger whenever he's playing. Hurt, recovering or 100%.
Of course Tiger is the favorite!! But some young guns could have something to say about that. Or maybe a Vijay Singh can slay the monster that is Bethpage Black.
We shall see......
A correction needs to be made from the top. The accident that took Payne Stewart away from us was on October 25, 1999. I was justatching Golf Central and as it turned out Payne was heading to Dallas before going to Houston for The Tour Championship. What I never knew was that he was going to his alma mater, SMU. to begin the process of building a state of the art golfing facility.
Now yearly, they play the Payne Stewart Cup with proceeds going directly to the cause Payne wanted. They say the facility will open sometime next year.... And BTW, his son Aaron is a member of the SMU Golf Team. He’s a spitting image of his father too.....
The other reason Payne went to Dallas. To meet with and pick up Justin Leonard and then head to Houston....
stickin greens with 2nd shot long irons will separate the men from the boys this week. Add rain and it becomes a long game, thinkers dream.......that means Tiger.
Tiger’s thinker is as good as his swing
Yep. He said it in his news conference this morning. I like to have to go out and think my way through the course.......
Rest of the field best beware. .....
And I guess Phil is still in San Diego and isn’t coming to NY till tomorrow??? Again, if somehow he wins THIS major......
For those who care to know.....
Stewart Cink is a twitterer......
www.twitter.com/stewartcink
OK, time for fearless predictions for Thursday....
First Tiger birdie, hole 4 however that will only make up for his first bogey on #2.......
First Tiger roar, see above......
Hardest holes, pick any of the 500+ yard par 4’s and go from there.......
First time Sergio whines-—1:45PM , after starting bogey, bogey.....
First Phil birdie, right off the bat on #1, creating a louder than Tiger roar.....
Number of players at par or better, 17.
Leader(s) after round 1-— Paul Casey, Luke Donald and Ben Curtis at -3
Tiger’s score EVEN
Phil’s score -1
Sergio’s score +3
Highest score +13(85)
time to play, almost!!!
What’s the Weather looking like?
Golf Chanel #5 was saying RAINO all weekend!
I just want Tiger to play well.
Just turned Golf Channel on now. Rain has been falling all morning and has been heavy at times. Storms maybe later today too. Is supposed to be wet all weekend.
Tiger’s opening tee shot went way left and ended up by the merchandise tent....
ESPN has picked up coverage.
Sonoma will be hot and sunny today and thru the week-end. :-)
That rain is coming down pretty good and at a slant.. lots of tree movement so winds are whupping it up.. 15 to 18 mph.
And for those with DirecTV check out the channels beginning with 701 through 705 for US Open Mix, Network feed, Featured Group, and an on-demand scoreboard and scorecards for individual players.
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