Home / Tour Central / The Open: Day 3

The Open: Day 3

Round 3 Recap

“This bunker shot is easy” – Phil (pic: @pgatour)

 Live From: My Couch

Phil and Hank Stenson went toe-to-toe today and separated themselves from a relatively younger pack, with the exception of Steve Stricker.

We should expect a dandy tomorrow as Phil the Thrill takes on the Stensonator in a heavyweight championship  bout. If the weather is proper, don’t rule out guys as far as 10-shots back…besides Sergio.

Dear Diary, The Media Made Fun of Me Again

After  Jordan Spieth made the cut on the number, he went out early enough Saturday that he was easily able to finish before sunset. He shot a mediocre 72, leaving him at +5 (T50). But it was his post round comments that stirred each of my 10 morning cups of coffee.

Jordan took it upon himself to let the media know his recent feelings towards them which, while commendable, is insane:

“It’s been tough given I think it’s been a solid year and I think, had last year not happened, I’d be having a lot of positive questions,” Spieth said. “Instead, most of the questions I get are comparing to last year and therefore negative because it’s not to the same standard.”

The issue is that he’s a professional and this comes with the territory…then multiply it exponentially by the fact he’s 22 and had one of the best season in the history of the sport.

While he’s mature beyond his years in most aspects, there are clearly some that he is not. Sure the language he used sounds good because he’s wired like a PR-machine, but the fundamental element of defensiveness was glaring.

It’s the media’s job to come up with stories and it is they who provide the narratives in which people will accept as their own opinions. With the amount of media/news outlets out there, inevitably “real” journalists will do what they need to do to be noticed…usually meaning the more outrageous it is, the more clicks it gets, the better they look for their boss, the better chance they have to get promoted and take somebody else’s job. Isn’t the world fun?!

Most of the time with the media it’s not personal, but anytime you give the enemy buzzword ammo like unfair, negative, etc, they’ll twist it in a way so that it spins in the direction they’ve already chosen for your fate.

If you are thinking how is this different from Rory’s scorching presser this week, its simple. Rory was being honest and was done with worrying about feelings. He’s not naive enough to think there would be no repercussions for what he said. Jordan is referring to feelings only, which in some jobs, you can get your ass kicked for.

If I was a pro, I’d try never giving the media anything ever. Of course that’s not realistic but I’d certainly try. Tiger was the GOAT at it and while you can argue it contributed to his current state, take a look what’s happening to Rory right now.

The world is full of haters and always will be as long as the internet is around. It’s up to the individual to deal with it accordingly.

Grow up, Peter Pan!

Help Me, Two Inches Short

(best if read in Peter Kostis’ voice)

Hi there. Let’s use Vine Swing Vision to analyze Rory’s club toss today. Now remember, the key to this swing is leverage:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LptRF8-lk0]

  • You’ll start out by noticing Rory is several minutes late with his actual release which will cause him to initiate this unique firing sequence.
  • After he completes his follow through, instead of his usual quick-hitch forward into his patented club twirl, he reaches back even further which will steepen the angle of the club bringing it closer to perpendicular to the ground. Again, this is all about leverage.
  • Once loaded up, Rory will drop his arms quickly, while maintaining his full wrist cock to generate as much lag as possible. This is key for distance, or in this case force.
  • As his arms past his shoulders, he let’s natural instinct take over letting his body unwind while still maintaining his angles. As any pro will tell you, in order to create the most damage to the ground or club, the steeper the angle the better.
  • Only when his arms are close to fully extended does he release the club by unhinging his wrists and splitting his hands apart in a whipping motion for maximum speed. This process is technically known as “clearing the arms.” Be sure to pay attention to the footwork too.
  • As the club is rotating downward, it uses the flex in the shaft to ensure a seamless transfer or energy.
  • If done properly, the head should snap clean off while the shaft remains intact.

In this case, Rory executes the sequence flawlessly.

With a little bit of practice and a whole lot of not giving a crap, you too can break your club like the 4-time major champ.

NBC Updates/Takes

Per yesterday’s recap, I glossed over some initial NBC telecast takes. While they introduced LinksTRAX, the majority was unsurprisingly the same.

Protracer was used minimally, and that’s being generous. Maybe there’s a technical issue or maybe FOX used it all up, but something needs to be done stat.

Feherty gave us a tour of Scotland, put on a kilt, and went MIA until the final pairing entered the back 9. Before he appeared, I was convinced he made the move back to CBS. I don’t care if he’s following Bones on the front 9 tomorrow, just make sure he’s used more than 15% of the broadcast.

Johnny’s comments on Rory after his round were absurd as well. He wasn’t mad, just disappointed.

“I miss McCord” (pic: @pgatour)

The People Have Spoken

Since we are watching an event on a links course, I was generally curious how many of you have actually played one before.

It appears I’m with the majority and only strengthens the protracer argument.

Tweets That Made the Cut

Round 4 Essentials

Screen Shot 2016-07-16 at 3.55.14 PM.png

TV Coverage (all times EST)

Golf Channel: 4-7AM

NBC: 7AM-2PM

TV simulcast online: 4AM-2PM [Watch]

The Open app Livecast

Marquee Games

2:40AM – Monty

Weather

Screen Shot 2016-07-16 at 8.40.07 PM.png

Until Tomorrow… (pic: @KylePorterCBS)

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments