Re: ShopTalk: Well, the Open is done

[Tom]

Howdy. I didn't think I'd go on with this but - I forgot to compliment J. Miller, et al upon their amazed commentary and criticism re; Mickleson's incomprehensible club and shot selections on #18. 2 fairways hit all day with the driver would get even me, with my pitiful lunge, to change to something other than Boomer. Geez! You can't be the "best" or second best player in all the world and do what Mickleson did . . . it's simply goofy.  Certainly I've never been in that situation - a chance to win the Open. But for sure, like most others on these here pages, I've been on #18 with a chance to win the Club Championship, or a 3 unit press, or to secure a Team Match, or to break par. With a lead, you play safe to win. From behind, you take a chance. That's about as basic as it gets. Gagged? I guess it depends upon how you define it (ala Clinton's definition of "is"). Maybe a brain cramp. Maybe panic. Maybe a shot at a heroic finish. Regardless, it was a blunder ranking right up there with Van De Velde at Carnoustie, Kennedy/Bay of Pigs, Carter/Iran, Bush II/Iraq . . . well, maybe a little less blunderbussy than those but . . .  :-) Ah, it's so wonderful to be right every time - retrospectively. Cave time again. TFlan BTW: If you want into my lowly hovel, bring beer - and a TV. Greg Zachmann wrote: Couldn't agree more about the loudmouth jerks posing as fans. They probably couldn't wait to get home and rewind the VCR to hear themselves on TV. They should be removed from the course. They wouldn't be missed except by the beer vendors.   Yup, the pressure sure appeared to get the best of Montgomery and Furyk? Ferrie hung in there admirably. Ogilvy out played them all and produced the shots when it counted. He should have won and did.   I have to disagree on Mickelson though. Unless he was choking from the first tee shot on Thursday to the last hole today I don't think he gagged. He just kept on missing fairways right to the end. If he doesn't wake up with this failure he should be prepared to go down in posterity as a great physical talent who couldn't handle the mental aspects of the game. How many of you guys out there have a go-to shot when the pressure is on-if you positively have to hit the fairway. Here's the #2 golfer in the world and he hasn't got the wherewithal to realize his driver isn't working and maybe he should use something else. How he can keep on playing to his weaknesses and continue to justify it is a mystery to me.   Of course if he doesn't have that burning desire to the #1 player in the world and be considered as one of the best ever then that's his choice and I can accept the kind of performance he put forward in the Open. It's been said that Phil is a gambler and stubborn. This performance might be better described by another word starting with the letters S T U..............................and ending with P I D.   Any room in that cave!   GregZ