*US OPEN*

[underpants]

http://www.usopen.com/scoring/uni/alllb.htm

[Awsi Dooger]

1. Mickelson just got booted out of the tournament

Cabrera hit a great iron to within a foot on his last hole. That bumped him to even par and changed the cut line from +11 to +10. Mickelson finished at +11 and was among 6 who were sent packing by the Cabrera birdie.

Well, it was good for me. I bet against Phil in some matchups. Wrist injuries don't lend themselves well to the US Open. I learned that the hard way several times, namely when Greg Norman and Ernie Els tried to play the Open with sore wrists and really flopped.

[fishwax]

2. That was a great hole

Cabrera looked nice and steady on that hole. The last few holes he really calmed down after that bogey on 3 (12) and tee shot on 5 (14). I know it isn't terribly unusual to putt a good distance through that first thin cut around the greens, but his putt up the hill from about 20 feet off the green on 8 (17) took a steady hand.

All in all it made for a fun finish to watch.

[Awsi Dooger]

3. Not for these 19 guys

In my other post I said Cabrera's birdie knocked 6 guys out. Try again. I checked pgatour.com and 19 players finished at 11 over. The cut was top 60 and ties plus anyone within 10 shots. Cabrera's birdie changed the situation dramatically. It turned out the top 60 and ties was identical to the 10 shot rule. Both encompassed everyone 10 over or better, with 63 players making the cut. But these guys would have survived to the weekend if Cabrera had merely parred his final hole, #9:

CUT - Nick Watney +11 - - 79 72 - - 151
CUT - Kirk Triplett +11 - - 73 78 - - 151
CUT - Joey Sindelar +11 - - 73 78 - - 151
CUT - Ryan Moore +11 - - 78 73 - - 151
CUT - Jon Mills +11 - - 73 78 - - 151
CUT - Phil Mickelson +11 - - 74 77 - - 151
CUT - Shaun Micheel +11 - - 78 73 - - 151
CUT - Justin Leonard +11 - - 75 76 - - 151
CUT - Soren Kjeldsen +11 - - 76 75 - - 151
CUT - Tripp Isenhour +11 - - 74 77 - - 151
CUT - Mark Harrell +11 - - 75 76 - - 151
CUT - Paul Goydos +11 - - 78 73 - - 151
CUT - Lucas Glover +11 - - 71 80 - - 151
CUT - Johan Edfors +11 - - 75 76 - - 151
CUT - Joe Durant +11 - - 75 76 - - 151
CUT - Luke Donald +11 - - 74 77 - - 151
CUT - Thomas Bjorn +11 - - 75 76 - - 151
CUT - Eric Axley +11 - - 79 72 - - 151
CUT - Woody Austin +11 - - 74 77 - - 151

[fishwax]

4. yes indeed, and so it sure made for a lot of tension at the end

only one person had birdied on the 9th all day, so everyone at +11 was looking pretty secure. I bet a lot of those in your list were swearing under their breath when Angel hit that sweet approach shot :wow:

One of those guyes--Luke Donald--was in his group, too, so he got to see it all happen right in front of him. At least KJ Choi (and anyone else who finished at 12 over) can stop kicking himself for leaving that par putt on 18 short, because even if he'd made it he'd have wound up out.

I didn't realize the top 60 was exactly identical to the 10 stroke safe line. (I had to leave after Cabrera finished, and at that point there were 63 or 64 at +10 or better.) So it's not only Angel Cabrera, but if one of those at +10 had taken an extra bogey for the team, then everyone at +11 would still be alive ;) Still, everyone at +11 had their opportunity, and I was thoroughly entertained by the second round. I'm looking forward to the weekend :)

[Awsi Dooger]

5. It was 63 guys at +10 or better

I might have made it sound like it was exactly 60. When Carbera finished there were 64, but not too many were still out on the course, and only one of them fell below the cut line.

I'm rooting for Bubba Watson. It would be hilarious if a bomber who has never threatened to win a PGA tour event stepped up and won a US Open.

The year I got screwed was '98 at the Olympic Club. I bet many matchups (one-on-one) and several of the players I bet on were on the announced cut line. It didn't look like there was any chance it would drop a shot lower and knock my players out. That almost never happens in an Open. But one short hitting journeyman goof who never did a damn thing on tour somehow birdied several holes down the stretch, even while playing in near darkness. I was in the East and following it online in sheer disbelief. He had to birdie the last hole to change the cut line and damn if he didn't do it, at about 8:20 Pacific time, 11:20 where I was following it. At least that taught me not to torture myself by following the results hole by hole on pgatour.com.

[fishwax]

6. I'm kind of rooting for Bubba too

I love to see people come from nowhere to win a major, and he's fun to watch. I'll be rooting for both in the final pairing, and hopefully one of them will pull through to Sunday :) I see what you mean about the cut line now. I misunderstood earlier.

The year I got screwed was '98 at the Olympic Club. I bet many matchups (one-on-one) and several of the players I bet on were on the announced cut line ... At least that taught me not to torture myself by following the results hole by hole on pgatour.com.

Ouch. Did you have any of those on the cut line today? (If you both sides of a match-up are cut, is it a push? I've never bet golf before ...)

[Awsi Dooger]

7. Bubba just had a melt down

Senseless triple bogey when he short sided himself into the rough and then displayed a typical lack of patience, chopping it all over the place.

Fantastic ball striking round by Tiger. He's now tied for the lead and has hit every green. Tiger is now odds-on to win the thing. I'm just hoping Paul Casey can hang in there. Late late year, about Ryder Cup time, Casey was quietly the second best player in the world, on form, behind Tiger.

The cut line worked in my favor this year. I managed to knock out a couple of guys I bet against, Mickelson and Luke Donald, who were right on that +11 to miss by one shot.

You never know how that will work out. It's amazing how many matchups swing wildly after the cut. Even if it looks good with a 7 or 8 shot lead and the other guy barely making the cut, that can disappear in one round. The cheap victories at the cut are so sweet. :)

If both guys miss the cut, it's simply a two-day matchup, best score wins. Actually, it's most completed holes wins. That's how they grade every bet. If a guy starts the tournament and then withdraws after 18 holes, he loses to someone who misses the cut but plays 36 holes, even if the score to par was better for the person who withdrew after 18. The most completed holes also is the criteria in the rare situation with both guys in a playoff. If you get knocked out after the first hole you lose to someone who plays on to the second or third, etc., playoff hole.

[fishwax]

8. yeah, that was painful to watch

15 seconds between the first shot from the rough and the second. His caddie should have tackled him :)

Tiger just lost his g/r streak, and may lose his bogey-free round too. This has been a great round for him, though, right up until he hit the greens ... he's had a lot of two-putts that could have been birdies.

If both guys miss the cut, it's simply a two-day matchup, best score wins. Actually, it's most completed holes wins.
Ah, that makes sense. Betting the matchups sounds interesting; I might have to try that sometime.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

9. Great Tournement!

Oakmont is so wicked a course - I doubt I could crack 150... Unforgiving, nasty rough, unreadable greens, maddening fairways, regardless of length. A brutal test of shot-making ability, patience, and strength.

Tiger had a great round - 17 greens in regulation, and only bogied 18. The field came to him! He gave himself so many birie opportunities! He could have shot a 64 with a little more pace on the ball... The USGA has done a good job of balancing overall course difficulty, conditions, and speed of the greens.

I think Sunday is going to be a bloodbath. We are seeing it begin right now - the pressure is unbelievable - Bubba Watson has begun to hack, Cabrera is facing a 15 - footer for par, and Baddeley hasn't really looked steady - well, he is in the lead, so I shouldn't cap on him..

[fishwax]

10. Viva Cabrera!

[Awsi Dooger]

11. That was fun to watch

I was left rooting for Cabrera all day after everyone else I had hopes for fell apart early. For some reason I never liked Furyk and I'd prefer Tiger to struggle a bit before catching and passing Jack. He's not playing great right now, where I just sit back in awe.

Cabrera always looked on the verge of a wild shot that could blow the tournament so I was thrilled he held on. It can't be understated how important that final round pairing is. Baddeley virtually played himself out of it yesterday by getting into the final group with Tiger. Meanwhile, Cabrera settled back not unlike Zach Johnson in the Masters and played a comfortable round several groups ahead.

It will be fun to watch Bubba Watson at Augusta. He qualified via a top 8 finish today.

The bad news for me: many of my matchups fell apart. It looked like I would win 65% of them going into the day, but it turned into only slightly better than break even. Oh well...

[fishwax]

12. Did you see where they caught him lighting up on camera

That was hilarious. :rofl: Can't remember the last time I've seen anything that in the middle of a major athletic event. I guess you've got to keep calm whatever way you can--reminded me of Rich Beem talking about literally guzzling Pepto Bismol in the 2002 PGA Championship. I've kind of been pulling for Cabrera since he got back under par briefly on Friday afternoon, but after yesterday's round I didn't really think he'd work his way back into it today. I thought he was terribly fun to watch. I think your comparison to Johnson at the Masters is apt, as well--I thought the pressure would kind of grind at Baddeley, though, rather than chewing him up on the first green.

For a brief moment after his birdie it looked like Watson could play his way back into it too, but 17 just seemed to kill everybody in the last four or five groups.

Sorry about your matchups, though ... perhaps Carnoustie will bring better results :)

[Awsi Dooger]

13. John Daly used to smoke on the course

In fact, they replayed a segment about him on 60 Minutes tonight, including several shots of him smoking during a round.

Cabrera was the best player for 3 of the 4 rounds. I thought he got quick and was over swinging while paired with Bubba Watson on Saturday. Plus, Bubba is so erratic and impatient it rubs off on the playing partner.

Baddeley was one of the matchups I blew, after having a big lead going into Sunday. No, I never expected that. It reminded me of Retief Goosen in the '05 Open, shooting something like 83 after leading going into Sunday. I'm not sure Goosen will ever fully recover from that.

Short par 4s are fascinating. They should be featured on every course. Obviously you need a great design around the green and not easy access.

The matchups are just a grind. I use a stats-based system, driving and putting, and play every matchup that fits my criteria from early March until the end of the season. Last year the majors were excellent for me but this year both the Masters and US Open were worse than normal, basically break even. The British Open is always a dilemma because the stats on the European Tour don't directly parallel the stats here, due to different course conditions.

[Kingofalldems]

14. You gamble on golf?

I am absolutely shocked!:rofl: Seriously, if Furyk had concentrated on just putting his 2nd shot on 17 somewhere on the green, we would have gotten to watch a playoff today. OTOH, Cabrera was hitting shots that no one in the field was hitting. I really enjoy watching self-taught players beating the guys with an entourage of instructers.