The Golf Thread

[Liverpool]

Plays well at this course and usually starts well, plus overall fav to win. 66/1 was a massive price. Looks like one other player having a belting open round has killed it though

[Harv]

Is that big Ernie up around the top???

[Harv]

140 foot putt for Lowry

[Pablo]

Plays well at this course and usually starts well, plus overall fav to win. 66/1 was a massive price. Looks like one other player having a belting open round has killed it though

Betting on golf is so hard. Cameron Young is a great player but he's missed the last 2 cuts (including the US Open), and then boom a 64. There are so many players capable of going low on any given day. It really is needle in a haystack stuff.

I think where it become a bit more predictable is down the stretch when the pressure is on. That is normally when the better, more experienced player comes through (like Schauaffele did last week and JT did in the the USPGA).

[Liverpool]

Rory finishes 2nd, sickening

I'm sure whoever authorised that special at bet365 will be sleeping easier tonight.

[Shaggy]

I suspect I'll be on my own here but this is ****ing wank imo. I'm all for history and tradition but St Andrews has had its day for me. It's taking 5 to 6 hours per round, down to the layout of the course and the weird back-to-back/shared greens, with 20 minute waits on the tees or in the fairways. No round of golf should ever take that long, it's excruciating.

Also it's just too easy. Majors should be the ultimate test - you want your winner on -10 or thereabouts - and some random dude has gone -8 in R1

Watched nearly all day and just haven't enjoyed it. St Andrews used to be a great course but with the length these guys hit it, and fairways as wide as Lancashire, it's just not enough of a challenge any more.

[Shaggy]

So Spieth, Rahm and Varner took 6 hours 17 to get round. Tiger's group the same.

Absolutely diabolical stuff.

[Liverpool]

Players still out on the course, 16 hours to get 52 groups around.

[Liverpool]

Sky presenter just mentioned they need to be back in work in 8 hours and looked a bit sad and drained.

[Harv]

I suspect I'll be on my own here but this is ****ing wank imo. I'm all for history and tradition but St Andrews has had its day for me. It's taking 5 to 6 hours per round, down to the layout of the course and the weird back-to-back/shared greens, with 20 minute waits on the tees or in the fairways. No round of golf should ever take that long, it's excruciating.

Also it's just too easy. Majors should be the ultimate test - you want your winner on -10 or thereabouts - and some random dude has gone -8 in R1

Watched nearly all day and just haven't enjoyed it. St Andrews used to be a great course but with the length these guys hit it, and fairways as wide as Lancashire, it's just not enough of a challenge any more.

I was kind of thinking the same whilst watching it.

The technological advancement of clubs and increase in strength and fitness of these guys over time has made it a pretty easy course in good weather conditions. Theres been some crazy low scores in the past. I still think when its blowing a gale is when these links course sort the men from the boys, hopefully we get a bit of that the rest of the weekend

Dig the bunkers a bit deeper and let the rough get longer IMO. Theres a course near me that has the longest rough you've ever seen. Its a ****ing nightmare to even find your ball let alone play the thing.

Still hilarious watching guys try sink 140 foot putts from the other side of the greens though

[Shaggy]

****ing Poulter knocked one in

[Shaggy]

Sky presenter just mentioned they need to be back in work in 8 hours and looked a bit sad and drained.

It's ridiculous, the lads who finished after 9pm last night were back on the course at 7am this morning. Finish their round, have something to eat, try and switch off and wind down, probably about 6 hours sleep and back to the course.

[Shaggy]

They've got this "Strike Meter" thing on Sky and it is absolutely ****e Like something they've nicked from the LIV tour.

Also, what the **** is this? At no point have they explained what it means, how it's calculated...so what's the point?

I saw Rory and Tiger marmalise two huge drives yesterday that ought to have been 100 on the 'strike meter' (Tiger hit it 423 yards ) and he got about 78 on the strike meter ...what do you need to do to get 100? Vaporize the golf ball?

[Pablo]

Also, what the **** is this? At no point have they explained what it means, how it's calculated...so what's the point?

I saw Rory and Tiger marmalise two huge drives yesterday that ought to have been 100 on the 'strike meter' (Tiger hit it 423 yards ) and he got about 78 on the strike meter ...what do you need to do to get 100? Vaporize the golf ball?

I can feel the presenters are embarrassed about it, and have kind of stopped mentioning it when it appears on screen

As for enjoying it, I do get what you're saying. It's definitely not my favourite venue for The Open. There are a few interesting holes, and then loads of bland, instantly forgettable holes. As it is the "home of golf" it also seems to be illegal to say anything bad about it

The long rounds don't bother me so much watching it, as there's still plenty of golf to watch. I can only imagine how **** it must be to play a 6hr+ round of golf though

Only my own I get round in just over 2hrs! On the Saturday comps with a 4 ball it takes 4hrs sometimes 4hrs 30 mins and I hate that. I find it much harder to play well when you're always waiting to hit.

It's all set this morning with the rain softening the course for someone to go really low. Yesterday the only protection from the course was the ball running off the fairways, and the pins all being tucked in ridiculous positions.

[Pablo]

Nick Dougherty and Inci Mehmet are both brilliant by the way. They should bin off some of the old fogeys and give them more air time.