Styles wrote:Start with last years footage.
Rory's meltdown, multiple potential winners on back nine but all beaten by charl finishing with 4 birds for the "W", something never done previously in the history of the event.
And guys hitting short irons into par 5's that used to be very risky 2 shot holes or layup holes...

Doesn't exactly fit the description of "a classic Masters rerun to remind everyone what the course used to be", does it?
Sure, it was dramatic and an exciting finish because there were so many guys that factored into it, but the course isn't comparable to what it was when guys were hitting persimmons with spinny balls. I don't see how anyone can get around that fact. You can choose to ignore it though, and tell yourself "these guys are good" because they hit driver-9 iron into par 5's down the stretch.
Anyone watch the WM Phoenix Open? I saw most of the Levin and Stanley drama on the back nine unfold in person. Stanley played really well up to 17, but his tee shots on 17 and 18 were both REALLY offline. I was right behind the tee box on both of them. 17 was a lucky break that he had a shot from the desert after he really pushed a 3 wood that could have easily cost him the tournament. Then he gets up on 18, decides to hit driver down the left, and pulls it way left of the trouble. On anywhere but a stadium course, that would have been OB or in the trees and lost. Instead, he misses 60 yards left of his target and lands in trampled down rough with a good lie and good angle and almost makes birdie.
I'm not trying to diminish his win, and I think it says a lot about him that he was able to bounce back after last week and shoot a bogey-free 6 under yesterday to make up an 8 shot deficit. I am happy for him and it makes a great story line. At the same time, the way he played on those last two holes should have cost him at the very least a stroke a hole, and at a lot of courses he'd have finished double-double. I don't even think it's his fault, because the Tour sets up events so that precision driving isn't all that relevant. I also watched Greg Chalmers hit a really thin 3 wood that was almost wet on 18. An embarrassingly bad miss for someone on the last hole playing in the 3rd to last group. Clearly ballstriking just really doesn't matter any more.
As much as Bubba gets chastised on here, he struck the ball really well from what I saw and worked the ball both ways. Had he putted well down the stretch, he would have factored into the end too.