The Masters 2015 **MOD warning in OP**

Wombatman

Well played Spieth. Fully deserved.

But what about the second on 13? I can't believe I was the only one thinking WTF is he doing going for it. Very poor decision IMO.

HighLine

Wombatman wrote: »

Well played Spieth. Fully deserved.

But what about the second on 13? I can't believe I was the only one thinking WTF is he doing going for it. Very poor decision IMO.

You think he should have laid up? <mod snip>

kiers47

I was thinking about this last night and i came to the conclusion that it probably wasnt as mad as it seemed.

At the time he had a 5 shot lead. Had he only made par and rose eagled the lead would have been down to 3. He was only about 180 odd to clear the water at the front and he had a great line. I dont think he intended to be taking it on when he teed off with the 3 wood but he just ended in such a good spot that it was worth it to take it on.
Had he missed and put it in the water he still had a live chance to make the par.

I think going for that green sealed the tournament. He kept the 5 shot lead with 5 to play.

PARlance

Wombatman wrote: »

Well played Spieth. Fully deserved.

But what about the second on 13? I can't believe I was the only one thinking WTF is he doing going for it. Very poor decision IMO.

You weren't the only one, I was thinking the same. But in reality, he had enough of a cushion to take it on, and would have had a decent chance of an up and down for par if he hadn't made it.

I think the big WTF was not taking an extra club to ensure he definitely got there as he seemed to strike it very well. An extra club and he ruled out the hazard.

Wombatman

PARlance wrote: »

You weren't the only one, I was thinking the same. But in reality, he had enough of a cushion to take it on, and would have had a decent chance of an up and down for par if he hadn't made it.

I think the big WTF was not taking an extra club to ensure he definitely got there as he seemed to strike it very well. An extra club and he ruled out the hazard.

The chances of him going for it and losing the Masters because of it were far greater than the chances of him laying up and losing because he didn't go for it.

Yes. He had a five shot lead at this point. All the more reason not to go for it.

Going into Rae's creek would not only have given shots back but would more importantly have fried his head and upset all momentum.

John Divney

If Rory did that with say a 5 shot lead I'd have been fuming

HighLine

Have to disagree with the above... he only had 201 to the pin and the layup up at 13 isn't exactly easy to get into a perfect position. Worst case scenario, he finds the drink and tries to get up and down for par. Besides.... laying up is boring

kiers47

Tbh i thought going for it on 15 was much worse of a call he was a good 220 just to clear the hazard.

He was probably more comfortable going for the greens than laying up.

Seve OB

while I understand the logic of people who thought he should have laid up on both 13 & 15, sometimes that kind of play is not what is required.

when you are on your game and things are going for you, why change tactic?

Laying up could have talked himself out of a green jacket

Dwarf.Shortage

First Up wrote: »

As for exuberance - what do you want - a lap of honour or a snarl and fist pump after every putt holed? It is golf, not the WWF.

No but some kind of expression of excitement or happiness would be nice.

kiers47

Seve OB wrote: »

while I understand the logic of people who thought he should have laid up on both 13 & 15, sometimes that kind of play is not what is required.

when you are on your game and things are going for you, why change tactic?

Laying up could have talked himself out of a green jacket

Id agree with you Seve. If it aint broke and all that.

I was merely saying that if he was going to be laying up on any hole it should have been 15. I have no problem with him going for it.

Plus look at all the records he got out of taking everything on

ForeRight

Lads actually having a go over going for the par 5's my god this place is an asylum

Trond

Any reason the greens were left the way they were? Compared to previous years it was a bit odd.

I believe they didn't switch on the sub air system at all.

rrpc

Trond wrote: »

Any reason the greens were left the way they were? Compared to previous years it was a bit odd.

I believe they didn't switch on the sub air system at all.

Apparently they had it running overnight but the humidity meant that there was a lot of moisture on the greens that the sub air system can't deal with; it's designed for rain which goes deeper into the sod.

In some ways, Spieth's inexperience in Augusta was an advantage. A lot of players didn't take advantage of the softer greens because they were so used to being punished for going for the pins. They also seemed to be expecting a lot more travel on the greens from their approach shots and didn't get it. Spieth just took advantage from day one and it paid off.

RobertKK

Reading up on Jordan Spieth's background, he was educated at a private school run by the Jesuits , a very fancy school which offers a lot of stuff including the option of playing 19 different sports, including golf.
One should read the Frequently asked questions about the school he went to, it is an all boys school, the second question asked is, 'How do students meet girls?'
http://www.jesuitcp.org/page.aspx?pid=409

Can't beat a good education, combined with the right attitude to get to where you want to be.

John Divney

I agree with what Howell said on Sky on of the mornings, tricking out the greens before hand is fine, but unless there is rain, using it to make the greens harder is hardly in the tradition of the game after it has started.

AdamD

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/apr/13/jordan-spieth-masters-hole-by-hole-account

This is a good read

PARlance

Spieth's comments on 13:

"Hit three wood off 13. Got a nice little hook on the ball and a really good bounce to get up there to a comfortable five iron in. I think 13 were the two biggest shots I’ve ever hit in my life. Coming off a three putt and Justin being in a pretty good spot off that tee, I needed to do something. I needed to birdie that hole, because otherwise I think I would have dropped – Phil ended up making eagle – but it would have been around three strokes or something with five or six to play and anything can happen here. So I missed the five iron a little. I was trying to go a little left and just kind of hit it a little straight, kind of hit it a little off the toe. I was yelling, you know, ‘Get up, get up.’ When it landed, from my angle, I thought it hit short in the water and all of a sudden the roar came up and the pitch-mark was right on that little peninsula. And there was another moment where I thought, this could be destiny, just like No 9. This was symbolic. Last year I missed a short birdie putt and now I had a good look at eagle. It’s nice to get a birdie."

HighLine

AdamD wrote: »

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/apr/13/jordan-spieth-masters-hole-by-hole-account

This is a good read

You can see the video of him talking about the hole bye hole account here (about 21min in)

http://www.masters.com/en_US/watch/2015-04-12/34046_0412_3.html

rrpc

Spieth's putting method for short (six footers or less) putts is interesting. He looks at the hole (or his aiming mark) rather than the ball for those ones. I tried it last night with a golf ball as the hole and hitting from about four to five feet on the carpet. I hit the ball 11 times out of 13 and the two misses just shaved it. Nine times out of the eleven, I hit the ball square.

Must try this on the course

dodzy

Apparently he shot a 63 on his home course when he was 11 years old.

9 under par....at 11. Bloody unbelievable.

stockdam

rrpc wrote: »

Spieth's putting method for short (six footers or less) putts is interesting. He looks at the hole (or his aiming mark) rather than the ball for those ones. I tried it last night with a golf ball as the hole and hitting from about four to five feet on the carpet. I hit the ball 11 times out of 13 and the two misses just shaved it. Nine times out of the eleven, I hit the ball square.

Must try this on the course

It is something that you need to practice a lot. I'm not sure why it isn't more common as you focus on where you want the ball to go. The problem is that now you'll get lots of comments "Do you think you are Jordan Spieth"

Mantis Toboggan

Is Speith the first to not look at the ball when he's putting?

valoren

rrpc wrote: »

Spieth's putting method for short (six footers or less) putts is interesting. He looks at the hole (or his aiming mark) rather than the ball for those ones. I tried it last night with a golf ball as the hole and hitting from about four to five feet on the carpet. I hit the ball 11 times out of 13 and the two misses just shaved it. Nine times out of the eleven, I hit the ball square.

Must try this on the course

I remember Bob Rotella asking Hal Sutton to try something similar once.

Go through your normal putting routine, but look at the hole instead of the ball when putting.

He broke his home course record trying it during a practice round.

Wombatman

The Unconventional Theory: You should look at the hole not the ball from the moment you set the club behind the ball until you complete your putting stroke.

http://www.golf.com/instruction/new-way-putt-look-hole

FixdePitchmark

stockdam wrote: »

It is something that you need to practice a lot. I'm not sure why it isn't more common as you focus on where you want the ball to go. The problem is that now you'll get lots of comments "Do you think you are Jordan Spieth"

They're right to say it too.

AdamD

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

They're right to say it too.

Why? You can try out a new technique without 'thinking you're Speith'!

FixdePitchmark

He is a professional golfer has perfected it over 1000s of hours .

Most lads don't even practice putting.

Yet will do aim point fat grip Spieth.

rrpc

stockdam wrote: »

It is something that you need to practice a lot. I'm not sure why it isn't more common as you focus on where you want the ball to go. The problem is that now you'll get lots of comments "Do you think you are Jordan Spieth"

If it works, I don't give a fiddlers what anyone else says

If you think about it, it's not that revolutionary; it's a bit like the way darts players don't look at the dart. The way I tried it is that I looked at the ball and putter until I felt I had them set right and then looked at the target. It's almost scary how accurate it is, your whole stroke seems instinctive and free.

Wombatman

Don't forget to do the "cross-handed" left-hand-low putting while ye are at it.