Yeah I felt bad for her. Clearly decelerated on the par putt on 17 (a sign of pressure) and it’s inexcusable to leave a potential par putt in 18 short. As one of the other posters said, it may take a while for her to put this behind her.
OT: Lexi Thompson/ US Women's Open at Olympic Club
- Thread starter dcf4psu
- Start date
I only golfed twice in my life.....except for mini golf where I was King of the windmill.......and even I could see her crack. Only watched a couple holes late in match before heading back to the garden. Don’t know which hole it was but she had a decent chip shot lined up. She took a couple practice swings, lined up over the ball, hesitated several times, stepped back, took a practice swing, picked up some debris, took more practice swings, got over the ball, took forever to hit it. Knew right then she had lost all confidence.
Also worth noting is that Lexi does not carry her own yardage book and never has. She it totally dependent on the caddie for her yardages.
She may be looking for a new caddie then. She, on at least three occasions, felt she hit the ball perfectly only to come up short or long. If so, she used either used the wrong club, the yardage was wrong, or was simply hitting her irons differently (not likely).
But I'd think that before an important tournament like the US Open, she'd have a caddy she has worked with and trusts. Someone posted earlier that "she goes through caddies like used shoes" ... apparently she can't find a caddy to her liking.
Seems like that is more common on the LPGA. I have seen caddies lining up their players for putts in the past.
yeah...i've worked for several privately held companies. Sometimes the biggest challenge is telling the emperor they have no clothes. In my interview process, I've gotten to the point where I am the guy to tell them that, if I think it is accurate. So if they don't want that guy, don't hire me. I don't know Lexi, but she may be the person that needs to blame things on others. But if she hits it consistently and was striking the ball well, the distance was lacking. these golfers are like machines in terms of distance. It wasn't windy.
I understand the role of the caddie, but that meltdown was all on Lexi. She is a professional and the one swinging the club, so the ultimate decision on distance and club selection is hers. They also have detailed yardage books and play multiple practice rounds where they can make notes.
Frankly, I'm amazed at the amount of time these pros take to make a shot, and all of the back-and-forth between them and their caddie. I get that there's a lot on the line, but they are professionals and there just can't be that many options in the bag from certain distances.
Frankly, I'm amazed at the amount of time these pros take to make a shot, and all of the back-and-forth between them and their caddie. I get that there's a lot on the line, but they are professionals and there just can't be that many options in the bag from certain distances.
Yeah, but it's not just distances, there are a ton of variables to consider when playing a shot at that level. Wind speed and direction, pin placement(changes everyday in a tournament), greens-they might have been soft and wet on a thursday, are they dry and fast now? If so, where do you want to land it and at what trajectory? Are you contending in the tournament, do you need to make up ground and be aggressive? Are you simply holding onto a lead and need to know where you "bail out" is if you have a bad swing? What did your opponent(s) score. Where are the places you simply cannot miss without sacrificing the tournament in one swing? Have you been fighting something in your swing all day, maybe over-drawing it? Maybe grab more club and try to baby-fade it up to the green. So on and so on.
Nicklaus (a fairly good stick) said about caddies “show up and shut up.”
Show up, Keep up, and Shut up is the full quote and it has been the caddies creed for many years. Probably long before Nicklaus teed it up.
Many of today's players want a committee to make decisions on the course. When you watch Spieth and Greller discussing the infinite possibilities of the shot you have to wonder if that can be paralyzing to the player.
from what I can tell, this is the norm today. The caddie is now a big part of the player. I do agree that over analysis can lead to bad things. I've see a couple of caddies always parting with the words "OK, now just commit to the shot". Meaning, club selection and strategy is over, now perform.
Hes 7th in FedEx cup points and one of the very best golfers in the world today or ever, yeah, he should definitely button it with his caddie and change methodology.
He just spent the last few years in golf purgatory. He went from 2nd in 2017 to 17 then 44 and ended last year at 82 in the world golf rankings. During those three years he only had 12 top 10's in 69 starts. Add to that his 16 missed cuts and you can see that he was searching. He has found his game again in 2021 and looks to be climbing again.
I like Spieth. He shows his emotions after a shot. Plus his relationship with his sister who I believe has Down’s syndrome is heart warming. I’m glad he’s back in the game. Next it will be Ricky Fowler’s turn to make a comeback. Spieth, Jason Day, Ricky Fowler, and Justin Thomas all came up together and it would be good for golf for them all to have them all competing at a high level again.
Last edited:
I like him too but he's got a problem with Sundays. He's going to have to fix that problem.
Its great to see this many fans of the LPGA, BTW. I am surprised the LPGA is getting this much traction on this board.
Yeah, golf games tend to go up and down, took Phil 12 years of being a top player to win a major. irrespective of that, Spieth is a hall of fame golfer at 27 that likes to really talk through his shots. Surly you wouldn't suggest he spends less time discussing these things with his caddie? Or more foundational to your point, you don't think the increased dialogue has resulted in Speith being "paralyzed" over the years?
I just love golf and have really taken to it the last 5-7 years. I used to hate watching golf, thought it was boring, now that I play, I can't get enough. I agree with a previous poster that I learn the most about the swing from the womens game. The men are just so powerful and such explosive athletes with unreal flexibility, most of us amateurs can't relate. The women seem so free swinging and methodical. I need to be more like them.
I go to to the Shoprite Classic every year at the shore. For those interested it’s a very fan friendly event. Admission is free with a Shoprite card, or just $15 without one. No advance purchase is required. Parking is offsite for $5 and they shuttle you back and forth on school buses The players are very accessible. You can stand about 5 feet away from the best in the world on the tee boxes and listen in on their conversations and get a sense of their personality.. You can also sit in bleachers around greens on some holes. Two things I’ve noticed: 1 their equipment is impeccable and often their attire matches the golf bag or head covers. 2. They always hit it right on the screws. That’s how these small Asian players put it out there 270 yards. They never seem to miss hit a shot. Finally they all go to an autograph area after 18 to sign stuff for a lot of the little girls who are fans. They are very approachable. This year the event is being held in September.
The last time I was there - 2 years ago, I was walkng down a cart path alone to change my watching position from one hole to another and I see this really attractive woman wearing a black and pink golf outfit walking down the path towards me. After she passed, she went over towards the rough and a caddy apoeared. It was Paula Creamer who is absolutely gorgeous. I stopped and waited for her to hit her shot, wished her luck, and then continued on.
FWIW, Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie seem to draw big galleries that follow them around the course. I prefer to stay stationary and watch several groups, switching holes occasionally. There is one spot where you can stand between the 9 th tee and the 12th green and watch them both.
Last edited:
The Senior Tour has a stop at Firestone and is really going all out to get fans. They are opening the gates at 4pm and having some concerts, a kid zone and food trucks. I can see the LPGA doing this to gain fans as well.
They do some of that now - free food, drinks like power bars and sports drinks, and other stuff from the sponsors tents which line the entrance plus free sun cream stations to prevent sunburns.
I think I may know one reason. Google "PGA players in swimsuits" and see what comes back. Even Google thinks you made a mistake in typing.
Actually I think it may be just the opposite for Jordan. Heard an exchange between him and Greller a couple years ago. Spier hit it right (surprise) and he had a tree and creek in front of him. Jordan tells Greller he thinks he can cut a 4 iron and get it on the green. Greller says okay if that’s what you want to do but you are a good wedge player. That discussion happens a couple times and finally Spieth punches it out on the fairway, hits a wedge to about 10 feet and makes it for par. The commentator mentioned that this is an example of good caddie/player interaction in that Greller never told Jordan to punch it out but kept suggesting it until Jordan adopted it as essentially his idea.
An aside, one of my best friend's son Monday qualified for the PGA event in SC this weekend (will be his first tour event). Won an 8-way playoff for the last spot. He was All-B1G at IU. Parents couldn't get in the car fast enough to drive up there to watch. Proud of him, as I've watched how hard he has worked over the years. It ain't easy. In fact, it's damn hard.
Last edited:
Damn hard, I agree.
I know a guy who won the BIG by 11 strokes back in his senior year at O$U. Currently plays on one of the minor tours, gets into PGA events once in a while by qualifying or getting a sponsor's exemption. Don't think he has ever made the cut in a PGA event yet.
Trying to help.
smh. Flags all over the field.
I think its Paula in the polka dots ...
Katie Futcher used to be exempt for a year or two. No longer. I think she works for the Emory PGM Program or coaches somewhere now.
Kevin Foley got onto the big tour in 2014 but finished outside of the top 125 and didn't make the finals in the Web.com tour that year either. I think Cole Miller was another that spent time on Web.com/Korn Ferry. I am not sure about any others.
