2020 PGA Championship: Glory's Only Shot

[MattyO1984]

I saw that this morning, what an absolute joke!

[cardoustie]

The article on Harding Park on pgatour.com is awesome, learned some cool stuff

[smashdn]

So it is a muni and a TPC? Are there any others?

 

"...and the two par-5s both measure over 560 yards."

Driver - five iron.

[KRAMER1997]

The app absolutely sucks

[Smada962]

I put down $20 on Morikawa at 35-1 and $20 on JT at 16-1 when I was in Vegas about a month ago, so that's who I'll be rooting for :)

 

[Darth Putter]

 

Highs in the upper 60s all week with partly sunny conditions.

Better news, winds forecast to be 15mph all four days.

 

Today;s forecast is 64 chance of rain and a Small Craft Advisory with 20-30 mph winds. That's weather for proper golf.

 

[ThinkingPlus]

And folks are talking TW for the win. LOL. The bet should be when does his back lock up.

[mocokid]

Better question, how does TW play with temps in the 60's? I guess with 10+ MPH winds the wind chill is like 60*.

[jwhite86]

Not the best conditions for Cat... especially in the morning... going to take some work to get the back feeling good this week

[Sanfran328]

I live a couple of miles from Harding Park in the Sunset district and have played it many times. Mornings typically start off with temps in the high 50’s with heavy, damp fog. As I’m looking outside this morning, it’s dripping wet. With the usual wind, it feels colder. I often drive to Marin or the East Bay to find some warmer temps and sunshine when I play.

 

Even under public playing conditions the rough can be very penal. I’m sure it will be brutal under tournament conditions. I think the winner might be one of the guys who hits a lot of fairways.

[smashdn]

Two short and only two par fives. He is on record (somewhere I read it) that he doesn't think he does well on courses that only have two par fives as it lessens his opportunities to be under par.

 

 

Does anybody have a picture of the 336 "driveable" par 4? There is no hole by hole of Harding Park on GCA.

[Seidinho]

I’ve played there recently and the rough is absolutely brutal. Thick, long, hard. I know that obviously I’m not a pro, but the lies you get in there are ridiculous. Plus, totally mess up approach shots - come out without spin.

 

JT played the finishing stretch basically from other fairways. I'd be shocked if he was in the running for this one.

[Cousin]

I can attest to the weather for the tournament. Yesterday was nice on the coast for a few hours, but it has been overcast and cold for about a month now. I have played Harding a few times and it is really well maintained for the price you pay being local, but I struggle to see it as a Major tournament venue. I haven't played recently but I can assume they will make the rough very penal as Seidinho said. I played near the time the 2015 WGC was there and if you weren't in the fairway, forget it. I think fairways is key this week.

[jmck]

Yeah, sets up for a straight driver of the ball more than most majors IMO. Webb Simpson, Morikawa, Kisner, Ancer, maybe even Jim Furyk coming off a win on the senior circuit--that'd be a heck of a story. Anyway, someone like that. If one of the bombers is going to win it they're going to need to drive it a lot better than JT did on Sunday.

[bscinstnct]

 

I think it’s setting up for Bk to 3-peat the PGA Champ

 

[3whacker]

I have lived in the Bay Area and played golf there, until one plays at sea level and sees just how much the air/temp conditions limit ball flight you won't believe it. I think Harding will play just like Olympic, no poa anna in the greens, but I think it favors someone from the west coast. If TW back allows him to he might be in the conversation, but I look at someone like Morikawa who went to school just a few miles away and should know the course well..I also think JS will be in the mix just because he seems to get himself up for the majors, but I also picture him breaking all of our hearts for those of us who pull for him. Would not surprise me to see some sectional PGA pro from NoCal show up on the leader board thru two rounds

[Lark]

All New York State residents get the resident rate at Bethpage. It isn't just a public course, but a government owned course. That's a big difference from Kiawah.

[smashdn]

I'll pull for Furyk. Would be a great story.

[bscinstnct]

Tiger say,

 

”I feel good. I haven’t been playing much competitively...but I’ve been playing a lot at home”

 

???

[Lark]

The course seems to set up well for his game. If his putter is on he can do it.

[geakins]

Watching Golf Channel live today it showed Tiger on the practice putting green. When took off the head-cover off the putter, it looked to be Excalibur, but then I noticed the two round weights on the toe and heel like Scotty usually does. I don’t know if they added them to his old faithful or if he finally decided to get a refresh of an old classic. I’m sure the more informed can clarify. I spent several minutes pausing and going frame by frame to make sure I wasn’t seeing things ?

[Guest]

The last four holes his swing on the tee shots very visibly deserted him, which is obviously a concern in and of itself. Prior to the 15th though he’d been absolutely smoking his tee shots all day. Tee shot on the first was just in the first cut and after that he hit it down the middle of the next 9 fairways. On the week he was T12 on driving accuracy so he’s hitting it straighter than most right now. Winning back to back is always tough though, obviously.

 

Quite interested to see just how tight this course plays, how punishing the rough is and how firm the greens are. Does feel like a bit of an old school US Open might be brewing, though the PGA usually doesn’t let their greens get to those extremes.

[Pepe8714]

Does anyone know if you can rewatch the ESPN+ coverage after it’s aired, similar to PGA Tour Live?

 

 

[bscinstnct]

Kieth Mitchell caddie sportin the Covid beard

 

[Cousin]

Not sure they could get the greens that fast if they tried. Usually a rainy mist overnight and in the mornings lately, so greens might be pretty receptive.

[grm24]

Tiger did the same thing at the Open Championship last year. It's a different Cameron that is heavier than his gamer. British Open: Tiger Woods practicing with two putters at Royal Portrush

[Guest]

Yeah I doubt they’d want that anyway, as long as they can get them firm enough to reject shots from the rough that’ll hopefully give these guys a stern challenge.

 

Any thoughts what sort of winning score we might be looking at?

[tw_focus]

TW won at Pebble multiple times. SF weather is similar to Pebble, windy and chilly (for summer). Not a problem for TW, he can work it low under the wind, hold up shots in the wind, etc. Best iron player in the history of the game.

If anything I think the cooler weather is an advantage for TW, he overheats sometimes when it's hot + humid, as we have seen with the shirt changes.

[Drewsky34]

apparently he has to stretch for like 4 hours pre round when it’s this cold but since it’s a major hopefully he doesn’t mind and will pop an Advil or something every morning.

[tbowles411]

If it's anything like my back, like 3 or 4 Advil...