Where's Rory ???

[SurfDuffer]

[quote name='redfirebird08' timestamp='1368703179' post='7045760']
[quote name='SurfDuffer' timestamp='1368702509' post='7045736']
He sure won't be #1 in the world again any time soon......if ever.
[/quote]

I don't think he likes the scrutiny of being in that spot, so he is right where he wants to be. He can lay low and just focus on playing good golf.
[/quote]

That's just a silly thing to say.

[redfirebird08]

[quote name='SurfDuffer' timestamp='1368704025' post='7045816']
[quote name='redfirebird08' timestamp='1368703179' post='7045760']
[quote name='SurfDuffer' timestamp='1368702509' post='7045736']
He sure won't be #1 in the world again any time soon......if ever.
[/quote]

I don't think he likes the scrutiny of being in that spot, so he is right where he wants to be. He can lay low and just focus on playing good golf.
[/quote]

That's just a silly thing to say.
[/quote]

No it isn't. Right now he isn't dealing with the kind of questions he was earlier in the year when he was #1 and struggling with his game. He's playing better, so that is part of it. But he's also not #1 anymore, so there is reduced scrutiny. He is a phenomenal talent and knows he is capable of running away from fields when he puts everything together, so the world ranking is just a number.

[SurfDuffer]

Bet he just loves being #2. Yea right. Wonder what your excuse will be when he drop down to 3, 4 or 5 by the end of this season.

[GC70]

[quote name='SurfDuffer' timestamp='1368708011' post='7046082']
Bet he just loves being #2. Yea right. Wonder what your excuse will be when he drop down to 3, 4 or 5 by the end of this season.
[/quote]
Who's going to pass him up? If he keeps making top 10's someone below him will have to get 2 wins in big tournaments.

[dudewheresmypar]

[quote name='ThominOH' timestamp='1368694092' post='7045548']
According to the Tiger fans, Rory who? He can't win, Tiger owns the rest of the schedule.. lol But I would still be surprised to see Rory win this year after all his changes to Nike.. He just hasn't shown enough consistency and I'm not sure what to make of that.. Was his 2011 and 2012 seasons just a fluke? If they weren't he'll be back in 2014 with vengeance with 5+ wins and a major or two..
[/quote]

I think he's incredibly consistent. Ballstriking consistently great. Putting consistently shaky. He needs to turn the latter around and he'll be fine.

[svccmember]

[quote name='bobfoster' timestamp='1368666978' post='7044080']
[quote name='rafer11' timestamp='1368631337' post='7040394']
7th in Driving Distance

5th in GIR

93rd in putting

Another thing people forget is that Rory is not Tiger. When Tiger was 'gone' from winning in the golf world for a period of time... the media was looking to anoint a new comer. They needed someone to fill Tiger's shoes. However, that doesn't make you Tiger. The expectations put him are unrealistically high.
[/quote]

+1.

He's Rory ... not the "next Tiger".

I'm afraid Tiger has set the bar so ridiculously high that Rory is getting hurt by just being a great golfer. The dude has played 8 events this year, made the cut in 7, top 10 in four of them. 28th on the FedEx. That (on the whole) is a pretty great (consistent) record.

The problem is that (as it is with so many great golfers) he is playing in the Tiger era. Tiger's had a bunch of physical/psychological/pr issues for a few years ... but he's now apparently back. 7 starts, 5 top ten finishes ... 4 [i]wins[/i]?

Seriously ... the best in the world win 2 or 3 times a year ... I cannot remember any golfer ever (having watched golf for several decades) winning OVER 50% of the tourneys he enters. That's just sick.

[Parenthetically ... it doesn't seem like Tiger cares about anything other than Majors anymore ... but it is likely that this year or next year he'll surpass Sam Snead for most tourneys won ... which is pretty astounding].

Rory is a great kid, and has a fantastic game ... and IMO he is sort of like Phil ... if Tiger didn't exist ... they'd be the best of their generation.
[/quote]

Rory took the money, junked his scoring clubs (putter/wedges). Up to the last tournament its been Tiger's putter that did the winning. It took Steve Stricker to figure out that POS Nike Method for Tiger and 2 years of bad putting for Tiger until then. Stricker ain't helping Rory. No one remembers what happen to Payne Stewart when he changed gear.

As long as Rory plays the Nike putter he's screwed.

[GC70]

Really!!

[tadams1975]

[sup][size=4]Personally, I do not think his head is in the right place right now. He has too much going on outside of his golf game with all the appearances, promotions, and commercials for Nike, jet setting with his girlfriend to her tennis matches, and the adjustment period of new equipment.[/size][/sup]

[sup][size=4]I just don't see that competitive fire in him like the last two years. The one thing he said this year that really struck me funny was his comment at the presser prior to the Players. He made mention on how much it had rained at the Players prior to the tournament and he was excited that the conditions would be soft. Turns out they were not, and turns out other than his Thursday round he was not even a factor.[/size][/sup]

[mukster]

[quote name='svccmember' timestamp='1368714843' post='7046724']
[quote name='bobfoster' timestamp='1368666978' post='7044080']
[quote name='rafer11' timestamp='1368631337' post='7040394']
7th in Driving Distance

5th in GIR

93rd in putting

Another thing people forget is that Rory is not Tiger. When Tiger was 'gone' from winning in the golf world for a period of time... the media was looking to anoint a new comer. They needed someone to fill Tiger's shoes. However, that doesn't make you Tiger. The expectations put him are unrealistically high.
[/quote]

+1.

He's Rory ... not the "next Tiger".

I'm afraid Tiger has set the bar so ridiculously high that Rory is getting hurt by just being a great golfer. The dude has played 8 events this year, made the cut in 7, top 10 in four of them. 28th on the FedEx. That (on the whole) is a pretty great (consistent) record.

The problem is that (as it is with so many great golfers) he is playing in the Tiger era. Tiger's had a bunch of physical/psychological/pr issues for a few years ... but he's now apparently back. 7 starts, 5 top ten finishes ... 4 [i]wins[/i]?

Seriously ... the best in the world win 2 or 3 times a year ... I cannot remember any golfer ever (having watched golf for several decades) winning OVER 50% of the tourneys he enters. That's just sick.

[Parenthetically ... it doesn't seem like Tiger cares about anything other than Majors anymore ... but it is likely that this year or next year he'll surpass Sam Snead for most tourneys won ... which is pretty astounding].

Rory is a great kid, and has a fantastic game ... and IMO he is sort of like Phil ... if Tiger didn't exist ... they'd be the best of their generation.
[/quote]

Rory took the money, junked his scoring clubs (putter/wedges). Up to the last tournament its been Tiger's putter that did the winning. It took Steve Stricker to figure out that POS Nike Method for Tiger and 2 years of bad putting for Tiger until then. Stricker ain't helping Rory. No one remembers what happen to Payne Stewart when he changed gear.

As long as Rory plays the Nike putter he's screwed.
[/quote]

okay

[rafer11]

[quote name='tadams1975' timestamp='1368715539' post='7046792']
[sup][size=4]Personally, I do not think his head is in the right place right now. He has too much going on outside of his golf game with all the appearances, promotions, and commercials for Nike, jet setting with his girlfriend to her tennis matches, and the adjustment period of new equipment.[/size][/sup]

[sup][size=4]I just don't see that competitive fire in him like the last two years. The one thing he said this year that really struck me funny was his comment at the presser prior to the Players. He made mention on how much it had rained at the Players prior to the tournament and he was excited that the conditions would be soft. Turns out they were not, and turns out other than his Thursday round he was not even a factor.[/size][/sup]
[/quote]

I realize Rory is extremely talented, but IMO... only on certain golf courses. Nay... certain golf conditions.

The flood at the 2011 US Open @ Congressional is on the far left side, whereas a 2013 US Open @ Olympic or 2008 US Open @ Torrey would be the far right side.

Anything on the far left really suits his game. Anything on the far right does not.

Anything on the far left, really wet soft conditions, where the greens are like marshmallows... allow players to whatever their preferred shot shape is. With a marshmallow green you can hit a low stinging draw, or a high soft fade... whatever you want. And it will stick and holds it's spot.

Anything on the far right, really dry firm conditions, where the greens are like a rock... force players to play what the golf course asks of them. If you have a green that slopes severely upwards from left to right... a fade is going to hold the green better than a draw.

When people say "Rory is a great ball striker" that's a bit off. I'd say he's a "consistent ball striker". He plays the high draw extremely well, and if the conditions are soft his accuracy with that one shape are going to propel him over the majority of most fields. But if the course is so firm that it asks you to play a certain shot... that's not Rory's ball game. Rory is not a "I can play the 9 ball flights" type of ball striker.

[bepo]

[quote name='svccmember' timestamp='1368714843' post='7046724']
Rory took the money, junked his scoring clubs (putter/wedges). Up to the last tournament its been Tiger's putter that did the winning. It took Steve Stricker to figure out that POS Nike Method for Tiger and 2 years of bad putting for Tiger until then. Stricker ain't helping Rory. No one remembers what happen to Payne Stewart when he changed gear.

As long as Rory plays the Nike putter he's screwed.
[/quote]
Do you even play golf? A putter is a flat piece of metal that you hit the ball with. Anyone who struggles after changing to a similar type putter probably doesn't have the mental fortitude to be a professional in the first place. Rory was an average putter before and he's still an average putter. Steve Stricker didn't "figure out" Tiger's putter, he improved his technique.

[tadams1975]

[quote name='rafer11' timestamp='1368719160' post='7047204']
[quote name='tadams1975' timestamp='1368715539' post='7046792']
[sup][size=4]Personally, I do not think his head is in the right place right now. He has too much going on outside of his golf game with all the appearances, promotions, and commercials for Nike, jet setting with his girlfriend to her tennis matches, and the adjustment period of new equipment.[/size][/sup]

[sup][size=4]I just don't see that competitive fire in him like the last two years. The one thing he said this year that really struck me funny was his comment at the presser prior to the Players. He made mention on how much it had rained at the Players prior to the tournament and he was excited that the conditions would be soft. Turns out they were not, and turns out other than his Thursday round he was not even a factor.[/size][/sup]
[/quote]

I realize Rory is extremely talented, but IMO... only on certain golf courses. Nay... certain golf conditions.

The flood at the 2011 US Open @ Congressional is on the far left side, whereas a 2013 US Open @ Olympic or 2008 US Open [b]@ Torrey would be the far right side.[/b]

Anything on the far left really suits his game. Anything on the far right does not.

Anything on the far left, really wet soft conditions, where the greens are like marshmallows... allow players to whatever their preferred shot shape is. With a marshmallow green you can hit a low stinging draw, or a high soft fade... whatever you want. And it will stick and holds it's spot.

Anything on the far right, really dry firm conditions, where the greens are like a rock... force players to play what the golf course asks of them. If you have a green that slopes severely upwards from left to right... a fade is going to hold the green better than a draw.

When people say "Rory is a great ball striker" that's a bit off. I'd say he's a "consistent ball striker". He plays the high draw extremely well, and if the conditions are soft his accuracy with that one shape are going to propel him over the majority of most fields. But if the course is so firm that it asks you to play a certain shot... that's not Rory's ball game. Rory is not a "I can play the 9 ball flights" type of ball striker.
[/quote]

Tend to agree with this except, Rocco plays a high draw all the time, and look what he did at Torrey in 2008. I think it is more of Rory just does not perform well on hard fast courses with hard and fast greens that require more shot making abilities. Other than his near win at the Masters, I do not feel he putts well on fast greens either. However I tend to agree that he is more of a streaky player when his putter is hot and he can go on some really nice runs when it is.

[tadams1975]

[quote name='bepo' timestamp='1368719760' post='7047290']
[quote name='svccmember' timestamp='1368714843' post='7046724']
Rory took the money, junked his scoring clubs (putter/wedges). Up to the last tournament its been Tiger's putter that did the winning. It took Steve Stricker to figure out that POS Nike Method for Tiger and 2 years of bad putting for Tiger until then. Stricker ain't helping Rory. No one remembers what happen to Payne Stewart when he changed gear.

As long as Rory plays the Nike putter he's screwed.
[/quote]
Do you even play golf? A putter is a flat piece of metal that you hit the ball with. Anyone who struggles after changing to a similar type putter probably doesn't have the mental fortitude to be a professional in the first place. Rory was an average putter before and he's still an average putter. Steve Stricker didn't "figure out" Tiger's putter, he improved his technique.
[/quote]

+1!!!!!!!!

[legitimategolf]

A lot of you are still thinking it's Titleist Rory. That's the Rory you love and grew up with. Congressional Rory, Honda Classic Rory, Kiawah Island Rory--you love that Rory. I do too. But if Nike Rory walks through that door, he will kill Titleist Rory. A Rory divided against itself cannot stand.

[Playaway]

[quote name='puttingmatt' timestamp='1368621677' post='7039200']
Have not seen any wins from Ror's for this year,
What is up with that ???
[/quote]

Where is he? Right where he wants to be, I assume. With all that talent, he can turn it on whenever he wants.

I guess he's choosing to be distracted with some issue or thing. Rest assured, if and when he wants to win he will; anywhere, anytime, any field and any place.

[rafer11]

[quote name='Playaway' timestamp='1368740384' post='7049646']
[quote name='puttingmatt' timestamp='1368621677' post='7039200']
Have not seen any wins from Ror's for this year,
What is up with that ???
[/quote]

Where is he? Right where he wants to be, I assume. With all that talent, he can turn it on whenever he wants.

I guess he's choosing to be distracted with some issue or thing. [b] Rest assured, if and when he wants to win he will; anywhere, anytime, any field and any place.[/b]
[/quote]

This is why he takes so much heat as young golfer. People are trying to impose Tiger's ability onto him, looking for the next Tiger, as opposed to letting him be himself.

That being said, Rory will fine. Tons of talent, young and already a Major winner. He's doesn't have the monkey on his back like Westwood. He'll contend in some Majors sooner than later.

[imakaveli]

He is training to win the 4 playoffs events without winning the FedEx Cup

[jmvargas]

let's give the guy a break...

he's only 24 and has a super bright future barring unforeseen circumstances..

he's enjoying the moment and probably biding his time..

admittedly he has been thrust into the limelight perhaps a bit too early and may not have the focus of a Tiger at a similar age but hey!..i doubt if any of us wouldn't want to be in his place right now..

[Playaway]

[quote name='rafer11' timestamp='1368742432' post='7049828']
[quote name='Playaway' timestamp='1368740384' post='7049646']
[quote name='puttingmatt' timestamp='1368621677' post='7039200']
Have not seen any wins from Ror's for this year,
What is up with that ???
[/quote]

Where is he? Right where he wants to be, I assume. With all that talent, he can turn it on whenever he wants.

I guess he's choosing to be distracted with some issue or thing. [b] Rest assured, if and when he wants to win he will; anywhere, anytime, any field and any place.[/b]
[/quote]

This is why he takes so much heat as young golfer. People are trying to impose Tiger's ability onto him, looking for the next Tiger, as opposed to letting him be himself.

That being said, Rory will fine. Tons of talent, young and already a Major winner. He's doesn't have the monkey on his back like Westwood. He'll contend in some Majors sooner than later.
[/quote]

I don't think he is behind Tiger in "ability". I just think Rory's quest for greatness is not as keen as Tiger's. It was like Tiger had/has something to prove. Rory seems fine with where he is at. It is like Rory wants to win because "people want him to win", not because he wants it from inside. Not like Tiger seems to want it.

The primary difference I see between them is drive. Tiger has the most of any player in history, with the possible exception of Mr. Hogan. Rory appears to have the least amount of drive, IMHO, than any of the great players over the past few decades. JMHO.

[rafer11]

[quote name='Playaway' timestamp='1368802638' post='7053442']
[quote name='rafer11' timestamp='1368742432' post='7049828']
[quote name='Playaway' timestamp='1368740384' post='7049646']
[quote name='puttingmatt' timestamp='1368621677' post='7039200']
Have not seen any wins from Ror's for this year,
What is up with that ???
[/quote]

Where is he? Right where he wants to be, I assume. With all that talent, he can turn it on whenever he wants.

I guess he's choosing to be distracted with some issue or thing. [b] Rest assured, if and when he wants to win he will; anywhere, anytime, any field and any place.[/b]
[/quote]

This is why he takes so much heat as young golfer. People are trying to impose Tiger's ability onto him, looking for the next Tiger, as opposed to letting him be himself.

That being said, Rory will fine. Tons of talent, young and already a Major winner. He's doesn't have the monkey on his back like Westwood. He'll contend in some Majors sooner than later.
[/quote]

I don't think he is behind Tiger in "ability". I just think Rory's quest for greatness is not as keen as Tiger's. It was like Tiger had/has something to prove. Rory seems fine with where he is at. It is like Rory wants to win because "people want him to win", not because he wants it from inside. Not like Tiger seems to want it.

The primary difference I see between them is drive. Tiger has the most of any player in history, with the possible exception of Mr. Hogan. Rory appears to have the least amount of drive, IMHO, than any of the great players over the past few decades. JMHO.
[/quote]

Yup, I'll buy that. Like I said in the Tiger vs Rory thread... if they played 1000 matches... it would likely be damn close. But to ask the question "IF both guys were on their A game... who would win". Dumb question. It's pshychology 101 that everyone and their dogs thinks they COULD have done amazing things IF THEY WANTED TO. What matters is... who is actually consistently doing it. That's what makes a champion. Not asking what would happen if everyone in the PGA were at their potential... who would win.

That's like saying... if we could go back and do the 1975 Mr Olympia and both Schwarzenegger and Ferrigno were at their A game potential... who would have won. Potential is not the point. Ferrigno over structure had the potential to destroy Arnold, but that's not the way it went down. Consistency, drive, greater worth ethic, that what makes champions.

Hell, there's 100's of GOLF WRXer's on here with loads of potential... but are they doing anything with it?