Brooks Koepka and the final hole

[Golfjack]

So if Brooks Koepka played like us amateurs who like to risk it all to hit a green in two (not to mention he hit 3 wood off the tee, already a conservative play no matter how far it went) you think he would have broke the record? The key to scoring lower is to risk it all all the time? I'm surprised Mickelson doesn't win it every time he tees it up. Instead he just needs to get lucky every time. Do you see a pattern there? Playing for a birdie on a par 5 isn't that conservative when it's 663 from the black tees. I'm not sure what they were playing from. So 370 drive I'm guess downhill etc with a 290 approach shot even Koepka would had to have smashed it with precision and the 3rd shot was basically a bad result from the right approach. The shape of the hole also makes it very difficult to get on in two with it dog legging to the left and Koepka was nowhere near the dogleg. Short of the green was the crazy fescue and bunkers waiting. Any sane (smart, and not to mention very good at golf) person would play it as a 3 on hole.

 

everyone hit 3 wood off that Tee... it wasnt a layup move from the tee.. Rickie went 3 wood 3 iron into that green... justin thomas the day before went 3 wood 3 wood... driver brings the second set of bunkers into play on the right ...

Wow yeah it just looks very difficult to get on in two but well these guys are good.

[Santiago Golf]

This basically the same thread as when Spieth missed a 1 foot par on 18 at the Masters to break Tiger's record. It looked like he pretty much missed it on purpose

[widow-maker]

So if Brooks Koepka played like us amateurs who like to risk it all to hit a green in two (not to mention he hit 3 wood off the tee, already a conservative play no matter how far it went) you think he would have broke the record? The key to scoring lower is to risk it all all the time? I'm surprised Mickelson doesn't win it every time he tees it up. Instead he just needs to get lucky every time. Do you see a pattern there? Playing for a birdie on a par 5 isn't that conservative when it's 663 from the black tees. I'm not sure what they were playing from. So 370 drive I'm guess downhill etc with a 290 approach shot even Koepka would had to have smashed it with precision and the 3rd shot was basically a bad result from the right approach. The shape of the hole also makes it very difficult to get on in two with it dog legging to the left and Koepka was nowhere near the dogleg. Short of the green was the crazy fescue and bunkers waiting. Any sane (smart, and not to mention very good at golf) person would play it as a 3 on hole.

 

everyone hit 3 wood off that Tee... it wasnt a layup move from the tee.. Rickie went 3 wood 3 iron into that green... justin thomas the day before went 3 wood 3 wood... driver brings the second set of bunkers into play on the right ...

If you look at the picture of the hole, he hit his 2nd shot to the right of the bunkers which is the fat part of the fairway. Why wouldn't you hit it there if you're up by 3-4 shots? If he aims at the green he brings all of the trouble short and left into play and the back of the green had a severe runout. He made the smart play. Going for the green in that situation would have been a stupid play when par comfortably makes you a winner.

[bladehunter]

So if Brooks Koepka played like us amateurs who like to risk it all to hit a green in two (not to mention he hit 3 wood off the tee, already a conservative play no matter how far it went) you think he would have broke the record? The key to scoring lower is to risk it all all the time? I'm surprised Mickelson doesn't win it every time he tees it up. Instead he just needs to get lucky every time. Do you see a pattern there? Playing for a birdie on a par 5 isn't that conservative when it's 663 from the black tees. I'm not sure what they were playing from. So 370 drive I'm guess downhill etc with a 290 approach shot even Koepka would had to have smashed it with precision and the 3rd shot was basically a bad result from the right approach. The shape of the hole also makes it very difficult to get on in two with it dog legging to the left and Koepka was nowhere near the dogleg. Short of the green was the crazy fescue and bunkers waiting. Any sane (smart, and not to mention very good at golf) person would play it as a 3 on hole.

 

everyone hit 3 wood off that Tee... it wasnt a layup move from the tee.. Rickie went 3 wood 3 iron into that green... justin thomas the day before went 3 wood 3 wood... driver brings the second set of bunkers into play on the right ...

Wow yeah it just looks very difficult to get on in two but well these guys are good.

 

 

yea... im not sure about yardage accuracy on that hole myself..even with the dogleg accounted for ... and i wasnt meaning that i thought he made the wrong choice necesarliy by not going all at it .. But just wanted to point out it played much much shorter than 680.. was probably playing 560ish ..... Koepkas 3 wood off the tee rolled out some 350 plus yards... so either the air is thin, or it was pretty downhill... or both

[bladehunter]

So if Brooks Koepka played like us amateurs who like to risk it all to hit a green in two (not to mention he hit 3 wood off the tee, already a conservative play no matter how far it went) you think he would have broke the record? The key to scoring lower is to risk it all all the time? I'm surprised Mickelson doesn't win it every time he tees it up. Instead he just needs to get lucky every time. Do you see a pattern there? Playing for a birdie on a par 5 isn't that conservative when it's 663 from the black tees. I'm not sure what they were playing from. So 370 drive I'm guess downhill etc with a 290 approach shot even Koepka would had to have smashed it with precision and the 3rd shot was basically a bad result from the right approach. The shape of the hole also makes it very difficult to get on in two with it dog legging to the left and Koepka was nowhere near the dogleg. Short of the green was the crazy fescue and bunkers waiting. Any sane (smart, and not to mention very good at golf) person would play it as a 3 on hole.

 

everyone hit 3 wood off that Tee... it wasnt a layup move from the tee.. Rickie went 3 wood 3 iron into that green... justin thomas the day before went 3 wood 3 wood... driver brings the second set of bunkers into play on the right ...

If you look at the picture of the hole, he hit his 2nd shot to the right of the bunkers which is the fat part of the fairway. Why wouldn't you hit it there if you're up by 3-4 shots? If he aims at the green he brings all of the trouble short and left into play and the back of the green had a severe runout. He made the smart play. Going for the green in that situation would have been a stupid play when par comfortably makes you a winner.

 

 

 

i dont know.. I personally think he was going at the green and mishit it a touch.. if you watch the replay it hit almost on the front edge and rolled back nearly into the skinny bunker .. i think he caught it heavy and was smart enough to habe aimed right so the miss was serviceable ( barely)

[Noke]

Didn't make me happy or unhappy, just thought it was kind of lacking that he laid up so to speak. If he was wanting to play safe and not shoot himself in the foot and blow the lead, why rear back and fire a 370+ yd drive. There was another thread that mentioned that the new breed of players (Rickie Fowler in particular), does not seem to have that killer instinct that so many attribute to the likes of Jack, Tiger, Arnie and Hogan. As has been pointed out, several times in the Erin Hills threads, the lack of green side trouble was none existent, so what trouble could he have gotten into by not going for it in 2. I don't honestly know if he didn't go for it, for he came up about 20 yds short. He either hit it weak or perhaps just backed off on the shot. Regardless, that 3rd shot was not a thing of beauty and just barely stayed up past the sloped front. The main reason for this post was to ask about that go for the throat mentality, that folks have elluded to in other threads and it does look like it was missing.

 

I've been in that situation with 2 holes left.

 

Been there my self, but standing in the fairway, after a monster drive with 3 strokes up and no real trouble to encounter is totally different than 2 holes left and need to play safe. Although, every time I do try to play safe, I usually screw it up.........

 

I'll tell ya what else is 'none existent', if'n you know to what I am 'elluding'.

[Burt Chance]

Remember when DJ went for the kill in 2015 instead of playing for a playoff? That worked out well.

[Potatohead]

I guess the OP has never heard of Jean Van de Velde.

[grm24]

Remember when DJ went for the kill in 2015 instead of playing for a playoff? That worked out well.

Did you actually watch it? Based on your post I doubt it as DJ hit his 2nd shot to 12 feet for eagle. What was wrong with that shot?

[Dicka]

I've been in that situation with 2 holes left. It's not as easy as you think to keep the pedal down. At least he didn't blow it like I did.

 

Nice...a major champion on GolfWRX.

[Jordan J. Caron]

I don't remember him laying up...that was just the collection area short of the green, that he went for...I don't see the issue

 

He did go for it. Hit a club that would land on the front which was smart as it took long out of play. Long was X there. He just left the second out to the right and it got a soft bounce.

[rangersgoalie]

I think after 71 holes of going for the throat, maybe he just decided to go for the win.

Jack was a little less go for the throat than people think. He, and Tiger for that matter, often times were on the conservative side, letting other players make the mistakes especially in final rounds.

 

I seem to Remember Jack chipping out of the rough on 18 one year in a US Open and playing for bogey, saying he only needed bogey to win the tournament??

I can't find it, but it rings a bell?

[playa]

If I was playing EA Sports, I would have gone for the record. If I was Koepka, I would have played for a safe bogey.

[Splitter]

I don't have enough ROTFLMFAO for the OP

 

Headed to the store to find some.

[Golfjack]

I don't have enough ROTFLMFAO for the OP

 

Headed to the store to find some.

Heads straight for the liquor aisle. :crazy:

[Dave230]

The whole left of the green is hay, showed how risky the shot was when Thomas hit the brilliant 3 wood on Saturday. It's obviously within range for Koepka but if he duck hooks it into the hay, any score is in play, even with a 3 shot lead. Not an expert on Koepka but I've seen him hit a few hooks before. With nerves, fully understandable to not take it on.

[cwglum]

van de Velde sure thought he finished it off nicely :taunt:

[sefus12]

The guy missed like zero greens all week and did everything short of tie Erin Hills to a chair, tell it to wait for Z to arrive, and violate it.

 

LOL, Wins US Open comfortably, lacks "killer instinct"

 

The Internet in 2017!

 

Not sure which thread is worse..... this one or the thinly veiled swipe at Tiger for the public announcement put out regrading his rehab stint. Both push the limits of "how much can a thread suck".

[dukeman]

One year at Doral tiger had a three or four shot lead coming into the 18th hole on Sunday, and he played it as a three shot par five. I think he hit something like five iron, wedge, wedge Just to make sure he didn't hit it into the water. Records are nice but Wins are what counts.

[disco111]

I was going to offer some clever and snide remarks, for those basement dwellers that have posted on this thread, but upon reflection..... meh! I'm going over to the real important "baba booey" thread and see what these intellectuals have brought forth............ :beruo:

[RICKYBOBBY]

I present this w/out further comment.

 

 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -

[jslane57]

He said in an interview after the round, when asked the question that

he was't aware of the record until later.

Huge kudos to Koepka! Very well done. This is where Tiger was different. Tiger was always aware of the record...

[3jacker]

None of these guys hit a 3w 379 yards.

He went with a 3w as a conservative play, it caught the top of the hill and rolled out further than a driver would have - as that club would have

flown the steeper part of the slope. That said, it was still the conservative play - it was a 3w.

Not going for the green when he didn't need to was also a conservative play.

He played the entire hole conservatively.

What's not to get?

[dlygrisse]

Playing the 72nd hole of a major holding a multiple stroke lead is no time for heroics. Especially if it's your first time being there.

[Matt J]

Book a tee time at Erin Hills and do it your way.

[Glaze22]

You should watch the movie Tin Cup, the ending has a scenario kind of like what you proposed, as in just go for it you wussy! Let say BK goes for it, I mean right at it and snap hooks it into the tall stuff or whatever scenario that keeps him from getting close to the green. Hacks at it and it does not go far, then chips on and then 2 putts, now that 3 shot cushion just went to 1. Then Harmon birdies the 18th. Now he is in a playoff, then who knows if he would have won.

 

Why not just play it safe, par and win, oh yea and get a couple million in the process. He said after he saw the leaderboard, I am sure he was nervous beyond words at that time. Just play it safer and play a shot that if you did have a miss-hit you can still recover easy.

 

Like others have pointed out Van De Velde and even Jordan S. have shown what 1 or 2 bad shots can do to you in a Major.

[Shilgy]

Remember when DJ went for the kill in 2015 instead of playing for a playoff? That worked out well.

Did you actually watch it? Based on your post I doubt it as DJ hit his 2nd shot to 12 feet for eagle. What was wrong with that shot?

Most likely he had no clue but he may have been referring to the eagle putt?

[Shilgy]

I was going to offer some clever and snide remarks, for those basement dwellers that have posted on this thread, but upon reflection..... meh! I'm going over to the real important "baba booey" thread and see what these intellectuals have brought forth............ :beruo:

Considering your post about Arnies killer instincts....see 1966 US Open blown seven shot lead on back nine....double bogey on 18 at masters in 1961 gives Player victory.

[Pure745]

Shame on all of you.. we should all be thankful that the OP took a break from yelling "mashed potatoes" and "Saturdays are for the boys" to post this gem of a thread. :lock[1]:

[djmohab2]

I love this place.