2021 Solheim Cup

[KBong]

24 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

I'm torn re Lexi - I can see how nice she is and comments like yours reinforce this so a big tick, but I just can't watch her swing, its a horrible mess.

Ya...Lexi's swing isn't a classic stroke to replicate....but there are a ton of ugly swings out on all the tours.

 

At the end of the day....all that matters is great contact....the ball doesn't know what the swing looks like.

[stingerfade]

2 hours ago, JK Ward said:

Hard to say there should have been a home advantage when all of the Europeans play on the LPGA tour.

He probably means basically the 100% of fans screaming for the American team would be a home advantage 

[stingerfade]

1 hour ago, kmbean said:

Contribute what exactly?

Just there to support the team. What is wrong with that 

[I_HATE_SNOW]

30 minutes ago, stingerfade said:

Just there to support the team. What is wrong with that 

Nothing.

 

[Rapidcat]

49 minutes ago, KBong said:

Ya...Lexi's swing isn't a classic stroke to replicate....but there are a ton of ugly swings out on all the tours.

 

At the end of the day....all that matters is great contact....the ball doesn't know what the swing looks like.

But my eyes hurt when I watch her swing😢

[Rapidcat]

1 hour ago, KBong said:

It was likely nothing.

 

Kupcho might have simply said:

"Let's destroy these Euros tomorrow and win back the Cup"

And when the media gets a little nibble...they make a mountain out of a mole hill....nuff said.

 

Maybe, but maybe not.

 

Perhaps it was personal? If it was just a general team rah rah comment, why did Leona decline to elaborate?

 

Suspect it was personal.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Rapidcat

[OrangeGravy]

1 hour ago, KBong said:

Ya...Lexi's swing isn't a classic stroke to replicate....but there are a ton of ugly swings out on all the tours.

 

At the end of the day....all that matters is great contact....the ball doesn't know what the swing looks like.

Lexi has one shot, one swing from Driver through LW. Delofted low slinging hook. If she can't take a full swing, it's a not going to end well. Hitting low stinger short iron/wedge after another into rock hard greens was ugly. Those shots had no chance to not finish off the back. She's actually done remarkably well over the years with that. Not sure what that says about the tour in general

[ChronicSlicer]

9 hours ago, stingerfade said:

This place is no fun  

It's educational, I just learned that grown adults still tattle on each other.

[Cwebb]

44 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

But my eyes hurt when I watch her swing😢

As hard as it is to believe, myself included, I think Lexi would have been the #1 ranked player in the world for a long time, if she was a world class putter.

 

With that said, the steep angle of attack and huge divots are really something.  Hard to control distance that way

[Rapidcat]

2 minutes ago, Cwebb said:

As hard as it is to believe, myself included, I think Lexi would have been the #1 ranked player in the world for a long time, if she was a world class putter.

 

With that said, the steep angle of attack and huge divots are really something.  Hard to control distance that way

If she's not going to adjust her swing, I would suggest that she spends 80% of her practice time on putting.

 

Add better putting to what she already brings and she could go close.

[Redpro]

I would have liked to see a Reid-Kang pairing.

 

Where's the camera?

Reid: Oh, grimaced determined look, squared up shoulders like a football tackle.

Kang: Oh, how do I look? C'mon, make some noise for my par putt! (lifts arms). 

 

 

[Cwebb]

3 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

If she's not going to adjust her swing, I would suggest that she spends 80% of her practice time on putting.

 

Add better putting to what she already brings and she could go close.

Yeah, she said in her interview that she's worked really hard on her putting and will continue to do so.

 

For whatever it's worth, I've never liked any of the putter heads that she uses.  I would continue to try different putters

[Redpro]

Interesting article on Golfweek. On the surface, it seemed to me that the USA Captain was not flexible and wouldn't alter her "plan". The European Captain seems more mature and flexible. All IMHO. 

[ChronicSlicer]

23 hours ago, Redpro said:

 Listening to Pat Hurst. Didn't meet with the team after the morning of the 1st day. Didn't deviate from her "plan". Made no adjustments. Kept her personality pod combinations in place. Give her a "C" for this project management role of Captain. Stubborn may be too strong of a word. Perhaps arrogant fits. Out of touch, also. 

All of your complaints against Pat Hurst have nothing to do with a player hitting a fairway, hitting a green or dropping a putt. She could have tucked each girl in at night and read them a bedtime story, she could have served them breakfast in bed, she could have done everything you mentioned, but at the end of the day she can't control 12 girls golf swings. 

[Redpro]

Just now, ChronicSlicer said:

All of your complaints against Pat Hurst have nothing to do with a player hitting a fairway, hitting a green or dropping a putt. She could have tucked each girl in at night and read them a bedtime story, she could have served them breakfast in bed, she could have done everything you mentioned, but at the end of the day she can't control 12 girls golf swings. 

Not complaining, just observing. And, you are 100% correct. 🙂 

[Rapidcat]

It's obvious what the key issue for Team USA was - Bubba wasn't included in a pod.

 

[Cwebb]

7 minutes ago, Redpro said:

Interesting article on Golfweek. On the surface, it seemed to me that the USA Captain was not flexible and wouldn't alter her "plan". The European Captain seems more mature and flexible. All IMHO. 

 

Again, this is people looking for excuses, because that's what they do.  Wouldn't make sense for a coach to implement a "pod system" where 4 players prepare and get comfortable with one another in advance,....and then abandon that after one round that didn't go your way.

 

Matthew looks good, because her team played better than the U.S team.  She didn't do anything noticeably great, other than stay out of the player's way

[golfortennis]

12 minutes ago, ChronicSlicer said:

All of your complaints against Pat Hurst have nothing to do with a player hitting a fairway, hitting a green or dropping a putt. She could have tucked each girl in at night and read them a bedtime story, she could have served them breakfast in bed, she could have done everything you mentioned, but at the end of the day she can't control 12 girls golf swings. 

 

This type of statement suggests these are robots, and that nothing that is done can affect what they do.  I mean, Nelly Korda was in tears over something that wasn't her fault.  These aren't robots.  They like playing with some players more than others, they play different types of games, so you need to think about that both when pairing and setting up a course.

 

If the players need to play better, maybe, just maybe, the captains need to stop getting in the way. 

[Cwebb]

9 minutes ago, golfortennis said:

 

This type of statement suggests these are robots, and that nothing that is done can affect what they do.  I mean, Nelly Korda was in tears over something that wasn't her fault.  These aren't robots.  They like playing with some players more than others, they play different types of games, so you need to think about that both when pairing and setting up a course.

 

If the players need to play better, maybe, just maybe, the captains need to stop getting in the way. 

 

Nothing that Pat Hurst did, would suggest that she coached the team as if the players are robots.  She had a basic strategy and stuck with it.  The player's didn't play well enough....and no change in pairings would have changed that.

 

This is on the players.  One side had a better week.  If they played next week, with everything the same, the U.S would have a great chance to win

Edited September 8, 2021 by Cwebb

[Rapidcat]

Adhering rigidly to a dubious pod system and not adjusting as the event plays out is imo poor captaining.

 

Did Catriona intend to play Leona for the full 5 matches at the start of the event - highly unlikely.

 

You need to be a good 'matchday' coach, think on your feet and adjust as needed. Good preparation, playing a system constricted by pods and 'everybody knowing their roles' isn't enough.

 

Also some bizarre comments by the US leaders with Pat saying re Leona "She's the one we're going to have to fear, like I said, for a long time." Why would you say that, you're helping to create a mystique around a competitor, no US team member should fear another golfer. It was a complimentary thing to say, which is nice but just change 'fear' to 'watch' and you make your compliment without setting up 'bogeywoman' for future events.

 

Stacy Lewis also made a sour comment about the Euros putting much better than the US. I can't remember her exact words but it came across to me as though it wasn't a proper win because the only difference between the 2 teams was putting. Well, so what, putting is the key part of the game and legitimate as any other element. As an example, Matilda sunk that lovely putt on 18 to close out the win but you can't view that in isolation as her bunker shot to get her there was sensational.

 

Last point to bring some balance, the UK fan's comments about team 'Nally' and the US after 'refgate' on BBC.com were disgusting, 90% focussed on that over 100's of horid comments.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Rapidcat

[Cwebb]

Some don't like the pod system, because it limits choices.  That's fair,...but if coach has decided to use it, they should stick with it.

 

Paul Azinger was praised for the "new idea" of a pod system when they won in '08, after the U.S had struggled in the Ryder Cup.  

 

It was viewed as a great idea and not questioned afterwards, because they won.  Many complained about future coaches not using it, when it had worked for the '08 team

[KBong]

1 hour ago, Rapidcat said:

Maybe, but maybe not.

 

Perhaps it was personal?

 

If it was just a general team rah rah comment, why did Leona decline to elaborate?

 

Suspect it was personal.

Personal like what?

"Your mother wears army boots"🤣

 

I suspect Leona is a no DRAMA gal...so a "No Comment" is likely her style.

 

I'll only get excited when I see a physical CAT FIGHT between Kupcho and Leona....otherwise this is a non-issue for me.

[CDLgolf]

Our pod system worked well in one Ryder cup.

 

The Euro captain said that their team was one giant pod.

 

When the American team ( both men and women ) can figure this out, they will be more competitive

[mich750]

Some random thoughts...It looked like the Korda's were worn down a bit.  Nelly has had a hell of a six month run and its takes it toll. I thought I heard the American didn't have any say into how the course was setup.  I don't think its like the Ryder Cup where the home team captain has a lot of say on course conditions.  Inverness is a hell of a course golf, but not a really exciting course to watch a Solheim Cup.  Winning holes with par's and bogies is a bit boring (great for a US Open, but not for a team match).  The only real birdies I seen most of the week is when they played the par 5 at 400 yards.   The greens were so hard  and the pins setup in the front, there just wasn't anyway to get an approach shots close, which for me made for boring golf.

Edited September 8, 2021 by mich750

[KBong]

50 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

If she's not going to adjust her swing, I would suggest that she spends 80% of her practice time on putting.

 

 

I don't think Lexi cares.

 

She's big time into her branding and commercialization....she knows her big time money is made outside the ropes.

 

I think Lexi likes being a gym rat vs. spending hours slumped over on a practice green missing 100's of 3 ft putts.🤣

[mich750]

She seems like she is just a root away from ending her career.  She is so step and violent into the ground, it hurts my old hands and elbows just watching her swing.

[KBong]

48 minutes ago, Cwebb said:

Yeah, she said in her interview that she's worked really hard on her putting and will continue to do so.

 

Lexi's been a touring pro for 10 years.

I don't see her putting magically improving....short putt yips are hard to rid of.

 

Some people are born good/great putters...many are not...Lexi is the latter.

[Cwebb]

1 minute ago, KBong said:

Lexi's been a touring pro for 10 years.

I don't see her putting magically improving....short putt yips are hard to rid of.

 

Some people are born good/great putters...many are not...Lexi is the latter.

Well it wouldn't magically improve.  It would have a chance of improving by trying something different and practicing it a lot

[KBong]

47 minutes ago, ChronicSlicer said:

All of your complaints against Pat Hurst have nothing to do with a player hitting a fairway, hitting a green or dropping a putt. She could have tucked each girl in at night and read them a bedtime story, she could have served them breakfast in bed, she could have done everything you mentioned, but at the end of the day she can't control 12 girls golf swings. 

Yup....it was the lousy play of the US gals that lost the Cup...that said...Hurst seemed like a lousy captain...and she knows it...she even said she'll likely not get the call to lead again...even though she'd like to.

[Rapidcat]

13 minutes ago, KBong said:

Personal like what?

"Your mother wears army boots"🤣

 

I suspect Leona is a no DRAMA gal...so a "No Comment" is likely her style.

 

I'll only get excited when I see a physical CAT FIGHT between Kupcho and Leona....otherwise this is a non-issue for me.

Leona's into boxing (Muhammed Ali is in her dream fourball) so I wouldn't take her on if I was Jen.