Now I don't like to spend a lot of time critiquing the decisions of the players but I have to wonder what on earth Phil was thinking with that low punch shot on 16 with water short just a moment ago. Probably will end up costing him the match for sure after Garcia wasn't in good shape.
Or his week...or his last few team competitions. Since he lost that match against Philip Price in '02 he has been dreadful in the team competitions. 0-5 in the President's Cup last year and 1-3 this year. That means 1-9 in his last nine international team competition matches :eek:
Very poor decision by Phil. You simply had to take the water completely out of play.
Phil made several questionable decisions during this Ryder Cup and, in my opinion, he just did not appear to be fully present. His play was very indifferent, as it has been recently. Remember, he was coming off shaky performances at both the NEC and Canadian Open.
Yes and just when Phil had the world by the tail he goes and shoots himself in the foot. Between the equipment switch, no practice, questionable decision making & shaky play he's probably going to lose a bit of support. What will Phil do next ??
What was he thinking? I believe he was over-thinking! Pick one shot and play it. He is so talented, maybe he was going over 5 or 6 different shots that he could have played. Too bad he chose that one!
Phil's stroke on 16 was a good idea, just very poorly executed. Didn't seem to make any allowance for the clubhead turning over in the semi.
But for a real critical **** shot, how about that tee shot on 18 in the foursomes, when the match was level ??? Only about 80 yards wide of the fairway. Ah well, at least he has $50 million in the bank from Callaway.
Phil has been my favourite American golfer for a long time. However, I am amazed that this is someone who has played the best golf in the majors this year and has sacrificed his new consistency for the sake of some extra sponsorship cash. Sure, earn enough to make your future secure, but only last year he said his priority was to win majors !! It wasn't as though he needed a few quid !!
Last edited by valeogut : September 21st, 2004 at 06:34 AM.
Reason: disguised form of vulgarity
Phil's stroke on 16 was a good idea, just very poorly executed.
I disagree. In the position Phil found himself, he simply must have taken the water completely out of play. His strategic approach did not do that. He should've gone high, instead of low, and carried the water-line completely. Anywhere on the green was likely a two-putt par, at worst, and would've kept him in the match, at the very least. It was a very poor decision on Phil's part.
The watery result of the badly executed shot is what made it a "very poor decision." Had Phil's low running hook (from deep rough) ended up close to the pin we'd all be talking about what great imagination Phil has and how he can get up and down from anywhere. Unfortunately, he didn't execute the shot the way he envisioned (it sure sounded like he hit it fat) and he paid the price.
Because most players would have tried to hit a high shot to the green doesn't mean that's the shot Phil should've played. He didn't earn all those victories and become the #4 player in the world by doing what "most" players would do. I'm not defending him (it was after all a terrible shot) but we don't know what his thinking in that situation was. Maybe he could've used the "boat" load of bad shots he hit in the previous matches to retrieve the ball from it's watery grave!
The watery result of the badly executed shot is what made it a "very poor decision."
Again, League, I disagree. The result of the shot is the execution, which is entirely removed from the pre-shot decision.
People can only base their opinion, or judge the merits of the decision, on reputation, or past performances. Phil Mickelson does not have a history of pulling off unbelievable shots from outrageous lies. On the contrary, Phil has failed in those kinds of situations far more often than he has succeeded.
Add to all that the fact that Phil had not been playing very well, in this event, and you have...again...a very questionable decision. We'll just have to agree to disagree.
September 19th, 2004, 03:34 PM
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