Miserable Pros.

Having watched the final round at Pebble Beach yesterday, am I the only one who thinks that the majority of Pro's don't seem to enjoy the game?! Most of the field looked like they were about to burst into tears when things weren't going their way and at one point after missing a 2ft putt, I thought Tiger was actually going to walk off the course (Mcilroy was the same at the British Open last year). Strange? 

Darren, unfortunately sport in general has gone this way, not only golf. Everyone seems to take it that seriously I am sure their game suffers for it. They also seem to forget that it is the paying piblic and sponsors who sell to the paying public that have given them a tour in the first place.

They make a very good living without having to be that good. I m quite sure that if every pro had to do a monday qualifier then half the field would be missing. Lets face it, any pro, on his day can shoot low numbers and would quite often qualify. That would get some of them out of their comfort zone and give every pro a chance at earning some of the vast amount of money that is sloshing around this great money pit.

Just checked the results of the AT&t at Pebble Beach (Which I have played) where Mickelson ran out the winner and they made the third round cut at 67 players at level par. This meant that the remaining 85 professionals were all over par at this stage of the tournament, and most by an alarming amount.

Not very good is it.

Pebble Beach is a public course, albeit an expensive one, but when I drove Interstate in the USA I used to load at Salinas, which is right by the Monterey peninsular where the famous 17 miles drive and all the very nice golf courses are.

On this particular occasion I was to load Berries(Soft fruit) but when I arrived on the Monday after unloading in Los Angeles I was told that the fruit was still in the field and would not be out until Wednesday. When I asked the Mexican owner of the packhouse if there were any local golf courses, as I had my clubs with me, he said be here tomorrow at 0900 and we will go and play golf. Pebble Beach is where we ended up, as his guest.

If this course was moved twenty miles inland it would probably never get a mention.

Narrow fairways do not mean much when the rough is cut that short. Try being off the fairway at Saunton and see the difference.

Darren, did you read the forward by Nick Faldo on the Saunton website. He rates this course very highly and says it should be on the Open Rota. I agree.

Serious bunkers, very serious rough and very firm and fast undulating greens. It is my favourite course.

Just reading the other post about playing on tour if you could and also reading this it does make you wonder how much pressure the Pros are under now days.

Yes they earn loads and have laods of people around them but at the end of the day they are just human like the rest of us.  But unlike us mere mortals they have the added pressure of the build up and expectation on them something most of us will never be able to compare.

It was interesting watching the post match interview with the Ireland Rugby coach after the match, well the called off match between France v Ireland, and his comments how how the players psych themselves up before the game and how he would need to calm them down now without playing.