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Post by mr3putt on Aug 4, 2017 2:42:28 GMT
How a Team of Aussies Turned Ryu into World #11) Ryu’s caddie, the immortally named Tom Watson, nodded in appreciation, knowing full well that his boss, No. 1 on the Rolex Rankings since her victory in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in June, would not have been able to hit that same shot only two years ago. 2) “Now, however, I can hit so many more shots. I can flight the ball so much better, especially when the wind is blowing. My understanding of my swing has gone from 1-out-of-10 to nine. I know what I am doing now.” 3) Back-left pins were troublesome too, since she tried to hit cut shots into those greens. Now, however, she “gets it” says Watson, aiming for the middle of the green and hitting a draw. 4) “Tommy has been a big help in my creativity on the course,” she says. “When he first started working for me I would always chip-out when I was in trouble. He would ask me why I wasn’t trying something a bit more imaginative. He wanted me to cut or draw the ball around trees. But I had no idea what he was talking about.5) “So Yeon was way too mechanical, especially with her putting,” says Watson. “She was like a robot. When she practiced her putting she would practice an exact length of putt. I never understood that. On the course every putt is different, so why practice the same thing all the time?6) No surprise there. Ryu’s problems getting the ball into the hole were more, by her own admission, more mental than physical. “I knew my putting was the weakest part of my game,” she confirms. “I needed to improve on the greens, or at least have more confidence in my ability, if I was to win more. Before, I would get very nervous over putts when I was in contention. My stroke was OK, but because I was missing so much I was thinking I was a bad putter. And when you think that you miss even more. 1) I find this hard to believe. 2) I don't believe she was that clueless before ......rating herself just a ONE. 3) I don't believe this either. A monkey knows you hit a draw to a back left pin for a right handed player. 4) Again...I have a hard time being convinced SYR had no clue...LMAO 5) I knew this long ago and I'm a hack compared to SYR. 6) This lack of confidence is the same issue with Amy...doesn't Amy live in Dallas?...she should be begging McCormick to take her on...just like SYR...Amy has all the physical skills...but can be a mental midget to close things out like SYR use to suffer from. I hope CYBORG teaches all the Korean how to avoid being soft mentally.
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Post by HappyFan on Aug 5, 2017 1:31:39 GMT
I thought it was a fair and interesting article. It's a notable and fun story that the world #1 from Korea is surrounded by Australians. Those guys are a small part of how she turned the last corner to being the best in the world. We're talking about world #1 here. It's also just implied that we're dealing with an exceptional athlete and competitor which are the main components to her success. Completely fair. I agree that those guys have made a big difference. I just want to see more about her as well, more credit. more about the kind of person she is, her life, whatever the heck they write about all the other golfers they cover. I agree with those who feel like they are underrating what she did before these guys came along. The fact that she was willing to go whole hog and change so much when she was already AWESOME is what makes the story extra interesting.
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Post by argonne69 on Aug 8, 2017 14:48:27 GMT
Great player? I have to respectfully disagree. Great players win. A lot. They win when they're A-game is back in the clubhouse. They grind out wins when they have the lead and their swing has abandoned them. They win coming from behind by sticking shots close, and burying long putts that dishearten their opponents. Great players intimidate the rest of the field. Tiger was great. 7 wins in a row. A force at all the majors. Double digit victory margins. Inbee is a great golfer. 7 majors. 28 professional wins. Youngest in the Hall of Fame.
So Yeon is an excellent golfer. She struggled to close out tournaments. Her Sunday scores were probably 2 shots worse than her Thursday through Saturday scores. Her putting let her down, but so did her mental strength. Has that changed? Yes, I believe so. However, I still need to see more wins. I need to see her chase down a leader trailing by 4 with 4 to play. I need to see her run away to a 6 or 7 shot win.
One thing is certain. She's trending in the right direction. She has more confidence in herself and her game, which is never a bad thing.
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Post by SoYeonFan on Aug 8, 2017 17:05:51 GMT
Great player? I have to respectfully disagree. Great players win. A lot. They win when they're A-game is back in the clubhouse. They grind out wins when they have the lead and their swing has abandoned them. They win coming from behind by sticking shots close, and burying long putts that dishearten their opponents. Great players intimidate the rest of the field. Tiger was great. 7 wins in a row. A force at all the majors. Double digit victory margins. Inbee is a great golfer. 7 majors. 28 professional wins. Youngest in the Hall of Fame. So Yeon is an excellent golfer. She struggled to close out tournaments. Her Sunday scores were probably 2 shots worse than her Thursday through Saturday scores. Her putting let her down, but so did her mental strength. Has that changed? Yes, I believe so. However, I still need to see more wins. I need to see her chase down a leader trailing by 4 with 4 to play. I need to see her run away to a 6 or 7 shot win. One thing is certain. She's trending in the right direction. She has more confidence in herself and her game, which is never a bad thing. One thing if you would check the full stats on the LPGA tour. You will see that this year So Yeon weekend stats are one of the best on tour. Her biggest problem is still putting. Her putting average has not improved . She is ranked eighty in putting, with a 30 putts per round average. The second highest of the Rolex ranked top ten. Only Shanshan is higher, ranked 102. Lexi, considered a bad putter is ranked 69th in putting average. So Yeon driving distance has improved a lot. Her driving accuracy is also inside the top twenty. Greens in regulation is also near the top. So bottom line Ian Baker has not improved her putting at all. If she putted like Inbee she would have more wins.
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Post by mr3putt on Aug 8, 2017 17:06:52 GMT
Great player? I have to respectfully disagree. Great players win. A lot. They win when they're A-game is back in the clubhouse. They grind out wins when they have the lead and their swing has abandoned them. They win coming from behind by sticking shots close, and burying long putts that dishearten their opponents. Great players intimidate the rest of the field. Tiger was great. 7 wins in a row. A force at all the majors. Double digit victory margins. Inbee is a great golfer. 7 majors. 28 professional wins. Youngest in the Hall of Fame. So Yeon is an excellent golfer. She struggled to close out tournaments. Her Sunday scores were probably 2 shots worse than her Thursday through Saturday scores. Her putting let her down, but so did her mental strength. Has that changed? Yes, I believe so. However, I still need to see more wins. I need to see her chase down a leader trailing by 4 with 4 to play. I need to see her run away to a 6 or 7 shot win. One thing is certain. She's trending in the right direction. She has more confidence in herself and her game, which is never a bad thing. Arg Love it......I really look forward to Happyfan's whine/rant reply.
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Post by HappyFan on Aug 8, 2017 17:59:50 GMT
I agree and I don't agree. So Yeon's top ten total is off the charts. I haven't done a thorough look of all the top ten players, but I'd be willing to bet she has as many or more top tens and top fives than most of the LPGA superstars the past five years. She is deadly accurate with her irons, great with her driving accuracy, and has an amazing short game. Her putting is not the best, but I've seen her roll it really well at times. Yes, I think she is a great player. And she's better now than she was. If she isn't great, than your definition of great excludes pretty much everyone. And when she wins, I have seen her do amazing things. You can't convince me that she wasn't uber-clutch at the ANA. Thousands (well maybe dozens ) of fans chanting Lexi's name, actually rooting for Ryu's ball to go into the water. A lesser person would have crumbled. Instead, she stepped up in that playoff while Lexi did the crumbling. And she made the birdie on 18 to get into the playoff, while Inbee, the great putter, did not. And that was after chipping it from a ridiculously tough spot. That's not clutch? Yes it is. I doubt Se Ri EVER had to deal with that much negative energy directed at her while trying to close out a win. I would even argue that her final round at the US Women's Open was pretty special. I recall that incredible up and down from the bottom of that valley on 13. Having said that, she still hasn't gotten to the point where she is doing it often enough. She is a solid #1, but not an above-the-title superstar. Yet. The trend is positive. I think at least part of her putting average woes is that, because she doesn't have Lexi's length, she is often hitting longer irons and not getting it as close. I think Ryu is a better putter than Thompson, personally, but Thompson's hitting more short putts and so her average is better. The most encouraging thing is that, the self-belief is there. I see a swagger in her since she got to #1 I didn't see before. I'm feeling more positive about her game than I ever have. Go So Yeon!
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Post by argonne69 on Aug 8, 2017 18:41:15 GMT
I meant her Sunday stats in years past. I agree that she's playing much better on the weekends this year.
I don't think one can look at total putts in isolation. If her GIR percentage is higher, one will usually have more putts. Staying the same with more greens means better putting. The putts per GIR stat can provide more insight. Unfortunately, without ShotLink it's hard to tell if it's better putting, or hitting approach shots closer to the hole. However, given that I've seen pretty much every one of her televised putts over the past six years, my gut feeling is that her short putting has greatly improved.
My definition of great includes lots of wins. Top 10's are fantastic if they're accompanied by a lot of wins. There are dozens of excellent golfers who aren't great because they don't win enough. Matt Kucher anyone? Sergio?
So Yeon has 5 wins on the LPGA in 6 seasons ('12 - '17). That's not greatness. Heck, Shanshan has 7 wins in 6 seasons. Sei Young has 6 wins in 3 seasons. Lexi has 8 wins in 6 full seasons. Great players also?
If I had to give her a letter grade, it would be 'Incomplete' at this point. I do believe her best days are ahead of her. Heck, she's only 27. Karrie won 11 times after her 30th birthday.
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Post by mr3putt on Aug 8, 2017 19:14:00 GMT
I agree and I don't agree. So Yeon's top ten total is off the charts. I haven't done a thorough look of all the top ten players, but I'd be willing to bet she has as many or more top tens and top fives than most of the LPGA superstars the past five years. She is deadly accurate with her irons, great with her driving accuracy, and has an amazing short game. Her putting is not the best, but I've seen her roll it really well at times. Yes, I think she is a great player. And she's better now than she was. If she isn't great, than your definition of great excludes pretty much everyone. And when she wins, I have seen her do amazing things. You can't convince me that she wasn't uber-clutch at the ANA. Thousands (well maybe dozens ) of fans chanting Lexi's name, actually rooting for Ryu's ball to go into the water. A lesser person would have crumbled. Instead, she stepped up in that playoff while Lexi did the crumbling. And she made the birdie on 18 to get into the playoff, while Inbee, the great putter, did not. And that was after chipping it from a ridiculously tough spot. That's not clutch? Yes it is. I doubt Se Ri EVER had to deal with that much negative energy directed at her while trying to close out a win. I would even argue that her final round at the US Women's Open was pretty special. I recall that incredible up and down from the bottom of that valley on 13. Having said that, she still hasn't gotten to the point where she is doing it often enough. She is a solid #1, but not an above-the-title superstar. Yet. The trend is positive. I think at least part of her putting average woes is that, because she doesn't have Lexi's length, she is often hitting longer irons and not getting it as close. I think Ryu is a better putter than Thompson, personally, but Thompson's hitting more short putts and so her average is better. The most encouraging thing is that, the self-belief is there. I see a swagger in her since she got to #1 I didn't see before. I'm feeling more positive about her game than I ever have. Go So Yeon! Happy I'm disappointed....I thought your rant/whine would have been more severe and entertaining....did your wife or daughter write this post? Well...duh...anyone is a better putter than Lexi....to compare SYR's putting with Lexi's putting in the same sentence is an INSULT to SYR. I believe Arg wasn't questioning SYR's skills...we all know she has a fantastic game. I think the gist of Arg's post is that she still has a ways to go to be able to demonstrate that she is GREAT...as in closing out events for many WINS vs. a bunch of top 5 finishes.....no one can question SYR's consistency. Or winning with a B game at times (IK won with her B game on Sunday....though her approach on 17 was a A++++ shot) or seeing SYR frequently dismantling any player(s) trying to win on Sunday. For all the premier pros...it's all about the trophies and majors. Just like on the REAL tour...everyone fawns when Spieth, The REAL Dumbo (Dustin), Day or Rory wins an event or two and think they are the CHOSEN ONES....but ALL FOUR have YET to demonstrate they are GREAT. In the modern era....there has only been two GREATS....Eldrick and Mannika....but what do they have in common....both have been suspicious of being JUICED.
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Post by argonne69 on Aug 8, 2017 19:26:54 GMT
That's a good summary. I'm certainly not questioning her skills and consistency. She certainly has enough of both to become great. However, there are a ton of players that have become #1 in the world (and didn't stay there), that I wouldn't consider great (yet). Luke Donald, Jordon Spieth, Jason Day, DJ, Adam Scott, Ariya, and perhaps even Lydia.
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Post by mr3putt on Aug 8, 2017 19:45:45 GMT
I forgot Luke was a #1...lol....he's a GHOST nowadays.
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Post by mnmlistgolfr on Aug 8, 2017 20:16:19 GMT
Jeez... tough crowd. I would consider Rory, Jordan, DJ, Day, and Adam Scott to be great players. A resume that includes OWGR number 1, 10+ wins on the PGA Tour plus multiple international wins, and a Major or two? That's good enough for me. Besides, their games haven't gone south yet and they're still young enough to add another Major and 5+ wins on Tour. That's a Hall of Fame resume.
I would have Luke Donald with Ai Miyazato- Number Ones without a Major. Very good careers, but they're not adding to their resumes any more.
Lydia and Yani were great players. What they accomplished in a few short years was incredible. Yani's done, but Lydia might still have a chance to get her mojo back.
The jury is still out on Ariya and So Yeon. We haven't seen Ariya really use her driver yet and as Arg said, So Yeon needs more wins on her resume.
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Post by argonne69 on Aug 8, 2017 20:49:55 GMT
I think I differentiate between playing great golf, and being great players. I think greatness is earned over time with a solid resume. The current crop of recent number #1's have certainly played great stretches of golf, and will very likely wind up in the HoF. Perhaps a minimum of ten years is needed to determine if they consistently played great golf.
I'd say Phil deserves to be considered great. Yeah, he tossed away a few too many majors, but he has a solid track record of winning, including a few big ones.
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Post by mr3putt on Aug 8, 2017 22:40:22 GMT
I'd say Phil deserves to be considered great. Yeah, he tossed away a few too many majors, but he has a solid track record of winning, including a few big ones. FIGJAM considered himself GREAT back in 1992.
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Post by mr3putt on Aug 8, 2017 22:41:16 GMT
Lydia and Yani were great players. What they accomplished in a few short years was incredible. Yani's done, but Lydia might still have a chance to get her mojo back. Ko's TOAST..blame Tina.
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Post by mnmlistgolfr on Aug 9, 2017 0:40:13 GMT
Lydia and Yani were great players. What they accomplished in a few short years was incredible. Yani's done, but Lydia might still have a chance to get her mojo back. Ko's TOAST..blame Tina. Yani's probably closer to Level 8 Toast than Level 7. She might win one more LPGA tournament if all the stars align, but it's more likely she'll win an LET event and never win again on the LPGA Tour. Last year Michelle looked like Level 7 or 8 as well, but she might be at Level 2 or 3 right now. I would not be surprised if she won again. Two years ago, In-Kyung looked like a Level 5 or 6, but now she's at Level 1. Right now I'd say Lydia is at Level 5 and trending towards Level 6. By this time next year she could be heading towards Level 7.
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