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Teeing Off

Golf in the Lower Hudson Valley, from high schools to the pros

Just when this thing was getting exciting, the 18 hole playoff

June
16

There are few things in life that are as universally deplorable as the 18 hole playoff. Everyone hates it: the players, the writers, the golf fans who now will either a) miss out on the playoff because they’re working; or b) furtively try to watch the playoff during work, which is fine unless those people are heart surgeons or the people who operate nuclear power plants.

About the only people I can think of who might welcome the 18 hole playoff are the guys at the Open who get paid by the hour and now might be in for overtime.And yet all that being said, I strangely find myself applauding the USGA for annually subjecting itself to such widespread criticism about its U.S. Open tiebreaker, and yet refusing to budge. It is almost as admirable as it is completely inane.

Meanwhile, who do I like in the playoff today? First off, what’s you’re definition of like?

I should like Tiger Woods’ chances because he’s Tiger Woods and last time I checked, Rocco Mediate is not.

I should like the idea of Woods gritting his way through pain to win what might be his most dramatic major title.

But I also very much like the story of an everyman staring down the best in the world and capturing his first major title.

So, I like both players. But I’d like them both even more if they finished this thing last night…

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 10:27 am by Sam Weinman.
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About this blog
Writers Sam Weinman and Alex Myers share their thoughts on the local and national golf scene.
About the authors
Sam WeinmanSam Weinman
The lead golf writer for The Journal News and LoHud.com, Weinman, 31, has placed among the top three in the Golf Writers Association of America writing contest in three consecutive years, including a first-place finish in 2004. READ MORE

Alex MyersAlex Myers
A sports reporter at The Journal News for nearly three years, Alex Myers has covered a bit of everything, but a lot of golf, ranging from the high school level to last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot. His golf writing goes back to his college days when he attended Wake Forest University. Myers is also an avid player who is constantly trying to improve on his current handicap of 8. Perhaps his biggest thrill came earlier this summer when he conquered the famed 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass by hitting a 9-iron onto the island green and walking away with a 2-putt par.

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