PrattRules wrote:Roting for Matsuyama over here.

Interesting back 9

Puckering

Some nerves from JT

"Should I mark it?"

Matsuyama with a helluva back 9

JT all but clinches it

Spieth looking chill AF

Squire wrote:Just hoping Patrick Reed plays his way onto the Presidents Cup team outright

he did but he was an auto pick if he's top 20 in the standings.

JUburton wrote:Eh I'll always root against the nobodies

da fuq

JT's gonna win a few more if he keeps his head on straight. Hits it long and can putt.

Silence Sarge & I clearly have great instincts on the mid-tier major contenders

jerseyhoya wrote:Silence Sarge & I clearly have great instincts on the mid-tier major contenders

You guys buying the first round for the rest of us?

I especially could've afforded drinks for yall if Reed had won. I had him at 100-1 for $2. Was really rooting for a Thomas/Reed playoff, but Reed was an idiot on 18, and Thomas played well enough to avoid it anyway.

Bucky wrote:

JUburton wrote:Eh I'll always root against the nobodies

da fuq

sure you root for the shaun micheels of the world in the majors.

Masters: Worst ratings since '04
U.S. Open: 2nd worst ratings ever
British Open: Final round lost to Brickyard 400
PGA: Lowest since '08

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status ... 0095858688

Curious to hear if others feel this way but I find myself watching less and less as the bromance aspect of the tour grows.

This might be extremely @FakeWIPcaller to say, but I would much rather see the tension of Tiger vs. Phil (or anyone, really) than these guys loving on each other all the time.

yeah i think lack of rivalries hurts. and although rory and jordan are great, they arent always there at the top in this big ones. tiger/phil seemingly were in the top 5 3 out of 4 majors a year.

Exactly, there are no rivalries at this point, and I just don't have as much interest watching guys root for each other down the stretch rather than feeling the competitive tension. That doesn't inspire drama or any sort of "good vs. evil" storyline. At this point it's like "okay you like Rory and I like Fowler and this guy over here likes JT, but whatever happens they'll all be happy for each other." Just doesn't do it for me, and apparently I'm not alone based on the ratings this year. /fakeWIPCaller'd

No idea how golf plans to increase interest and grow ratings, though. They're in a tough spot.

JUburton wrote:

Bucky wrote:

JUburton wrote:Eh I'll always root against the nobodies

da fuq

sure you root for the shaun micheels of the world in the majors.

any REAL golf fan knows you always root for the cinderella stories

I watched maybe 24 total holes of golf this year. I need that number one guy that everybody is gunning for.

It's interesting because some of my friends seem to LOVE the bromance stuff and it further fuels their interest, but it's done the opposite for me. Those guys also play a lot of golf and I don't, so I guess it's a "hey, they're just like me/us" thing maybe?

That leads into the ratings problem, then. Less people playing = less people identifying with that. A guy like Tiger doesn't require that ability to relate - everyone loves to watch an intense and gifted competitor.

Compare this to the NBA where these guys are talking shit consistently and driving/creating new rivalries. The NBA is rapidly growing at least in part because of this, IMO.

Golf is as good as it's been...ever. But to compare ratings to the Tiger era is going to be fruitless. They will never be that strong again because Tiger made sure there are a generation of Tigers and no one player will be that dominant again...at least for a very long time.

Masters was great this year. Spieth was in the hunt until he sucked on Sunday and Sergio finally won. US Open was a good tournament at a good course but it was on Fox which will draw lower ratings. Open Champ was a snooze until the last 7 holes on Sunday and it was suddenly an all timer. And the PGA is...the PGA, whatever. Saturday was incredibly boring and Sunday wasn't good until the back 9. I think between the shitty CBS coverage and the course setup, they botched it.