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Chat Reel: SI's Jaime Diaz
Begay-Woods would be fun to see
Posted: Monday July 03, 2000 02:50 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jaime Diaz joins CNNSI.com users each Monday at 1 p.m. ET to talk golf. A transcript of his July 3 chat follows.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our weekly chat with Sports Illustrated's Jaime Diaz. Thanks for joining us, Jaime.
Jaime Diaz: Thanks for having me.
From Guest: Does Notah Begay have the game to challenge Tiger Woods? Since they went to school together, I would imagine he'd be less intimidated than others by Tiger.
Jaime Diaz: I would agree with the latter part of that. I think they know each other in a way few golfers get to know each other -- they know each other's strengths and weaknesses better. If Tiger has a weakness, Notah knows it better than anyone else, or at least he thinks he does. I don't think Notah has the game to consistently challenge Tiger. He has a big game capable of low scoring, but it can be erratic. So in majors in particular, he's a lot more mistake-prone than Tiger. But he has a lot of guts -- he competes so well. Head-to-head, it would be interesting to see those two together. I would give Tiger the edge, but Notah is a tough guy to beat head-to-head, it appears.
From Andrew: Everyone seems to be conceding the British Open to Tiger. What about Sergio Garcia's chances? He's been playing better of late, played well at St. Andrews in the Dunhill Cup, plus, you know he wants to atone for his play in last year's British. Do you think he could be one to watch?
Jaime Diaz: Yeah, I think St. Andrews is a really good venue for Sergio. He also knows what being a pro is about a lot more than he did last year. He could be very dangerous. You're right about people conceding victory to Tiger, which is something that's never been true in golf. Maybe Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan were guys who lived up to that status, but almost never anyone else -- even Jack Nicklaus. If it were 2-1 for Tiger against the field, I think I'd still take the field.
From Navin: Do you think that Tiger's great success at the U.S. Open has anything to do with the new kind of Nike ball he used?
Jaime Diaz: I think mentally, Tiger believed he was using a slightly better ball for his type of game and what he needed at the Open, which was more spin and softer feel around the greens. I don't think he's ever made a change in equipment that he didn't feel was better for him. So this goes hand in hand -- he was convinced that he had a slight improvement. Whether that was true or not doesn't matter as much as that he believed it was.
From Guest: What happened to Bruce Fleisher Sunday?
Jaime Diaz: Bruce has nothing to be ashamed of. He ran into head-to-head maybe the most allergic-to-mistake type player there is in all of golf. Hale Irwin does not make mistakes; in the final round of a major that's the greatest attribute you can have. Bruce has never run into that kind of player in that situation before. He performed well, but Hale's mental toughness and the fact he did something like this before at last year's U.S. Open was the difference.
From Brian: Who do you think could be a surprise entry on the U.S. Presidents Cup team? Hale Irwin, if he is strong at either remaining major? Fred Couples?
Jaime Diaz: Hale Irwin is going on 56; I would be shocked beyond words if he were chosen. Not that he wouldn't be a tough opponent, but in deference to the PGA Tour you have to believe that its players are better than even the best senior. Fred Couples is someone I know Ken Venturi would love to pick because he's good friends with him. When Fred's right, he's still as talented as anyone in the game. And he wants to play. But he still has to earn it, and I don't think he has the mindset to go out there and grind it out and earn it. If he were to go out and win a tournament or two, especially a major, I could see it, but without that or some more consistent results I don't think it would be right to pick him.
From Guest: Why aren't there more good female golfers from the United Kingdom? The men seem to do just fine.
Jaime Diaz: Considering it's sort of the home of golf, I think there aren't quite as many either men or women that are truly world-class. The big reasons include the weather: It's a very difficult place to have a year-long practice regiment. I don't think the junior programs are up to the same caliber; many come to the U.S. for college. And those who grew up on links courses, as much as we like to romanticize them, links really aren't the best training grounds for future pros, because people don't learn how to hit the ball high, carry the ball and stop it on small targets. And for the women, there's probably less encouragement of female athletes in their youth than there is in America or Sweden or even in Japan.
From Brian: Why is John Huston picking it up after playing so badly early in the season? What is he doing better?
Jaime Diaz: John's always been somewhat streaky; he can really get it going and go really low, as evidenced by his record performance a few years ago. He's one of the best putters in Tour when he's on; my guess is he hasn't been putting well. I think it's a mid-career malaise; I don't know if he's the most motivated guy. He's gotten into a comfortable lifestyle and has lost some of that drive. But pride usually kicks in at some point and they go out and get it back. He probably got a little upset at himself and decided to go do it again. I haven't talked to him, but it's very common for pros to settle into success and lose that drive that got them there in the first place.
From Brian: Is the U.S. still as big of a favorite going into the President's Cup as it was going into the Ryder Cup? The International team seems much stronger than the Euros.
Jaime Diaz: They always have been on paper; the International team has always been very strong, and the last time they were probably the favorites. I think Tiger's improvement has swung the balance. What the Internationals lack is the passion and emotion and life-and-death struggle that the Ryder Cup has engendered. Not having Greg Norman at full strength takes some of their heart and soul out, as far as the reason to play, the long years of being unappreciated. I think Greg represented that point of view more than the younger players now. Based on the last one -- the Americans got wiped out -- I think the Internationals are capable of beating them. But I would say the Americans are slight favorites, not huge favorites.
From JD: Does the fitness craze among the professionals seem to be dying down as they turn in results like David Duval's?
Jaime Diaz: I don't think so. I don't think anybody is ready to say definitively that David's lack of winning is due to his fitness program. There's a lot of factors involved, and David's always been hard to read. I think in general most every player feels improved fitness is an asset to the golf game. There are a few cases of people injuring themselves from working out too hard, but I think that downside is slight compared to the great upside. I think you'll continue to see fitness emphasized. For every cautionary tale of Duval there's the success story of Tiger to balance it.
From Guest: What's wrong with Mark O'Meara?
Jaime Diaz: Sort of like my earlier point about John Huston, I think O'Meara had such a great 1998 as a culmination to his career, I don't think he's got it inside to the extent he did. Under the gun he still knows how to do it, but making the sacrifice to get there is the hard part. He may never get there again. My guess is he'll come back and play well -- he still has a lot of game. But will he have the motivation he had in 1998? I think the fire's out, and it will be harder to relight it than it was in 1997 and 1998.
From JD: As an Asian golfer, I'm very interested in who has the best game right now from Asia. Is it Shigeki Maruyama?
Jaime Diaz: I would say it seems like there's more legitimate candidates than there's every been. There's a guy named Ryuji Imada who many feel has one of the best short games in the world; he's on the Buy.com tour. A lot of people think he's going to be very good. Maruyama is a lot like Begay but I question if he has the drive of an American player. He's a huge celebrity in Japan and he's rich; he doesn't have to grind and he's only playing for pride. I don't see him being a major champion. There are an awful lot of young Asian-American players. David Leadbetter's spoken to this, that the culture results in a stronger work ethic and an ability to focus. Physical stature also plays a role; Asians tend to be smaller and they're giving something away to larger players when they mature. Henry Liaw is a 12-year-old from Southern California who shot 58 on a par-65 course. There are some prodigies out there. I know Tiger feels the Asian influence in his life was very important. As far as one player right now, Grace Park would be the one most likely to have some immediate success.
From Michael: Why isn't David Duval playing in more tournaments? I got into an argument with a guy a work who claims that Duval is suffering from "Tom Weiskopfitis," i.e., he realized that he could never be the best, so he became less interested. I disagreed. What do you think?
Jaime Diaz: I disagree also. Tom Weiskopf's will was broken by Jack Nicklaus; I think it's too early to say Tiger has broken Duval. I think Duval is trying to pace himself so he can be at a peak for the majors. He played very well at the Masters and respectably at the Open. I think he's trying to play a Tiger-like schedule; maybe he's better playing more often. I think he's in the process of discovering what's best for him. I don't think there's a lack of motivation for Duval. He's still young enough to know his prime is ahead of him, I believe.
From Dan: I find it hard to believe that U.S. Tour players are really intimidated by Tiger. Have any of them actually said they can't beat him? Or that they're afraid of him?
Jaime Diaz: It all depends on your definition of "intimidation." I don't think any of these guys are afraid of the challenge of playing the best; I think they welcome it. But what happens is when they play Tiger they have to beat at their very best, and they get out of their games trying to be too perfect. So that's a form of intimidation; you've started to think about the opponent more than yourself. Great players don't do that -- they play the course and worry about their own games. I don't think Tiger cares who he's playing against, whereas other players care that they're playing against him. But I don't think they're afraid at all.
From robertr09: Besides added yardage, are there any changes being made for the British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews?
Jaime Diaz: Not many, as I understand it. They pride themselves on keeping the Old Course looking like the Old Course. There have been gradual changes over the years but nothing drastic -- all subtle. The biggest factor in the difficulty of a major course is the firmness of the greens. If they make the greens very firm, St Andrews will be a big test. They count on the wind -- if the wind doesn't blow it will be easy, and I think someone will shoot close to 60. But the wind always blows, and if they get normal St Andrews wind I think between 12 and 15 under will win the championship.
From JD: Whose game is in the best shape to take the Western Open from Tiger?
Jaime Diaz: Notah Begay's got to be tired. I think Davis Love is very due, and he's angry he's the guy that's been portrayed as being afraid of Tiger, so he's got a lot of fire, a lot of motivation. Plus, he's played consistently all year. It's a long course with a lot of room, so I like Davis at the Western. I also like Vijay Singh. It's a power-hitter's course. I like the guys that can closely match Tiger for power.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all we have time for today. Thanks for chatting with us, Jaime.
Jaime Diaz: Thank you.
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