|
Chat Reel: SI's Jaime Diaz
Plenty of British Open talk -- and not all about Tiger
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 17 chat follows.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our weekly golf chat with Sports Illustrated's Jaime Diaz. Thanks for joining us, Jaime.
Jaime Diaz: Thank you. I'm on a pay phone in Scotland.
CNNSI.com Host: Let's get started with the questions.
From Jack: I'm headed to the final two days of the British Open. How hard will it be to follow Tiger? Should I walk the course, or just find a place in the grandstand on the Road Hole?
Jaime Diaz: The Road Hole is a great place because you can also see the tee shot on 18. One of the nice things about British Open venues is that there is a lot of open space, very few trees, so there's a large viewing area. For the experience of St. Andrews, it'd be great to walk it. If you don't see a lot of Tiger, at least you'll see a lot of the course. You can't go wrong either way, but I would say, especially if it's your first time, to walk it.
From joinny: Is Jean Van de Velde going to put on another comedy show this year?
Jaime Diaz: I think Van de Velde has been such a great example to golfers everywhere, just in terms of handling everything that happened to him mentally. He's never down, he's never been bitter. Maybe he has private moments where he is, but the face he puts on I think has been very genuine. With time, I think he was a victim more of bad luck than bad judgment. If his second shot doesn't hit the grandstand pole and bounce into the water, he wins the British Open, because he was over the birn. I think he has a chance at St. Andrews, because he's such a good putter.
From Guest: Why is the U.S. Women's Open the same weekend as a men's major? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
Jaime Diaz: That was the initial reaction, but the fact that it's not at the same time and comes after the British telecast may work in its favor. You have people locked in to their TV sets. On the other hand, maybe by then everyone will be burned out on golf and want to get out of the house. But the ratings for the Women's Open have never been that high, so perhaps it won't make a difference. I don't think the move was calculated. I think it was one of those accidents of timing.
From Guest: Is Nick Faldo a serious contender this weekend? His resurgence since the U.S. Open has been remarkable.
Jaime Diaz: I think he's giving away a lot to Tiger off the tee, but in terms of knowing the course and if he putts like he did at Pebble, then he's viable. It depends how St. Andrews plays -- if it can be overpowered, then he's at a disadvantage. Otherwise, he's got a lot of good memories to draw from. I don't think anyone's played as well at a major since Faldo in the 1990 British, other than Tiger at the Masters and Pebble.
From Guest: If Tiger starts slow -- which he had traditionally done until Pebble Beach -- is St. Andrews the kind of course where he can make up ground?
Jaime Diaz: Oh, yes. The course record is 62. If the wind doesn't blow real hard, there's a good chance that record will fall. I could even see someone breaking 60 on a still day. The wind is the only important hazard; if there's no wind the course will be eaten up. Which means there could be huge stroke swings -- a leader could should 74 while someone else is shooting 64 and making up 10 strokes. Certainly, Tiger could go very low there and make up a lot of ground.
From Guest: What has gone wrong with Karrie Webb's game recently? Is Annika Sorenstam now the favorite at the Women's Open?
Jaime Diaz: Annika has won two of them and Karrie hasn't won any. It's the most difficult major in terms of conditions for the women. Annika's experience gives her an edge. Karrie has more weapons, but the Open is all about steadiness and keeping yourself together mentally. I've always felt Annika is a bit stronger mentally, and now with some confidence and Karrie maybe putting pressure on herself, mentally the battle could favor Annika. I'd say it's a toss-up. But then again, Karrie could be more determined. I would give the edge to Annika since she did win last week on a very U.S. Open-style course.
From joinny: Is David Duval ever going to win a major?
Jaime Diaz: I certainly think so. Much like Colin Montgomerie, he's put a great deal of pressure on himself. He's probably getting in his own way at the moment. When he gets that all straightened out and just goes and plays, he's going to have at least one week in a major where he's the best player. With David it's always been feast or famine -- he went for so long without winning on tour and then ran off with a bunch quickly -- so when he wins a major he may win three or four in a cluster.
From Guest: How important was it for Ernie Els to win Sunday?
Jaime Diaz: I think it was important not so much to win, but to have a solid, competitive Sunday where he didn't give away a lead or falter. Since the playoff with Tiger at the Mercedes, he seems to have had a problem finishing well on Sundays. This was a turnaround. I think he proved to himself he can hold together under pressure. Ernie probably should've won the 1995 Open at St. Andrews. As I always do, I make him my second pick this week behind Tiger.
From igolf: Any thoughts on who will be playing for the British Open on Sunday afternoon, or will Tiger win the Open over the first three days like he did at Pebble Beach?
Jaime Diaz: I don't think we can ever count on Tiger blowing away the field like that. Even he doesn't know when that's possible; it happens so rarely. Having said that, Loren Roberts just did it at the Greater Milwaukee Open. That tells me other players are capable of running away. Most majors are not runaways, and my guess is he will have to battle on Sunday to win. The fact is, other than Augusta and Pebble Beach, Tiger has had very few runaways in his career. Most of his wins have been by one or two strokes, or in a playoff.
From Guest: I have been more than surprised at the way Notah Begay has played across the pond. Do you think he's capable of remaining hot? And even though an American has won something like four of the last five British Opens, can that streak continue if you discount Tiger?
Jaime Diaz: First on Notah: He's really a battler. On links courses you have to scramble and improvise and absorb bad breaks, and with the kind of spirit Notah has and the fighting temperament, he probably likes links golf. So even though he's relatively inexperienced, he has a mental edge over most of his compatriots. St. Andrews is a good course for him -- he's not the straightest guy so the fairways will give him some room for error, and from there it's who can manufacture the best golf, rather than playing point-to-point, American-style golf. I feel that the best golfers are in America, so even taking Tiger out of the mix Americans have a great chance to continue that streak at the British. After Tiger, I think the guys with the best chance at St. Andrews are foreign-born, but in terms of numbers the Americans have the greatest chance of being the winner.
From Guest: Raymond Floyd said he finally feels good after a long bout with injuries. How realistic is it that he can become a consistent winner on the Senior tour? Is it even a possibility?
Jaime Diaz: The thing about Raymond that makes him viable is that he has not lost his length. He's a big guy and has always hit the ball long, and in his prime he had one of the greatest short games ever. Those are two skills that never go out of fashion -- if you hit the ball far and have a good short game, you're going to make a lot of birdies. But he's had a lot of swing problems because of injury. He's a very positive person. I know he didn't want to quit the way he was playing, so I think there will be a short resurgence. Next year might be hard to get motivated, but the rest of this year I think you're going to see good things from him.
From joeinLI: Is Tiger worried or concerned about his putting this weekend?
Jaime Diaz: I doubt that he is. I think what he did at the Western was a flat period mentally, and he was pointing for St. Andrews. I think one of Tiger's assets is how he can gear up for big tournaments. Putting is mental -- if you're clear of mind you should be able to putt well. If he's honed in and in the kind of zone he wants to be in for a major, I think he'll putt well. Having said that, it's the least predictable part of his game. So there's a chance putting could end up beating him at St. Andrews.
From Guest: Pretty amazing stuff how Larry Nelson finished the Senior Players Championship after bending his putter. That was a wild scene, huh?
Jaime Diaz: It's not unprecedented. Ben Crenshaw had to play out a Ryder Cup match with a 1-iron and made a bunch of putts. Those guys are so good, they're very capable of doing different things with different clubs. It was not an unheard of feat.
From Guest: Can Els play with Woods, or is it all about confidence?
Jaime Diaz: Woods has more weapons physically -- he's longer than Ernie, he has more shots coming into the green. Ernie's strengths are finesse, a great putting touch and a great temperament for golf. So they're different players. When Ernie's right he's very hard to beat, especially on difficult courses. To me, the guy who can stay with Woods best in majors is Els, but his style of game differs significantly from Tiger's.
From Guest: Do you feel like Nick Price is resurgent enough to win?
Jaime Diaz: I always have reservations about Nick because of his putting. That has been Price's Achilles' heel his whole career. He hits the ball beautifully, but you have to be able to make putts on Sunday. Nick did that in 1993 and '94, and he hasn't since. I'd love to see him win here; the British is his favorite championship, and St. Andrews would be very, very special for a guy who grew up dreaming about winning the British Open.
From Guest: Lee Westwood seems to be playing well at the right time. Is it his time for a major breakthrough?
Jaime Diaz: That's the next level for him. He's very impressive in week-to-week tournaments. He knows how to win. Overall, he's still gaining precision in his game; he's still young, prone to making mistakes in major-championship conditions. He's still gaining that maturity in his game. He's got to be close to winning a major, because he's winning so often on the Euro tour. He didn't react well the last time he was in contention, having a poor back nine at the Masters. He's not on my first page of favorites, but he could do well. However, I have the feeling he's still a bit of an unfinished player.
From Guest: Does John Daly have a realistic shot at winning the British Open? Could something like winning maybe put him back on the straight path?
Jaime Diaz: I was so shocked when he won in '95, and it was so unlikely and so incongruous, but I would say it would be five times more unlikely and five times more incongruous for him to win this week. Mentally he's deteriorated so much -- he's impatient, he's morose, he feels sorry for himself, he hits angry. I don't see it happening. If you put somebody else's head on his game, he'd still be good. But that's not going to happen. Would a win set him straight? Everyone thought '95 would, and it didn't. He has some serious problems; he's got to deal with those before he starts playing golf well again.
From Do: Do you believe Tiger when he says the high winds give him a distinct advantage over the rest of the field, or is he just giving a psyche job to himself and anyone else who will listen?
Jaime Diaz: I like the second part. I think that's a bit of an exercise in positive thinking. Tiger is not the most precise iron player on tour, and wind has given him problems in the past. However, given the way he improves and takes on challenges, he probably will become the best wind player. But he isn't now. There is no doubt that power is an asset in wind, because it allows you to hit the ball farther to stop it, and to get some distance on it. And he can hit it 20 miles downwind with his driver, obviously.
From Guest: Where has Sergio Garcia gone? He seems to be in a sophomore slump.
Jaime Diaz: I think Sergio will emerge from this a better player, but will he be the world-beater everybody thought? I think he found out how hard golf is to play day in and day out for a living. I believe he's a great talent, but it wasn't good for him to be compared to Tiger -- Tiger was a much more finished player. What he did last year in the PGA proved he has very big gifts. Now he has to put his head together and build his game, to be a pro. The more he rushes and the more people tell him, the worse off he is. He has to be patient and keep his own counsel.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all we have time for today. Thanks for all the great questions. Join us again next Monday to talk about everything that happened at the British Open.
Jaime Diaz: Thank you.
|
Copyright © 2001
CNN/Sports Illustrated
An AOL Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
|
| 
