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Chat Reel: Alan Shipnuck
There's no question Tiger is fighting his swing
Posted: Friday June 15, 2001 4:23 PM
Updated: Friday June 15, 2001 9:40 PM
CNNSI Host: Welcome to today's golf chat with Alan Shipnuck. Welcome Alan thanks for joining us.
Alan Shipnuck: My pleasure!
From Jlink: What is going on with Tiger? Bad breaks? Can't get it going?
Alan Shipnuck: I just walked through the 12th hole with him and he made a stout birdie one of the toughest par 4s out here. Now he has a little slip wedge remaining on 13, if he makes birdie there I think he is on his way. There's no question he's fighting his swing right now.
From Mullet: What is the hardest thing about this course?
Alan Shipnuck: That's a good one. The challenges are really three-fold: the Bermuda rough is tangly and now it's wet, which makes it problematic. Related to that, it's hard to judge how the ball is going to come out of the grass, lots fliers and twisted hosles. The rough is really the teeth of the course now that it's softened up. But the greens will be back to their pace by tomorrow afternoon and this is fast as they've been rolling in a long time. And lastly, the dog legs turn in unusual places, at 250 yards on some holes, 280 on the next. In the swirling winds, pulling the right club off the tee is a bit of a riddle. Otherwise it is a piece of cake.
From James in New York: Not to jump ahead too far, but when was the last time you played on a municipal golf course? Have you ever had the opportunity to play Bethpage Black, the site of the 2002 Open? If so, what are your thoughts?
Alan Shipnuck: Despite all the wonderful golf courses I get to play, I am hardly a snob and I play a lot muni golf. That said, I've never had the pleasure of playing at Bethpage, but last week they hosted a media outing and I've heard nothing but raves. My esteemed colleague Gary Van Sickle, after playing there last week, has taken to calling Bethpage Black one of the best courses in the country. That's enough for me.
From BenSeattle: We see several "lesser names" on board here in the second round. Fine players I'm sure, but when will these guys begin feeling that "Open pressure?"
Alan Shipnuck: Hopefully soon, because if I have to write my story about J.L. Lewis, I am going to jump off a bridge. No question the downpour yesterday afternoon made the course play far easier and far more forgiving, allowing the likes of J.L. Lewis (not to pick on him) and Mark Brooks to take advantage. On the weekend the greens will be a heckuva lot faster and the pins more devilishly placed and the pressure will be more suffocating. So hopefully we'll get a marquee winner. Otherwise it'll be U.S. Open Winners in the Crowd.
From will4: Will Bethpage be as tough as Southern Hills?
Alan Shipnuck: Ask me next year at this time.
From Gunner: Where do you think Tiger needs to be after Round 2 in order to have a chance on the weekend?
Alan Shipnuck: He needs to work on his golf swing. Yesterday he was ballooning his irons short right, today he is jacking them long and left. His swing is really out of synch and he's falling back into his career-long flaw, getting his club stuck on the downswing. He knows what to do to fix it. I am sure three to four hours on the range tonight will fix it.
From Martin Kurily in Warren, Mich.: Allen, What kind of preparation do you do to cover an event like this with all the excitement centered on Tiger?
Alan Shipnuck: (laughs) Well, I've played a lot of mini golf, driven some go carts and I might go see Tomb Raider tonight. In truth, I have done a lot of interviews in the last couple of weeks with Tiger's inner circle to get a sense of his preparation and mindset. I've watched him play these first two rounds and I'm going to shadow him this afternoon and evening to see what he does to right himself. Tiger is the story until he's not the story. And even if he's not the story, he may be the story. He's pretty tough to ignore these days.
From BB: Is Tiger in real danger of missing the cut?
Alan Shipnuck: It depends how he plays the last five holes. If he makes one more birdie coming in he's safe. The U.S. Open has the 10-shot rule, meaning any player within 10 shots of the leader after two rounds makes the cut regardless of their position in the field. So if he comes in at +3, it's highly unlikely that anyone will come in lower than -7. And believe me, Tiger is doing the math out there as we speak.
From BenSeattle: Is one major now "enough?" Lehman, Couples, Pavin, Leonard, etc. Seems that once somebody wins, the pressure is off and they go on cruise control. "Got my major. Ho hum."
Alan Shipnuck: Well, those guys are the product of the era. Since Tom Watson sizzled in the early '80s and before Tiger made the scene, all it took was one major and the occasional victory here and there to be considered an elite player. You could say some of these players are stunted by the expectation level. Obviously times have changed. If Tiger only wins one major this season, it's a disaster. He's set the curve by which all are graded.
From Guest: Do you think that any shot Hale Irwin had to contend on the weekend is gone now that the course has softened up?
Alan Shipnuck: Yes, that really hurt him. Yesterday before the rain, Southern Hills was playing as hard and fast as any Open venue in recent memory, allowing Irwin to bunt his drives out there 230 yards and get 50 yards of roll. And the baked-out greens were demanding, highly skilled shot making. He remains one of the best iron players, period. Now it's more of a sluggers course, there's a larger margin for error, so good-bye Hale.
From Brian: Alan, do you think guys like Mickelson and Duval and others will perform better seeing how far back Tiger is?
Alan Shipnuck: That's the funny thing, if Tiger were to miss the cut, those guys would come out for the third round and soil themselves they'd be so excited. If Tiger makes the cut, he's in contention. It's that simple and those guys know it. But I would think the comfort level a little bit higher for a Duval or Mickelson knowing they have five or six shots on Tiger heading into the weekend.
From Soma in Houston: What about Greg Norman's refusal to play the qualifier for the U.S. Open citing 'prior appointment' and the USGA not giving him an exemption? Considering his current form I think Norman chickened out. Since he always claimed he would play only as long as he thinks he can win, he should call it quits. Do you think he can ever win again on the PGA Tour let alone a Major?
Alan Shipnuck: Norman's dead.
From bigjho: What score do you think it will take to win? Who's the favorite now?
Alan Shipnuck: Wow... I would be surprised if the winner hits double digits, assuming there's no more rainfall. The USGA is going to unmerciful in their setup over the next two rounds, but I think eight or nine under par is a realistic number. It's premature, but at this point I like David Duval who's striking it beautifully and has a lovely pace in the green and his disposition is as flowery as my description. He just really seems to be confident and composed and I have a sinking feeling it's his week.
From bboy: Do you really think Tiger would have enough legitimate birdie opportunities to make up potentially a 10 shot deficit?
Alan Shipnuck: In a word -- yes. There's a number of short par 4s where you're coming into the green with a wedge. Admittedly they're unreceptive greens and tough pins. But if he can hit a straight ball off the tee, he's going to have a lot of wedges in his hand. It's up to him.
From Guest: How has the crowd reaction to Colin Montgomerie been so far this week? Is he as loved as ever?
Alan Shipnuck: Actually, it's been a Monty love-in this week. Yesterday, I was out walking and he made a long par putt on No. 4 and the crowd gave him a rousing cheer and he hammed it up quite uncharacteristically. I think now that Montgomerie has accepted he's never going to win in America, he's a far jollier figure and the crowd has responded in kind.
From sjl3: Interesting to see Mark Brooks on the board. He's not done much since his PGA win. Where's he been?
Alan Shipnuck: Yes, actually I thought he retired back in 1997. This goes back to the earlier question about the pre-Tiger major champions, like a lot of them, Brooks cashed in and dropped out and it's reflected in his play. He's also one of those scrappy short hitters who has been rendered largely obsolete by the changes in technology since the mid-90's. But this is the kind of course he could hang around and scare a lot of people, including all of us in the press tent who would have to write about him.
From gunch: Do you think with the toughness of the course will cause the leaders will back-up to the rest of the field?
Alan Shipnuck: No question the course will get tougher over the next two days. This morning and early this afternoon is the time to make some hay out there. I don't think the leaders will back up as much as their forward progress will be stymied.
From DavidScott: If Tiger misses the cut, what happens to TV ratings and attendance for the weekend?
Alan Shipnuck: They'll cancel the telecast and you may not get your Sports Illustrated either.
CNNSI Host: That's all the time we have today with Alan Shipnuck. Alan, thank you for joining us and enjoy the U.S. Open.
Alan Shipnuck: It was great and we'll do it again soon.
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