Key words there being "stroke play". And both Oregon's men's and women's teams managed to unexpectedly make it to match play. No, no coincidence there...
2016 Illini Golf - Road to the Championship
Key words there being "stroke play". And both Oregon's men's and women's teams managed to unexpectedly make it to match play. No, no coincidence there...
There is a large advantage in knowing a course's greens, knowing wind patterns, knowing contours of the fringe around the green, and fairways. This is also match play where knowledge is more important because you know more than your opponent about his upcoming shot. An opposing team can catch up in knowledge after playing the course several times, but it is an advantage. Hey, Oregon made the shots and putts in crunch time and you can not take anything away from them. However, I would not want my championship with a home course advantage hanging over it. It will always be questioned just like Kentucky's victory in 84. What is worse, they may play 5 against 4 tomorrow.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
How can you say this? He was standing in the fairway, waiting for Danielson and the Oregon to putt out on 18. If he plays slow (and for my game, you're right, he does), he is still keeping pace. That's the big deal
My congratulations to Coach Small and the entire staff, and all the fine young players.
What a great program he has built, and continues to field championship caliber teams.
Great traditions being built by quality young men. Go Illini....
What a great program he has built, and continues to field championship caliber teams.
Great traditions being built by quality young men. Go Illini....
BillyBob1
- Champaign
You weren't watching on the greens and other shots. I'm not even mentioning the last hole because I knew they were waiting for the group ahead of them to finish.
Not that it would have mattered today given how bad a couple of the guys lost but why do they switch to "match play" when they get to the final 8 teams? Why do they not keep it "team score"? It is the "team championship" afterall. I don't understand why they turn it into an individual event, more or less, when they get to 8 teams. Think about it, you could have 2 players win huge in match play, lose the other 3 matches 1up, therefore losing the match. Even though your guys shot a lower "team score". I don't get it.
danielb927
Orange Krush Class of 2013
- Rochester, MN
You might argue that match play is more team oriented. One superstar can't carry the team in the same way they could if it were just cumulative score because they can only win their one match.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Match play is radically different than stroke play. FWIW, I like the switch to match play once the field is winnowed to 8. AFAIC, match play brings more of a team factor than stroke play. Of course, some prefer fore play, but that's an entirely different subject.
Kudos to Coach Small and the team on a wonderful year. Losing by a hair on their opponent's home course is rough. The team played well and represented even better.
For one, match play is just much more exciting and entertaining to watch in my opinion (and I feel many share similar sentiments).
Secondly, think about the flip side to your argument. Say you have the best player in college golf by far and they outshoot the entire field by a wide margin, but your remaining four players are pretty average. Another team has all five of their players shoot better than your team's average four, yet loses because your one stud is playing out of his mind. Would you say your "team" is better than the other then? Match play makes all 5 players count and emphasizes depth top to bottom.
What happened to the U.S. Open Nick Hardy from last year because this year he was Mr. Inconsistent? He seemed to struggle mightily when it looked like he had the brightest future out of any player last year.
Hopefully that was just the sophomore slump and he returns to being very, very good again in 2017 because they are going to need him and Meyer (who surprised the hell out of me over the course of the year) to be the savvy vets for a few years.
Hopefully that was just the sophomore slump and he returns to being very, very good again in 2017 because they are going to need him and Meyer (who surprised the hell out of me over the course of the year) to be the savvy vets for a few years.
It was changed to make it more entertaining, really. If it was done as a normal stroke play event, there would rarely be much drama. With match play, you're almost guaranteed to have it. I'm really torn on this as I don't think it's the way to find the best team, but match play is really great theater and has been good for getting college golf more exposure.
And it's most definitely a team event, same as the Ryder/President's Cup for the professionals. You don't look at the score of those matches, just if you won them or not. Win 3 and your team wins.
Golf is a funny game. He had such a great roll last year it may have put some unreasonable expectations on him. That being said, he had the type of year many sophomores across the country would have killed for. I know Nick practices harder than anyone out there and loves the game. Trust me when I say Nick will continue to work his tail off. He has a great future ahead of him and the Illini program is in good hands. One thing is for sure, Coach Small has built a program that does not have to rebuild, they reload. We keep knocking on the door, one of these years, we will knock it down.
Future Walk-On
- Peoria, IL
Not the biggest fan of Illini golf but have followed their success over the years and watched on TV the last few. Pretty annoying that there are 5000 quality golf courses in pacific northwest and they pick Nike's Golden School's home track. :tsk:
I don't think I've seen such a brutal finish to anything in my life. I was getting emotional, and I don't have any stake.
So impressed with what Meyer was able to do at the end. Wise is slow, and Meyer was gonna beat him too. Feel for Charlie. That kid wouldn't get that bunker shot that close in 5 more tries, and that putt....
My interest in this program and college golf has risen immensely.
I don't think I've seen such a brutal finish to anything in my life. I was getting emotional, and I don't have any stake.
So impressed with what Meyer was able to do at the end. Wise is slow, and Meyer was gonna beat him too. Feel for Charlie. That kid wouldn't get that bunker shot that close in 5 more tries, and that putt....
My interest in this program and college golf has risen immensely.
Congratulations to Coach Small, the team, and the all of Illini Nation. The team played its heart out against the 'home team' and almost pulled it off. I think that match play golf may be more stressful than basketball or football, at least it was last night. We have a repeating legitimate national contending golf program -- nice.
Too bad having to go up against the home team. The Golf Channel guy finally relented during Tuesday's coverage and said it was a big advantage, or words to that effect, playing at your home course.
Monday, another of the Golf Channel characters referred to Oregon as a "Cinderella" team. C'mon, what baloney, nothing Cinderella about it: Oregon had the advantage, period, and they took advantage of their good fortune.
Or rather, the advantages: no travel, familiar beds, food, gallery and course knowledge; the Golf Channel guy said the Oregon team, or Wise, or both had played the course "hundreds of times." It was obvious to me that they sure knew how to play those greens.
It was very unfair, and that's not sour grapes. Wonder what LSU fans thought after their loss. The NCAA, of course, won't change a thing I'm sure.
On the positive side, I had the pleasure of watching this Illini team in action at Rich Harvest Farms at the Northern Intercollegiate in September. I also followed Danielson and Detry at the Palmer Cup and Western Amateur at the same beautiful course last summer. Met Coach Small too.
Thank you for another great season. Good luck to Detry and Danielson and their pro careers. And good luck to all down the road, especially at the East Lake Cup where no one will have an advantage.
Monday, another of the Golf Channel characters referred to Oregon as a "Cinderella" team. C'mon, what baloney, nothing Cinderella about it: Oregon had the advantage, period, and they took advantage of their good fortune.
Or rather, the advantages: no travel, familiar beds, food, gallery and course knowledge; the Golf Channel guy said the Oregon team, or Wise, or both had played the course "hundreds of times." It was obvious to me that they sure knew how to play those greens.
It was very unfair, and that's not sour grapes. Wonder what LSU fans thought after their loss. The NCAA, of course, won't change a thing I'm sure.
On the positive side, I had the pleasure of watching this Illini team in action at Rich Harvest Farms at the Northern Intercollegiate in September. I also followed Danielson and Detry at the Palmer Cup and Western Amateur at the same beautiful course last summer. Met Coach Small too.
Thank you for another great season. Good luck to Detry and Danielson and their pro careers. And good luck to all down the road, especially at the East Lake Cup where no one will have an advantage.
One more thing: next year's NCAA golf is at Rich Harvest Farms. All the returning Illini have played the course.
And another thing: no school other than NIU will be permitted to play RHF until the championship. RHF is NIU's home course; they can play all they want on it. It would be great if NIU could make it to the tournament and have that old home course advantage just like Oregon (nothing against Oregon, by the way.)
Thanks.
And another thing: no school other than NIU will be permitted to play RHF until the championship. RHF is NIU's home course; they can play all they want on it. It would be great if NIU could make it to the tournament and have that old home course advantage just like Oregon (nothing against Oregon, by the way.)
Thanks.
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
You better believe other teams and fans would put up a stink if we happened to be allowed to play the NCAAs on the Orange and Blue course. I have no doubt the Illini would dominate and it wouldn't be close. Of course that will never happen...
We're not making excuses because there's no guarantee Illinois would have won at a neutral site. But one thing was clear to me: the Oregons knew what they were doing on the greens and onto the greens with chip shots. That's course knowledge. that's experience. As I said, they took advantage of their good fortune and won. Good for them.
Not an excuse, any golfer will play much better on a course they've played 100s of times compared to one they've only seen 5-6 times. This is factual information, simple as that. When you add in the match play format, it makes things even more skewed.
I happened to look at the scores of the Championship matches and it looks like Hossler is not playing since it only show 4 matches. The score is: Oregon Leads 0.8-0-2.4. Anyone know how this is scored and if Texas did or did not have to forfeit a match since Hossler is not playing?
I looked at the scoring again and it does look like Hossler forfeited his match since Oregon has already won that match 1 UP.
I looked at the scoring again and it does look like Hossler forfeited his match since Oregon has already won that match 1 UP.
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FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
right, he did forfeit.
He hurt his shoulder pretty badly in yesterday's match and you cannot substitute, so Texas had to put him out there and hope. That did not work well.
Tex / Ore are splitting the 4 matches being played at the moment.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
Texas looks like they are going to go out and win this thing, even with Hossler's forfeit.
Impressive
Impressive
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FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
Now Oregon has a chance to win on 18th green with a birdie putt. All other matches are done, 2-2.
He misses, but par putt conceded. Texas must make a 5 footer to extend
Funk makes putt to force extras!!
He misses, but par putt conceded. Texas must make a 5 footer to extend
Funk makes putt to force extras!!
Nice edit.