Conference 7.286::golf

    Unbeilevable(sp)!!!  My Fiance thught I was having a heart attack.
    I don't think that one can be topped all year.I like this kid too
    he's 21 and can only get better.He seems to stay within himself
    he is no head case he may be the next great player.
    
    Ted

    
    Can somebody that was able to watch the tourney post what club he
    actually used for the shot? ESPN said a 7 iron and the Boston Globe
    says it was a 5 iron...!
    
    Thanks
    Gene

	re .-1

	During the interview after the tournament, Gamez said that he had a
	6-iron in his hand, but opted for the 7-iron because he was so
	pumped up.

	Poor Greg, he must have been REALLY bad in a former life ;}
	How many times can one guy be beaten by lucky shots?

	Ron

    CNN said on the news this A.M. that it was a 5-iron.
    That's what I would have hit and I can't come close to hitting them
    as far as the pro's.
    Although when you consider that the shot had to carry to the green
    with no room for screwing up Gamez probably was playing smart and
    making sure he had enough stick.
    Harold
    

    	UST Today says it was a 7-iron.

    
    	Great shot by Gamaz. I watched it, and the annouces origianlly
    said a 5 iron, then they said a 7 iron. I'd have to say it was a
    7 iron. Unbelievable though, he does have great composure. Looks
    like is 11 on 17 last week didn't stick in his mind. As for Norman's
    2nd shot on 18. I would have thought he would have been closer than
    20 feet away for his birdie attempt. Gumbel was interviewing Gamaz
    as they were waiting for Norman to play 18. The asked him the question
    of whether or not winning his first tournament hurt him or not.
    He said it helped him a lot because now he doesn't have to go to
    the tournament school for a few years to re-qualify. He said he
    hated qualfying school. Also they showed his reaction when Norman
    missed his putt on 18. He acted like a real pro, didn't really
    smile just let out a little sigh of relief.
    
    /Ron

    It was definately a 7 iron.....
    
    I think now though i will whine about this one a liitle...As much as
    
    Gamez is a hell of a prospect and has already proved himself to be of
    
    PGA caliber, i have to feel for Norman...these little barf bags keep
    
    coming out right at the end of the tourneys and taking away victories,
    
    which appear to belong to Norman, with lucky shots. Irregardless of how
    
    nice they look, that is all they are!
    
    To be sure i will get some complaints about this reply, but it seems to
    
    me that guys have not payed enough dues to be pulling off this garbage.
    
    Okay so it's the nature of the game but I'm still....
    
    .... mad as hell in Canada
    
    great white north golf fanatic
    

    
    
    Norman had the chances on the last two holes to tie, he hit a good putt
    on 17, but 18 Never had a chance.  What Gamez did was great, but Norman
    still had his chance...
    
    
    Jim

    Gamez said right on the air in the interview with Gumbel that it
    was a seven iron.That is one hell of a seven iron,BUT think about
    this his drive was exactly the same as Normans 305 YARDS.now that
    is laying into them.
    
    Ted

    "the Miller man ......again..
    Just before Gamez hit, Milller says" this kid puts more spin on
    the ball than anybody" and it sort of side-saddled spun in!!
                 
    You could tell from the trajectory it was no 5 iron.
    In the air I said"that's a six or hard 7".
    Plus he played the ball back in the stance and took big divot,
    not usual for a 5 iron.Maybe I can take Gumbel's place!!
    
       Nice kid....
                          Ang
    

    I also read the article  in GD last night, and after he won yesterday
    I was laughing at the timing of  it.    But  I am sure that they will
    still say he needs to prove himself more,  so he would have to have a
    great finish (maybe not win but be in contention and not to choke) in
    a Major  (Maybe  at the Masters?) and then he will prove once and for
    all that he has definitely star quality.
    
    Go for it Gamez!!
    
    Tavo

    re: a few back
    
    Come on now, let's give the kid credit.  Maybe he was lucky to sink a 7
    iron for an eagle, but if he weren't in the hunt, it wouldn't have
    won him the tournament.  Norman had two opportunities to tie him to get
    into a play-off and blew both of them, so I have a little trouble
    feeling sorry for him.  If he learned how to play better on Thursday,
    Friday and Saturday he wouldn't have to worry about miracle shots
    robbing him of a tournament by one shot.  AND, how many "great" shots
    did Norman make that we didn't see that got him that close. 
    Personally, I don't call them miracle shots.  When you're as good as
    these guys, and consistently get the ball close to the hole on your
    approach shots, one of them is bound to go in once in awhile.  Gamez's
    timing just happened to be right!
    
    Hal

        Gamez's shot on 18 was very exciting ! Was it lucky, sure it was.
    There is always an element of luck in this game. But it did not detract
    from his win. 
     I am a Greg Norman fan and was sadden to see him beaten again by a
    lucky shot. As another note rightly pointed out, Greg did have his
    chances. The 17th comes to mind. Yet, I do feel he is somewhat snake-
    bitten. A thought comes to mind, however, and it is while Norman does
    have trouble winning, he is playing well enough to be near the lead
    when these shots happen. That speaks well of his ability. Also, from
    a public point of view Greg never seems to be a whinner over it. One must
    credit him for his professionalism, sportsmanship or whatever you want
    to call it.
     
     Robert Gamez is having a great year and is giving the PGA quite a
    thrill. I hope he keeps it up. Not mentioned yet is the fact that his
    eagle on 18 was he second of the day. He had one on the back nine, too.
    Could he be the next superstar that everybody is looking for ? Only
    time will tell. But for now, I have enjoyed what he has given the fans
    and look forward to more.
    
    
    
    
                              Ken
     

    Shed no tears for the Shark- as I was watching, I commented that his
    shots into the greens were average at best. He was leaving himself 20
    to 30 footers fro his birdies. He never gave himself a chance. One
    hole,
    I can't remeber which, I said- he's got to go for the stick....he
    landed 30 feet away, and Curtis put it within 10 feet. It just seemed 
    that he could not find the pin, and was going for the heart of the
    green instead. 
    
    Take nothing away from Gamez's shot- it was one of the more spectacular
    ones you'll see. Norman just didn't have it. BTW, I really love Norman
    and the way he plays. Even though he was not at his best, he still
    could have won it- everyone else was backing up.....
    
    As I said- no tears for Greg, and big cheers for Robert Gamez!

    Re the last few...I'm another fan of Greg Norman, and rooted for
    him down the stretch, while recognizing he wasn't playing great
    golf (leaving those long putts, missing greens, etc.); but I said
    to my wife as Gamez was preparing for his second shot on 18 that
    if anyone but Norman was to win the tournament, I'd like it to be
    Gamez - then, *pow* that amazing eagle!
    
    He does seem to have the knack of bringing out the "career" shots
    in his competitors...maybe this will be the year when he'll *not*
    lose a major when someone double-eagles a hole in a playoff (but
    I wouldn't bet against it happening). The Masters comes up weekend
    after next...there are a lot of guys with something to prove.
    
    	Frank
    
    P.S. As to Norman having "star" quality - there's no doubt about it,
    if you define it as the quality of making lots of people want to
    see you perform. He attracts large galleries, as Arnold did/does,
    and as Chi Chi does. But I'd agree that he's still to prove himself
    as belonging in the first rank of "great" golfers. Still, like Seve,
    he's one of those guys who're among the favorites in any tournament,
    and is certainly not one of the so-called "faceless" crop of new
    guys on the Tour.
    

    	I too like Norman and his style of play.  Yea, I feel a little
    sorry for him considering the way he's lost about 4 tournaments
    over here.  But 2nd place is not so bad!!!  He made something like
    $92,000 for his 2nd place finish, and played pretty well too.  Granted,
    he could have made a couple of better shots during the last 2 holes,
    but, he did finish 2nd out of a field of how many?  He's got my
    vote as the favorite for the Masters.
    	About Gamez, great shot, great golf, and all the congrats in
    the world.  It has to be tough for a young kid, his 1st year on
    tour and all, to deal with the pressure.  Everyone gets lucky once
    in awhile with this game.  His just came at the most ideal moment.
    And I'm sure Greg Norman will tell you he's had plenty of shots
    role into the hole, that were totally unexpected.
    	I didn't see the round, off cottage hunting for vacation, but
    am sure Norman didn't come out afterwards and say, "He's lucky and
    never could do that again!!!", something to the effect that Mark
    Calcaveccia said about Normans chip in to win against him.
    
    Beak

    What do these guys eat for breakfast??
    
    Not only was Gamez's 7 iron absolutely amazing, but as Norman was
    coming down the stretch, he pushed one of his drives off into the
    gallery.  He had something like 205 to the green, fairly open with
    a huge pine right in the way.  He pulled out a 5 iron, flew over
    the tree and right into the heart of the green!
    
    Jim G. 

    Don't forget how Larry Mize must have felt.  After all, he went from
    being the leader (or co-leader, Norman had just made a birdie to tie I
    think) to having to hole a shot from the sand just to tie Gamez.  Had
    he not been forced to attack the hole he may have also finished -13 and
    would have had to go into a playoff with Norman.  I just don't think 
    Norman was as "snake-bit" on this one as in the other "fluke" losses.
    Gamez' finish definitely ranked right up there with the incredible last
    second NCAA basketball finishes this past week in terms of excitement.
    
    						Ron
    

    Implied in earlier replies was the notion that Norman was not at
    his aggressive best, and was taking the safe shots rather than the
    high-risk, high-payoff/high-penalty shots. I can't read minds, but
    it would certainly be uncharacteristic of him to play conservative,
    "settle for 2nd-place money" golf. Well, maybe. Maybe he's starting
    to listen to Jack Nicklaus, instead of his own instincts; but if
    he has, golf's lost one of its most charismatic individuals. Sure,
    there are times when aggressiveness gives way to recklessness, like
    his tee shot on 18 at the British Open (or Arnold's attempt to break
    Hogan's scoring record at the 1966 (?) US Open, which allowed Billy
    Casper to catch and beat him). But my opinion is that he just wasn't
    hitting the ball where he meant it to go, and wound up with 20+
    foot putts. I think he only cared about winning, not ensuring that
    he got at least runner-up money (else why knock the birdie putt
    so far past the hole on 18, leaving a treacherous come-backer; why
    not just lag it up a couple of feet short, tap it in and pick up
    the check?).
    
    Can't wait for the Masters!
    
    
    	Frank

Wait a minute the man hit a 5 iron 204 yards out of the rough over a
    100 foot pine tree within 10 feet of the hole.
    
    Then on the last hole he hit a 305 yard drive.
    
    That sounds like gregg to me.
    
    By the way on the 5 iron shot Mark Rolfing sayed that he came up
    on his toes he swung so hard
    
    TEd

    	A lot of things affect the distance of a shot.  Wind direction,
    being in the rough, which can cause a flier, the adrenalen a player
    has when in the hunt for a championship during the last 9 holes,
    even elevation(the heavyness of the air) can affect the normal distance
    a shot will travel.  I average about 155 yards for a 7 iron.  Which
    means I certainly could hit the club 165 yards on a hard swing with
    very solid contact.  Why do noters think a strong young pro with
    a good swing, pumped full of adrenalin, couldn't hit it 175 yards?
    Not to mention, many have said it was over water.  Well, the 175
    yards, or in Normans case, 205 yards, was measured to the pin, not
    the green.  To the front of the green could have been as much as
    a 30 yard difference.  That can be a 2 to 3 club difference in a
    pros game.  I'm sure Norman could hit a 5 iron over 210 yards on
    a given swing.  Hell, in that tournament thats played somewhere
    in Colardo, the one that uses a stableford system, I remeber Jack
    Nicklaus hitting a 4 iron from 245 yards away.  He made the green
    in tha air.  The fact is, the pros know their games and their
    capabilities and limitations.  They adjust their club selection
    to the situation at hand and the conditions at that time.
    
    Beak

    I think it was last years Doral, but Bill Glasson was hitting his
    7-iron 200 yards (!).
    I also remember reading that Greg Norman hit a 5 iron ( wind assisted
    and in a friendly game ) 400 yards ( yes, 400! ).
    I think most professional golfers , no matter how aggressive they
    look normally, only hit the ball at 85-90% strength.
    
    martin o'

    
    
    	.21
    
    	  Well said!
    
    John-

    Re. 16 - Correct...Greg had no demeaning comments to make about
    Gamez's miracle shot (more like an albatross than an eagle, really,
    though that's how it goes on the card); in the article in Golf World
    (a greatly improved magazine since being taken over by Golf Digest),
    he's quoted as saying "Sure, I'm disappointed I didn't win. But
    I'm happy for the guy who holed his shot...I haven't seen him [Gamez]
    play, but I guess he can play if he can hole a shot on the last
    hole." Incidentally (maybe this belongs in the note about "player
    of the 90's") Paul Azinger was quoted as saying (about Gamez), "You
    looking for another superstar? You got one right there."
    
    	Frank