Every week of the 2010 PGA Tour season, the editorial staff of the SI Golf Group will conduct an e-mail roundtable. Check in on Mondays for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation in the comments section below.
BYRD'S ACE IN THE HOLE
Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: Jonathan Byrd makes a hole-in-one in the dark on the fourth playoff hole to win Justin Timberlake's event in Vegas. Who said the Fall Series is boring? First Rocco holes out all four days, now this from Byrd. Unbelievable.
Jim Herre, managing editor, SI Golf Group: Never seen anything like that before — Byrd wins with an ace!
Cameron Morfit, senior writer, Golf Magazine: That's two weeks in a row that a crazy hole-out has determined the winner.
Van Sickle: Byrd saved somebody's butt. Without that ace, it might've been a Monday finish for no good reason. Why were they aiming for 8 p.m. EST, which left them only a modest window for a playoff? It's not like it's the Masters or the U.S. Open on a major network hoping to pick up a big prime-time audience. No reason you can't get 75 guys around a course in daylight. But it ended up being one of the most amazing finishes I can remember. Like when Craig Parry holed out on 18 to beat Scott Verplank at Doral.
Herre: It was so dark that Byrd couldn't see his ball go into the hole.
Rick Lipsey, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Pure Vegas.
Morfit: Looked like there were about six people and a sparrow around the green to go crazy when it dropped.
David Dusek, deputy editor, Golf.com: I think it was an owl.
Van Sickle: That ace has to be a nominee for Shot of the Year. Nice coverage by Golf Channel at the end of an otherwise flat telecast. I liked the touch of showing his ball in the cup. It lent a feel of authenticity. Also, it was pretty interesting when the rules officials let the players decide if they wanted to go to a fourth playoff hole. Golf Channel had cameras in their faces and we could hear the chatter. Laird asked if they could quit if it was too dark when they got to the green. When the official said yes, he said, let's go play.
Morfit: It was funny that those guys had to make the decision on camera. Who's going to be the stick-in-the-mud in that scenario?
Van Sickle: Exactly, Cam. That was great TV by Golf Channel. I criticize them for a lot of other stuff, but they were right there when they needed to be.
Lipsey: That's more than the nominee for shot of the year. Make an ace to win a Tour playoff? To me, that tops Mickelson's 6-iron at 13 at Augusta.
Morfit: No way it tops Phil's 6-iron through the goalposts, Rick.
Herre: I don't think so, Rick. The tournament was pretty routine until the ace, which was dumb luck, like all holes-in-one. I'll take Mickelson's 6-iron at 13. Much higher degree of difficulty, plus it came on the back nine on Sunday in the Masters.
Lipsey: Last week, we said Rocco's hole out was lucky. Now Byrd's ace is luck. No luck. Just great shots.
Dusek: Byrd said he hit a great shot, but the fact that it went in the hole was just dumb luck. As Jim said, same is true for nearly all holes-in-one.
Van Sickle: Yeah, one of my holes-in-one happened when I missed the green with a 5-iron. It doinked off a bank, bounced onto the green and went into the cup. Stupid dumb luck. Byrd's shot was better, even great, but still lucky.
Lipsey: Call it what you want. Byrd hit an ace to win a Tour event in a playoff. That is freakin' amazing.
Van Sickle: Byrd didn't hit his ace off a mat of pine needles between a couple of trees, but the walk-off factor is impressive. I felt rewarded for watching for the previous several hours.
Farrell Evans, writer-reporter, Sports Illustrated: Byrd hit the shot of the year in terms of pure golf. Forget the Fall Series setting. The lights were dim, and he went lights out.
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