Most overrated PGA proffessional current/all time?

[primo]

Here's a thread for an open discussion. Who do you think is the most over rated PGA pro?

For current, I gotta say Davis Love III. This is a guy that everyone keeps saying is gonna be great but hasn't done anything in years. Nobody really talks about all the times he's choked and I'm not sure why.

As for all time, wait a second let me put on my anti flame suite on, Arnold Palmer. Although I can't deny the success that he had, and the incredible run at the Masters, let's face it, the guy cheats. Let's forget about the rumors that he teed off from the whites on a hole at his own tournament; let's forget about the whole entire Ken Venturi controversy with the illegal drop.

The guy was all over the place. I don't think he could go more than 3-4 swings without making a bad one. If it weren't for all of the above mentioned I don't think Palmer is the golfer that he is known for today. We all know golf is a game of luck, and if you're the only guy in the field, that has his own army keeping your ball in the short grass... cmon

Ok Flame suite activated.... bring it.

[nikemike]

Primo, are you a fark member by chance??

[CLMelton]

Current is tough but Davis and Phil Mickelson have certainly had plenty of hype that they never have fulfilled. Phil's major drought is over but from the way he was blown up in the media when he turned pro you would have thought by now he would be neck and neck with Tiger and Vijay.

All time I'm thinking Johnny Miller. He never made the impact that he was supposed to. It was played up that he would be the Bear killer and never got close.

How about all time underrated? Billy Casper gets my vote.

[haribo]

Current is tough but Davis and Phil Mickelson have certainly had plenty of hype that they never have fulfilled.  Phil's major drought is over but from the way he was blown up in the media when he turned pro you would have thought by now he would be neck and neck with Tiger and Vijay.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Mickelson has about 23 wins. VJ has 17.

haribo

[johnnypro]

ALL-TIME: Don't excommunicate me but I gotta side with Primo - Palmer was way over-rated. Only won the Open once and Hogan and Nicklaus handed it to him (and lost 3 Open playoffs). Did not win a major after the '64 Masters. Never won the PGA. Plus his swing sucked.

IMHO he was done after the choke of all chokes in the '66 Open at Olympic - never the same after that. Nicklaus could beat him anytime he wanted to.

Plus, all that hob-nobbing with Eisenhower and Bob Hope got stale real fast. I believe Venturi - I read the same account years ago from one of the caddies.

CURRENT: Probably Couples or DLIII - one stinkin' major each. And Couples' Masters was helped by an Act of God.

[Alcap26]

Currently I would have to say Tiger :D :D . (notice the smileys...this is a joke). I think I would have to agree with the DLIII...I mean I know he has back troubles...I can relate...cold weather plays hell on my lower back because it keeps it tight. The most overrated and this is before my time is Johnny Miller and ken Venturi. I know Johnny won some majors but he did not have the staying power of Nickalus or Watson. I will not go into what I think of Venturi because I want this discussion to remain civil.

[leftyglfr]

Wow. I'm stunned. Are you guys kidding me?

First off, I agree to a certain extent that DLIII hasn't lived up to his potential. However, he has had a great career so far and it's not even close to being over. Some guys just have their game mature a little later in life. I think he'll improve within the next 10 years. But by no means is he "over hyped". Now Scott Hoch.... :roll:

The reference to Mr. Palmer is what just about knocked me out of my chair. Are you serious?!?!? Mr. Palmer brought the game to the masses long before Tiger did it again. If it were not for Mr. Palmer, the game may not be where it is today. Even professionals and those tied to the game say they would have nothing if not for him and his career. He did so much for the sport. And to actually call him a cheater?!? Amazing. That just pisses me off... :evil:

Phil Mickelson? That's another that is far fetched. How can you say that a guy in his early 30's w/ 22 wins (1 of which was while an amatuer in college; lifetime exemption on Tour and 2nd most wins of any active player), a Masters, numerous Ryder and President's Cups, an NCAA title and a US AM is overrated?!? Get real.

Now Johnny Miller- he was very overrated. Not even close to what he was supposed to be. Though he thinks he's one of the greatest of all time. :roll:

Other "overrated players" in my opinion-

Scott Hoch. "Choke"

Hal Sutton was supposed to be the next golden bear...

Curtis Strange although he did win 2 Opens, he really did nothing else.

I'm sure there are many others... But Phil and Palmer? Come on... :roll:

[rsvman]

All-time I would have to say Seve Ballesteros. At his very best he played like Tiger did this past few weeks: i.e., drives all over tarnation, incredible recovery shots, an occasional win. Most of you guys are probably not old enough to remember how much this guy was hyped.

Johnny Miller may not have won a thousand tournaments, and certainly didn't have staying power, but when that guy was on, he was ON. I have been following professional golf for 35 years and I am still waiting for a greater performance than Miller's 4th round at Oakmont. Absolutely sensational. (Tiger's first Master's win and U.S. Open win at Pebble are equal, but neither was anywhere near as exciting.) By the way, I think people think he is overhyped because he still has such a prominent role as an announcer; as a player he was hyped while he was hot (and deserved most, if not all of it), but he was never hyped anywhere near as much as somebody like Ballesteros.

[bigkidneys]

I would have to say Bobby Clampett and Curtis Strange :roll:

[primo]

The reference to Mr. Palmer is what just about knocked me out of my chair.  Are you serious?!?!?  Mr. Palmer brought the game to the masses long before Tiger did it again.  If it were not for Mr. Palmer, the game may not be where it is today.  Even professionals and those tied to the game say they would have nothing if not for him and his career.  He did so much for the sport.  And to actually call him a cheater?!? Amazing.  That just pisses me off... :evil:  

heh heh, I knew I was gonna piss someone off. Look, I'm looking at Palmer the golfer, not Palmer the legend. I do completely agree with you that Palmer brought golf to the masses, and that he had in incredible impact on the game. I think he was in incredible ambassador for the game, and he's done many incredible things. However Palmer as a golfer was completely overrated.

Dont' get me wrong I like Palmer, however his swing was nasty and he lacked consistancy. Compare his game to some of the games greats like the ultimate human Bennie, Sam, or even Jack and I don't see how he stacks up.

[VAGolfNut2004]

Have to agree the mouth that roars aka Johnny Miller if he was 1/100th as good as he thinks he was/is then everyone would be bowing at his feet.

But Venturi is a lot better then most of us realize, if you go back and read about the mid to late 50s there were a lot of accolades about Venturi's swing. He was a victim of a condition that in other professions gets you workmen's comp / disability payments for life. For those that don't know he developed carpal tunnel syndrom in his hands - from how much he practiced. Some of what I have read/heard is that he would have tired out Vijay. So how good he could have been if not forced to retire because of excrutiating pain is of course the proverbial what if. During his brief career he had 14 wins, a US Open that one him the 64 Sportsment of Year from Sports Illustrated, finished second at the Masters as an amateur, finished second at the Masters two times both to Arnold Palmer.

[Mike]

The reference to Mr. Palmer is what just about knocked me out of my chair. Are you serious?!?!? Mr. Palmer brought the game to the masses long before Tiger did it again. If it were not for Mr. Palmer, the game may not be where it is today. Even professionals and those tied to the game say they would have nothing if not for him and his career. He did so much for the sport. And to actually call him a cheater?!? Amazing. That just pisses me off... :evil:

heh heh, I knew I was gonna piss someone off. Look, I'm looking at Palmer the golfer, not Palmer the legend. I do completely agree with you that Palmer brought golf to the masses, and that he had in incredible impact on the game. I think he was in incredible ambassador for the game, and he's done many incredible things. However Palmer as a golfer was completely overrated.

Dont' get me wrong I like Palmer, however his swing was nasty and he lacked consistancy. Compare his game to some of the games greats like the ultimate human Bennie, Sam, or even Jack and I don't see how he stacks up.

Yes primo his swing was and still is nasty , but Arnold had and still has something that Bennie , Sam or Jack never had . And that is imagination .

You try hitting it where he did and still make par or better yet the odd birdie . I will say it again once imagination Arnold had it and Bennie , Sam and Jack never did .

[CLMelton]

I figured the putting Mickelson down would tweak a few people but it's just my opinion. After all of the hype I read about him playing in college in Arizona he didn't really come out and take off like everyone predicted and his rankings through 2002 were just so-so. In 2004 he's really started to pick up.

Heck, just look at the current top ten in the World Golf Rankings:

1. Woods 13.12

2. Singh 10.50

3. Els 9.39

4. Love-III 8.40

5. Mickelson 7.53

6. Weir 6.94

7. Furyk 6.32

8. Harrington 5.25

9. Perry 4.93

10. Goosen 4.92

How many of these are already mentioned as overrated?

One more player that really has been overrated since his PGA win has been Rich Beem. If that name had crossed through my empty noggin when I put down Phil then maybe I would have given lefty a pass....Nah, I still think he's overrated. :P

[johnnypro]

All-time I would have to say Seve Ballesteros. At his very best he played like Tiger did this past few weeks: i.e., drives all over tarnation, incredible recovery shots, an occasional win. Most of you guys are probably not old enough to remember how much this guy was hyped.

Johnny Miller may not have won a thousand tournaments, and certainly didn't have staying power, but when that guy was on, he was ON. I have been following professional golf for 35 years and I am still waiting for a greater performance than Miller's 4th round at Oakmont. Absolutely sensational. (Tiger's first Master's win and U.S. Open win at Pebble are equal, but neither was anywhere near as exciting.) By the way, I think people think he is overhyped because he still has such a prominent role as an announcer; as a player he was hyped while he was hot (and deserved most, if not all of it), but he was never hyped anywhere near as much as somebody like Ballesteros.

Gotta disagree with this one. Seve single-handedly made the Euro Tour and the Ryder Cup what they are today. He was the best player in the world for several years in the '80's. No one was more exciting to watch plus he won 5 majors. Nobody out there ever speaks of him in the same breath as Palmer - which is why Arnie was way over-rated and Seve isn't.

[shoe295]

The reference to Mr. Palmer is what just about knocked me out of my chair. Are you serious?!?!? Mr. Palmer brought the game to the masses long before Tiger did it again. If it were not for Mr. Palmer, the game may not be where it is today. Even professionals and those tied to the game say they would have nothing if not for him and his career. He did so much for the sport. And to actually call him a cheater?!? Amazing. That just pisses me off... :evil:

heh heh, I knew I was gonna piss someone off. Look, I'm looking at Palmer the golfer, not Palmer the legend. I do completely agree with you that Palmer brought golf to the masses, and that he had in incredible impact on the game. I think he was in incredible ambassador for the game, and he's done many incredible things. However Palmer as a golfer was completely overrated.

Dont' get me wrong I like Palmer, however his swing was nasty and he lacked consistancy. Compare his game to some of the games greats like the ultimate human Bennie, Sam, or even Jack and I don't see how he stacks up.

And look what he did with a nasty swing..won one more Open than Snead.....hummm....enough said bout Mr. Palmer..as for overrated today..I'd have to go with DLIII just because of the majors he hasn't won...over rated of all time is Tom Weiskopf...who always had the game and was gonna be one of the all time greats but had a large problem between the ears..

Billy Casper as most under rated gets my vote also..what a putting stroke that man had..amazing

[CLMelton]

And look what he did with a nasty swing..won one more Open than Snead.....hummm....enough said bout Mr. Palmer..as for overrated today..I'd have to go with DLIII just because of the majors he hasn't won...over rated of all time is Tom Weiskopf...who always had the game and was gonna be one of the all time greats but had a large problem between the ears..

Billy Casper as most under rated gets my vote also..what a putting stroke that man had..amazing

Weiskopf! Great choice. He's still bitter about how great he should have been. The only thing that Casper didn't do when he was in the thick with Nicklaus, Player and Palmer was publicity. He was a total family man and gave up quite a bit of the spotlight and the money that went with it.

Mickelson - I may have to retract his submission after looking at a lot of the things he's done. Can I resubmit with a Colin Montgomery?

[shoe295]

Mickelson - I may have to retract his submission after looking at a lot of the things he's done. Can I resubmit with a Colin Montgomery?

I actually thought about Monty but he did a LOT on the European tour ..if only he didn't have to deal with the "fans" in the US he might have done something here...like Double A's quote its all about the 5 1/2 inches between the ears..

[AKFLY]

Ever - Greg Norman

I admire his business sense more than his golf game (at least for the past 10 years)

Current - Mike Weir :D :D :D :D :D :D (inside joke)

[AKFLY]

Double post sorry

[Mike]

Ever - Greg Norman

I admire his business sense more than his golf game (at least for the past 10 years)

Current - Mike Weir :D :D :D :D :D :D (inside joke)

You are a bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad man AK :lol: :lol: :lol:

[AKFLY]

Ever - Greg Norman

I admire his business sense more than his golf game (at least for the past 10 years)

Current - Mike Weir :D :D :D :D :D :D (inside joke)

You are a bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad man AK :lol: :lol: :lol:

Fathers Day is coming soon :wink:

[Staz80]

I am surprised no one mentioned David Duval(sp?). He went from #1 to not being able to break 80 that often, and only in a few short years. To me, that's over-rated!

[jeffy]

Greg Norman by a dozen lengths. Two majors where there sholud have been at least five more; only 20 tour wins (vs. 25 by Miller), worst collapse by a player of his stature in a major (Masters loss to Faldo) and dumbest play in a playoff (against Calc at the British).

At his peak, J. Miller was phenomenal but he couldn't keep it going; he won a ton of tournaments, some by huge margins, and won the US and British Opens without being a great putter. I don't think he was by any stretch the most overrated by the public or the media.

I do think Crenshaw was overrated for a long time, but I'm not too sure anyone cares because he is such a great guy (and modest, unlike Miller, Weiskopf, Seve, Norman...).

Seve is certainly way overrated, at least in his own mind. Won only five majors (vs. 6 by Faldo), made no impact on the PGA tour and has completely lost his game at an age when other greats (like Floyd, Player, Nicklaus, Snead, Boros) were still winning.

Palmer was a fabulous player, definitely top ten of all-time, but he is not the God-like figure he has become. Most overrated? I don't think so. As a golfer his accomplishments were pretty damn good: 7 majors, 62 tour wins (fourth behind Sam, Jack and Ben). And what he did to grow the game is unmatched by any other figure.

Most underrated: Perhaps Casper, but I think Cary Middlecoff (two U.S Opens and a Masters, 40 tour wins) gets the nod.

Jeff

[leftyglfr]

Greg Norman by a dozen lengths. Two majors where there sholud have been at least five more; only 20 tour wins (vs. 25 by Miller), worst collapse by a player of his stature in a major (Masters loss to Faldo) and dumbest play in a playoff (against Calc at the British).

Greg Norman was not overrated. He did for Australia what Palmer did for US golf and what Seve did in Europe. Also, don't let the 20 tour wins fool you. I believe he's won over 80 professional tourneys worldwide. He was dominant everywhere and still holds the record for longest time as the worlds #1 player. So I don't think he was overrated. Just my .02.

[johnnypro]

Sorry, but worst collapse in a major was not Norman to Faldo in '96 Masters. That was awful but it still doesn't equal "The King" at Olympic in '66. Good old Arnie led by 7 with nine to go; with 4 to go he was still up by five!!!!!!!! Even the Heimlich Maneuver couldn't have saved him.

Seve over-rated? No way. Best short game I've ever seen (though he needed it much of the time).