"Feeding off each other can have positive, negative effects for pros"
/Jason Sobel takes on the tricky subject of pairings that go well or not so well.
The ESPN.com writer talks to a nice cross section of players and it's fascinating just how influential the momentum of a group plays in pro golf. Rory's comments on the impact of pairings was of most interest, but this was also fun (and not surprising):
Ask most touring professionals and they'll usually insist that there are extremely beneficial playing partners and ... other guys. Which is to say, when players receive their early-week text messages revealing first- and second-round groupings, most will celebrate the positive discoveries, but won't grouse about potentially negative ones.
"I usually play well when I have a fun group, guys who I like," Pat Perez said before the opening round of The Northern Trust. "This week is going to be fun as s---. I've been playing against [Charley] Hoffman since I was 7. [Brian] Harman is cool as s---. We're going to have a great group."