Every year I keep thinking THIS is the year Simon Lizotte destroys the competition and becomes world champ, #1 player, etc, etc. He obviously has the entire skill set. Fans/critics were saying.."if he could only dial in his mental game", "not be a such a show off", etc, etc. And then...he started playing a tad more conservative and I personally thought, ok..this is it, he's going to start winning everything. He's obviously does well on tour and is always amazing to watch. Just seems like...if anyone was going to dominate the sport from say 3 years ago to 3 years from now, Simon would have been be the one to bet on.
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Simon Lizotte - Shouldn't HE be the best?
- Thread starter DiscFifty
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brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
Simon is obviously a great player and when he is on, he's as good as anyone out there... but I'm not sure he really has the killer instinct needed to be the dominant player over the a long period of time.
Cgkdisc
.:Hall of Fame Member:.
Simon has embraced one of the characteristics that pros "should" foster which is throwing more "entertaining" shots, especially in a sport not yet tailored to provide very many per round. As such, throwing a roller on one is both entertaining and actually considered one of several appropriate options, especially if you have the power to get around the corner on your drive. A roller hitting a tree is also less likely to go as far offline as an air shot hitting one of those trees.
Streets
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In both rounds (on film) his teeshot was out of position. The first round he was saved by a lucky second tree that knocked him back to the edge of the fairway. He birdied the second round because he threw a great scramble shot and nailed a long putt. We are going to have to agree to disagree here. I saw he birdied the hole in the 3rd round...I wonder if he also went roller, but I doubt it.
But this is what people don't understand about Simon. I have a pretty easy time choosing a shot, but Simon's options include literally hundreds of options that straight up don't even exist to anyone else. If you could throw a putter 500' and rip a sky anny that utilizes the gravity field of the moon you might throw some shots that seem strange to others too haha
Also, Simon is doing well for himself, having a great time and kicking butt. He's more of a Harlem Globetrotter than Jordan though, he does the craziest stuff you'll ever see but might not be on the podium at the end of the day. Who he is and what he does exists outside the confines of normal competition as crazy as that sounds, and for someone who's never won a world title etc. he's doing just fine.
From my understanding Simon is a man of many talents and IDK if disc golf gets his 100% focus unfortunately. I have heard he talks about moving on and playing things like darts professionally as well. I think he genuinely plays to have fun even if it gets in the way of his success from time to time. I actually think he will place better when he gets out of his "prime" and needs to work to shot well.
VictorB
* Ace Member *
Recently in an interview (I forget the source, maybe smashboxx) Simon specifically mentioned that he didn't have the insane drive that guys like Paul do to be the absolute best.
I've said it before - it takes a level of drive and obsessive determination that most people don't have or don't want to have, to be on that elite level and consistent enough to win championships. No one is going to outwork Paul, and talent can only bring you so far before the only thing that can raise your level is trying to outwork the field. That's where I feel like Simon is.
It's not a knock on Simon. He's very talented. He just seems to actually play the game for fun, and he just happens to be talented enough to make a living doing it. People want to watch him play, and want to see him go for the "Simon Line" shots that he's so well known for. I wish I had enough talent to go for all the fun shots I see on a course. Unfortunately, I have to play smart and conservatively with my skill set to play halfway decently.
I've said it before - it takes a level of drive and obsessive determination that most people don't have or don't want to have, to be on that elite level and consistent enough to win championships. No one is going to outwork Paul, and talent can only bring you so far before the only thing that can raise your level is trying to outwork the field. That's where I feel like Simon is.
It's not a knock on Simon. He's very talented. He just seems to actually play the game for fun, and he just happens to be talented enough to make a living doing it. People want to watch him play, and want to see him go for the "Simon Line" shots that he's so well known for. I wish I had enough talent to go for all the fun shots I see on a course. Unfortunately, I have to play smart and conservatively with my skill set to play halfway decently.
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THIS.
The very very very elite athletes are obsessive to the point of almost being unhealthy.
I've seen a retriever hunting dog that was so obsessive about retrieving the target in the water that you could keep throwing the target back to the water and the dog would keep retrieving it until it would seem as though the dog would drown from exhaustion. The owner would need to actually stop throwing it because the dog won't stop retrieving it. I see some elite athletes as being that driven that it's unhealthy.
Streets
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Does Simon have more options...sure. But he also tried throwing an anny upshot with what looked like an MD5 and it faded out early leaving him a longer than necessary putt (can't remember if he made it). Throw a P2, throw an MD. It's not hard.
bwgort
Birdie Member
It's a calculated risk for Simon. He birdied it 2/3 rounds because he has the power to birdie from odd spots on Hole 1. I've also seen him throw that roller in a tournament and get to c2. I think he's the only player in the field with a chance to eagle the hole (other than by a long throwin).
Also, Calvin birdied it 2x in rounds 1-3, Adam birdied it 1x. He didn't lose any strokes to the leaders on that hole.
I had somewhat of a similar thought the other day. I thought, "Simon must be the best thrower of the disc that isn't that great at disc golf."
DISCLAIMER: Simon is a "great" disc golfer on the spectrum of all who play, but he is not elite when compared to his peers: Paul, Ricky, Eagle, or even Sexton. That may be because he doesn't have the killer instinct or obsessive determination. I don't know him so I have no frame of reference to make that judgement.
From my perspective Simon is one of the last pros I'd want to play on a card with. As someone else mentioned, he sees lines that no one else does, but I can't imagine those shots always work out. And, I hate crawling around in the **** he tries to throw over to find a disc that could've been thrown straight, avoided all the trouble, and still be in scoring position.
Simon has the ability to execute some amazing shots, but (IMO) he has awful shot selection. One of the first PDGA magazines I got (circa 2005?) had an article about intelligent shot selection - it would do Simon well to look up that article...
DISCLAIMER: Simon is a "great" disc golfer on the spectrum of all who play, but he is not elite when compared to his peers: Paul, Ricky, Eagle, or even Sexton. That may be because he doesn't have the killer instinct or obsessive determination. I don't know him so I have no frame of reference to make that judgement.
From my perspective Simon is one of the last pros I'd want to play on a card with. As someone else mentioned, he sees lines that no one else does, but I can't imagine those shots always work out. And, I hate crawling around in the **** he tries to throw over to find a disc that could've been thrown straight, avoided all the trouble, and still be in scoring position.
Simon has the ability to execute some amazing shots, but (IMO) he has awful shot selection. One of the first PDGA magazines I got (circa 2005?) had an article about intelligent shot selection - it would do Simon well to look up that article...
Streets
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Simon doesn't strike me as a "risk calculator" kind of player.
biscoe
* Ace Member *
By the same logic shouldn't John Daly have been the best?
bwgort
Birdie Member
All of the top pros calculate risk before they throw a shot, that's kind of the point of the game. Is your position that Simon throws this shot for pure entertainment and not because he has a chance to get a lower score than anyone else in the field on the hole?
SonicGuy
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He would stand to make more money with darts...
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/02/dar...rst-world-champion-and-hes-630000-richer.html
Emoney
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I think the title of this thread should be "Eagle- shouldnt he be the best?"
Eagle has a forehand no one else has and his backhand power is only matched by a few players (TripG,Simon,Gibson)
Also, Eagle is a better putter than all those guys.
Eagle has a forehand no one else has and his backhand power is only matched by a few players (TripG,Simon,Gibson)
Also, Eagle is a better putter than all those guys.
Look, Simon is clearly a superior being and these are his obvious attempts to remain under the radar in his human disguise. That shot is the disc golf version of Clark Kent's glasses. It's the only explanation!
Makes me wonder how far he can throw a dart tbh. Does he do trick shots? Is that a thing??
