I know it because players are already bitching about the course. USGA president Mike Davis warned the players a month ago that they needed to make more than the usual effort to get familiar with the course, can't just show up and play. For what it's worth Phil said he liked it, wasn't going to be your usual drive it in the rough and hack it out US Open course. BTW Phil maybe is finally rounding into shape, he finished 3rd at the St. Jude this past weekend shooting 65 on the final day. As long as I can remember the players have complained about US Open setups, it's almost like the USGA takes a personal affront if they don't bitch about it, that they didn't make it tough enough. Maybe one of those opens where even par will win. I wonder who this course favors? Typically they don't favor long hitters unless they are accurate, can't just pound it out there a mile and get up and down from the rough. Which of course takes Phil out of it, unless he's going to be super disciplined and be very careful as to what holes he pulls out the Driver. Bubba Watson, another long but wild guy.
Talking about the Open and driving... meet Cole Hammer who qualified for the US Open and ISNT OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE A CAR! He's a sophomore in high school :shock: http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/25209388/a-15-year-old-qualified-for-the-us-open-this-year
FOX ...alright that means Holly Sonders on the course...I wonder if she'll be a distraction for the guys!
And from Marysville, Ohio, I might add. Golfed at Eagles Eye a couple of years ago. All the young bag personnel were MSU coeds, as were the night clerks at the hotel. All were drop-dead gorgeous.
You must have seen the same pictures I saw, they looked terrible. USGA might have jumped the Shark this year. I wasn't a big fan of the why Pinehurst was setup, but many people were since it was a return to the way it was designed originally. Oh well I'm sure it'll all be high drama.
It's fescue grass. Some brown is to be expected. It's not made for TV grass but apparently plays ok. Plusses and minuses. Biggest plus is less water and fertilizer. Fescue at Chambers Bay
Article in this mornings paper was mixed. Some players who've played there before were complimentary and some were perplexed. Some had a hard time finding the 4th tee box coming off the 3rd green. Green contours are apparently extreme. But somebody will figure it all out and win!
When you hit your driver 300+ and your pitching wedge 150yds then 450 is not really daunting for them. for me though anything longer than 350yds is a long par 4. A good drive for me is 210 and on a 350yd par 4 I have to hit 6 or 7 iron depending on the wind, and stuff..that's if I hit the fairway. If I'm in the rough I just hope to get it close enough to get up and down. 450yds is impossible for me, can't get there in 2 unless it's a rock hard fairway down wind and down hill and I hit said fairway. :shock:
I remember when they scheduled the first major up at Whistling Straights. Commish had played there and thought that they'd have a devil of a time with it. I think that there were 3 par 4s over 500 yds. Well, the wind didn't blow and the pros especially Vijay ate it up. Golf it the most fair of all the sports. You tee it up at the same place and end at the same place. The one who does it in the least amount of strokes wins.
Well the course looked brown and very difficult yesterday. But guys figured it out. A lot of people figured a Euro(s) would be the leader and Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson are your leaders. Dustin has really been playing well in his return, I'm a little surprised to see him do so well on this course though, maybe he's refined his game. Stenson though is not a surprise. What other surprises...well it's not Tiger shooting an 80, it was painful to watch him play. He couldn't hit fairways, he missed short putts. But it was a surprise to see Ricky Fowler shoot an 81, this course seemed to be set up well for him and he's done really well in the Majors. Oh yeah, the Hammer, the 15 y/o from Houston. Shot 77. not likely to make the cut, but pretty damn good for a 15 y/o.
It's not an US Open when you card a 65 first day.....+1, E, maybe -1 after the first day.....now that's an open....
Jordan and Grace...they showed a graphic that showed how the top 4 played the back nine this week....Dustin was the only one who wasn't under par...and it's turning out to be prophetic.