US OPEN, Pinehurst #2, Payne Stewart. Doesn't get much better than that. Pinehurst is a great destination golf trip, beautiful area of the country, great resort and facilities. I remember when we went to play The Cradle, a fun par 3 course, the starter told us to practice putting it on those shaved green sides rather than trying to chip. One thing that is different than when I played it is the greens were bent grass. They have gone to a bremuda variety now. No shock that Scottie is the favorite.
A tidbit, in the previous 3 US OPEN's played at Pinehurst #2, only a total of 4 players have finished under par.
Another Tidbit, Adam Scott is playing in his 92nd straight Major, nobody else currently playing has more than 40 or so.
Amen to that...I don't know that there are more treacherous green complexes anywhere on earth...at least for this hacker. What one believes is a good approach ends up no where on the green much less close to the hole. I'd be curious to see the putting stats here during the Open -v- Augusta for the Masters. Precision is a must here....choose your spots carefully
Good first day for Cantlay and Rory, not so much for Scottie who is +2. The greens were tough as advertised and the waste areas were mostly lethal, although I was impressed in watching Rory, Xander and Scottie handle them.
Nelly Korda missed her 2nd cut in a row after winning 6 of her last 7 tournaments. Scottie just barely making the cut at Pinehurst. Being #1 and all that winning doesn't guarantee anything in the future that's for sure.
One of the craziest things I've ever seen watching any golf tournament much less a major featuring the world's greatest players was watching the group playing #5. None of the 3 hit the green with their approach and all ended up in the waste area short left of the green with - for the best players in the world - seemingly routine recovery shots to get up and down. NONE -- as in zero - of the group were able to keep their shots on the green, much less, get close to the hole. Scottie, Xander and Rory. The top 3 players in the world according to the world golf rankings. It was amazing ....looked like any 3 of us on here trying to save par and hacking the thing around. Gives you some sense of the difficulty of the green complexes at #2.
After playing #2, I said I was glad I played so I could say I played it, and I loved the whole Pinehurst experience. But if I return I won't bother playing #2, I played #4 (I think, it might have been #8) and it was very enjoyable and plenty challenging for me. I think they are up to 10 course now or in the near future. It was the same at Whistling Straits, I played the Irish which is the twin to the Straits course but you don't have to walk it and not everybody in our group could walk 18. But it was very difficult with again all the sand/waste areas, we played one of the other Kohler courses and it was much more fun for me. I'm glad I can say I played the "tougher" tournament level course but I don't need to do that again. Now Sawgrass and Dyes Valley in Florida were both very nice courses and I enjoyed playing them. They were tough but not brutal, at least from the "Senior" Tee's.
Last time I played No. 2 it was with my son and for some reason he wanted to play from the tips. On the second hole I hit a really good drive and was over 200 yds. out. My well struck three wood reached the very front of the green and rolled back off. I knew then that breaking 90 was out of the question. My friend who owned a home there for a number of years told me that with the exception of 2 the more playable coursed there were the even ones.
Yeah if you played from the tips you played a bear as we can see the best players in the world struggle. I played it from the "Senior" Tee's still plenty tough, had to hit the fairway or you were dead. I did break 90 as I was driving the ball pretty well and stayed out of the waste area's on most holes. But it was mentally fatiguing for me.
Never played from the tips.....my ego is way too fragile for that experience. Just 2 hours up the road from us, we have a few guys from the club here that are members. Haven't been post-Covid. Breaking 90 on #2 from the white tees for me was worthy of a celebration. Those green complexes are way more than my limited skill set can manage. Suffice to say not a regular occurrence
I didn't even play the whites, I"ve moved oo senior tee's full time. At Pinehurst the "green" tee's are about 5800 yds which is my comfort zone. 6ooo yards is the max I play, unless I have no option.
Bryson has hit some great shots, on 13 out of the sand to inside 10 and on 14 from the pine straw to about 4 feet. Rory has played really well also.
17, 207 to the pin, so what does Bryson hit stiff...pitching wedge of course. But it's a PW that you don't have in your bag. Still...
Bryson is causing problems for golf architects. They mentioned yesterday that college kids were copying his driving technique. Soon the average Championship course will be unable to challenge the top golfers. Bunkers and water hazzards meant to protect shorter par 4's will be flown. Drives like his will require longer courses requiring more land and irrigation. Years ago, Nicklaus suggested altering the balls to reduce drive lenght. Doubt that the ball manufacturers would go for that easily.