I’ve noticed a couple of things that I’ve not liked about the way golf has been going, especially the US Open. I like that they make the course tough, but I hate it when I see someone get a nice shot to have it trickle by the hole and then off the green. And by that I mean when it goes by the hole so slow you think it’s going to stop and then doesn’t. The other thing I don’t like are things like 280 yard par 3s, they’ve even said only 15 people have gotten to the green. I don’t find things like that fair, not everyone can hit a ball 280 yards. Then of course those that do hit the green it trickles by.
I’m all for the thick rough, tigher fairways, deeper bunkers, but those two things just seem to annoy me.
The US Open is not now and never has been a PGA Tournament. It is run by the USGA and they are quite clear that PGA rules don’t apply.
In fact, a large number of the pros you’re watching played their way in to the tournament at the same regionals as all the amateurs.
They are also quite clear about the fact that they deliberately set the course to the hardest played on all year. In their eyes, par should easily win.
I also don’t believe that your stated rule about 3 ft of flat ground is correct either. Would you happen to have a cite?
And you are quite right. I must have gotten a touch glossy eyed at that point in my OP.
Edward the Head: agreed that courses and organizers do not always go about making tough courses the right way. Trouble is, technology has so beaten anything except the muscle to hit a 300 yard par three. Woods are more powerful and forgiving, irons are less disturbed by standard rough, U grooved wedges give more spin than V grooves, making the sand an attractive layup option instead of a hazard.
Personally, I’d love to see one tournament per year, even if it was just a charity deal, where everybody had to play with old (by which I mean circa 1950s-60s) clubs. Persimmon woods, blade irons with steel shafts, rudimentary early “modern” balls.
Maybe his caddie should remind him that you’re not supposed to be in the rough in the first place. And if you do happen to find yourself there, TYM and punch out to the fairway instead of trying to whack it onto the green.
Oh, and you went into this tournament with the injury, Phil. You’re the one who decided it would be smart to make all those practice shots out of the rough even though you knew you’re wrist wasn’t fully healed. I hope Johnny Miller just rips into him today!
You’d think they have pit traps and poisoned stakes and all in the rough out there. It’s dirt with grass on it, and trees. Sometimes there’s water. In other words, it’s a golf course, not an Angolan land mine field. I’m not saying you can’t get nasty injuries playing golf, but puh-leeze.
Does anybody actually like Chris Berman? His puns are horrendous (never mind that nearly all puns are horrendous). Today I’ve heard him refer to Joe Durant as “Durant Durant, Hungry Like the Wolf,” and after a bad shot from Ian Poulter, “Poulter the geist!,” which doesn’t make a lick of sense.
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I like Chris Berman. While you are correct the two “nicknames” above are both stupis he has created some gems over the years. My all-time favorite is Eric “Sleeping With” Bienemy.
Just saw a 3 foot downhill putt missed. About 30 feet coming back.
280 yard par 3 are not possible with an iron.,without wind or elevation.
Do you like it better when the pros go low or prefer when they fight and struggle for pars. ?
I like the change.
Word on that. The course is the same for everybody. The way to deal with deep rough is not to hit the ball in it (easy for me to say, I know), but if you do find yourself in the cabbage it’s your own your own responsibility to avoid shot selections which put you at risk for injury. Claiming “the course setup injured me” is whiny and graceless and poor sportsmanship.
Tiger looks sharp as a razor today. That last drive he just hit was gorgeous.
**Hitting **the green and **reaching **the green are two entirely different things. I doubt there are more than a handful of players who can’t hit the ball far enough to get it on that green. You generally want to to hit it short and run it up on this green anyway. I’d rather see more of these type of par 3s than the wimpy par 5s that the players can get on with driver + mid iron.
I’m with Mace on this. Par should be meaningful. A bad shot should be penalized. I find it tiresome to watch tourneys with soft greens, where every approach is a free throw, where every par 5 is a birdie hole, etc. I love seeing the pros have to struggle for par. I love seeing them have to kill snakes in the weeds. I think the US Open might be my favorite Major just because it’s the hardest. It’s a real test.
If the course sets up so that only the very best players have a chance to win, well isn’t that the point? It’s supposed to be a real test of skill. I don’t want a contest where everybody has a shot. I think a Major should minimize the element of luck and the possibility of a lesser player getting hot for a day and stealing a trophy. To win the US Open, you have to be legitimately good and you have to be able to sustain a consistent, non-flukey skill level for four whole days. Slow and steady wind the race in this Major. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The kind of round that Tiger had today is the kind that wins the Open. Not flashy, not getting hot and raining down birdies, but just grinding out par after par, avoiding bogeys and playing the course, shot for shot, the right way. If Tiger has another round tomorrow like he had today, I think he walks away with number 13 (I don’t see that Baddeley kid holding up all day on sunday when he’s paired with Tiger).
Actually, though the USGA claims that finding the truly best players is the purpose of their setup, the US Open routinely ends up being won by people who are far from the best, sometimes multiple times. One can, perhaps, say Andy North at this point. Or Jeff Ogilvy.
Look at the leader board. Who, besides Tiger, from among the best in the world, is in a strong position? The names are all second-rate players. There is nothing about finding out who the best is in this.
Still, the courses do need toughening. It just shouldn’t be done by breaking players’ wrists.
Well, maybe people you consider to be second rate. But if we look at those within 5 strokes of the leader, we see Justin Rose (#19 in the world rankings), Jim Furyk (#3), Stuart Appleby (#26), and David Toms (#21). The top ten players now are almost all quite familiar as being on the leaderboard at tournaments they play in. Many of the other familiar ones are not, but that’s golf-- it’s always like that.
The only winner in the last 10 US Opens who couldn’t be considered one of the best is Michael Campbell.