US Open at Bethpage Black

In My Humble Opinion
1

The first round of the US Open was today, although a little thing called work prevented me from watching it:(

I don’t want to sound mean, but it feels good to see the pros struggling so much on the first true public course to host a US Open. I shot a 96 there a few years ago when I was an 8 handicap. For those unfamiliar with golf, that means that I shot 18 strokes, or one stroke per hole, over my handicap (the course’s par is 70… add 8 for my handicap, plus 18 strokes worse, and you get 96). Of course, those not interested in golf will probably not even check out this thread:p

I have been reading some of the players’ quotes, and chuckled at seeing their frustration. Only 6 players broke par, and 15 players shot over 80.

This could prove to be one of the toughest US Open courses ever, and that says a lot, as the US Open is usually the highest scoring major every year. The conditions were good for scoring, yet there weren’t many good scores. If the breeze picks up, forget about it.

Tiger Woods has the lead so far, and I think he’s going to win it. Although some may think that this is a safe bet, Tiger has played poorly (for him) in every US Open other than in 2000. The press has noted that he has not done well in US Opens featuring 70 par courses, as he has exploited the par fives greatly, and 70 par courses have fewer par fives than 71 and 72 par courses (for the golf newbies, par 72 courses generally have 4 par 5s, 4 par 3s, and 10 par 4s; par 71 and 70 courses generally have the same formula but with less par 5s and more par 4s).

However, this par 70 course is the longest US Open course ever. There are some players who are simply unable to reach the greens in regulation (for those unfamiliar with golf, that means the player will put the ball on the green in a low enough amount of strokes to par the hole by making two putts). Tiger is one of the longest hitters in the game, and when he’s putting well, he’s unstoppable.

My sentimental favorite is Phil Mickelson, currently the best golfer in the PGA to never win a major. Sergio Garcia is also someone I hope is there on Sunday, as he is one of the most animated golfers on the tour (he looks so agitated that I suspect he drinks a pot of coffee between holes).

As this is posted in IMHO, I guess I’m looking for opinions concerning whether this will turn out to be one of the toughest US Open courses ever, and predictions of the winner.

2

You get my vote for toughest open. Yesterday, scoring conditions were ideal with the rain the night before, cool conditions, with hardly any breeze until late afternoon, yet only 8(?) guys are par or better. If the wind picks up, today and the next two days will be brutal. Of course el Tigre’s gonna win!! This is the first time he’s held the lead outright in the opening round, he only gets better through the weekend.

3

Let me just say this now (I’ll hold off on the Pit until it’s over)–thank you very much, Tiger Woods, for completely ruining yet another major. When Tiger is blowing people out, I change the channel.

To update an old classic:

Rooting for Tiger Woods is like rooting for Microsoft.

4

Looks like Tiger will claim this one. If he loses a tourney, it’s usually due to a bad opening day or two. If he shoots 3 or 4 under today, start engraving his name on the trophy.

This looks to be the hardest Open in recent memory, at least until next year. They’re going to have to start tackling the players or something if this keeps up.

I also don’t get the way people dislike Tiger because he continuously kicks @ss on the whole tour. Is it his fault Mickelson chokes away 5 foot putts as soon as he gets close to contending? Is it his fault he’s the most talented player and the hardest worker on tour? Granted, he’s a little stiff if the personality department, but he’s not a total a-hole either.
Enjoy it while it lasts, there won’t be another one like him for a long, long time.

5

This is one of my pet peeves about this open. As I said in another thread if there are too many Pros that just can not reach the green in reg then there’s something wrong with the hole. They should have kept those two par 5s, or at least made it so they could all reach it.

Persoanlly I hope that Tiger doesn’t win, nothing against the guy but it is kind of boring to have the networks show only him. I watched the Masters and they were pretty much showing him. Come on now there are plenty of other talented people out there that we’d like to see. I hope it doesn’t come down to that this time. At least if he’s gonna win make it tight.

6

Amen, bruddahh!! I, for one, hardly watch anymore unless Tiger’s playing. (Ah, maybe except for Veej or Lefty, if they’re in the lead or close)

7

I am not a golfer but I love to watch…um…only watch when Tiger’s playing. I actually have a little crush on him.

Oh Tiger baby, if you ever tire of that nanny you’re shagging give me a call. I’m sure Mr. Honey would understand. :wink:

8

All I want to say is that the [url="http://www.usopen.com"logo for the 2002 U.S. Open is insultingly bad to those of us involved in professional graphic design. What absolute hack designed this logo? The first time I saw it was on The Daily Show and I thought it was a joke.

[sub]I almost started a Pit thread about this logo because I hate it so.[/sub]

9

damned coding.
logo

10

I just checked the scores. Only 6 under par yesterday, only 4 shooting under par today so far (and who knows how they will end up.) Considering people thought this would be a scorers tournament this is amazing. Tigers at -5, but the cut is projected at +10!!! I can’t wait to get to watch some of it, I’ll feel like I’m watching myself. (OK… fine… unless they were shooting +50 or something, thats not gonna happen) :slight_smile:

11

Here’s the updated Leaderboard

12

I think it looks pretty bad too. My father is a marshal on the 7th hole, and the shirt he’s supposed to wear, an otherwise decent looking light green golf shirt, is marred by this ugly logo on it:(

It looks like Tiger’s poised to win yet another major.

Tiger seems like a nice guy, and deserves to get loads of press. He’s the best player on tour and is establishing himself as one of the best players ever. He has spent more years of his life being a golf prodigy than being a golf professional, yet all that hype (including his dad comparing him to Gandhi:rolleyes: ) hasn’t seemed to go to his head.

Sure, he is a bit stiff, but not every pro can be like Arnold Palmer or Lee Trevino. For that matter, Jack Nicklaus wasn’t exactly Mr. Personality. Come to think of it, most of the players currently on the tour are a bit dull. The only two that come to mind that have a bit of personality are Sergio and Jesper Parnevik.

And yes, Tiger’s girlfriend is hot. If they had a child it would be a supermodel that could hit 600 yard drives.

13

I’ve heard a story about an angry player at one of the majors (I think it was the Masters, but I’m probably wrong) complaining to one of the tournament officials about the difficulty of the course. At one point he asked “Are you trying to embarrass the best golf players in the world?”

“No, sir” came the reply. “We are trying to identify them.”

14

Heck, some of the pros can’t even reach some of the fairways off the tee! And when they do hit it long enough but don’t hit it straight enough to land it in the sometimes 15 yard wide fairway, they end up in knee deep rough lol

15

And at the time Tiger was the only player who had finished under par:eek: WTF? I realise the weather was not the best for straight driving,and there were plenty o’ puddles on the greens but geeez…I thought you guys were good (at least that what your comercials say)
Of course I’ll be watching today. Some player out there has to be able to get a few shots and catch up with that monster. Nothing against Tiger per sey, but it is nice to see someone else take home the cash for a change.

As for the OP and playing this open on a public course I say Here Here… It’s about time! It’s nice to know that I can play on the very same course as a professional, The US Open even! and NOT get slammed for exhorbant fees and cart costs.YA! a hundred and fifty for a round and lunch?!?
Let Bethpage be a lesson to all the grounds keepers and designers and administrators of public courses everywhere. You can be a quality course! You can be a well known course. You can be just as good if not better than the private run courses with oodles of cash to spend.My hope for this Open is that there will be a wave of improvements on public couses everywhere in hopes of scoring MORE tourneys and that the PGA starts looking into using MORE public courses in the future.

Winner? unfortunatly it will probly be Tiger :rolleyes: But, I’m rooting for Padrig Harrington ( I love it when non-residents win opens named for countries…Go Retief!)

16

Unless you had “connections” it would have had to have been “a few years ago”. When it was 1st announced USO2002 was gonna be at the Bethpage Black, tee times were became a commodity more valuable than most precious metals.

Dirty little secret:
Some enterprising / unscrupulous (you choose the adjective) Verizon (phone company) employees, tapped into the tee time reservation line and re routed it to a home office. This gave them the ability sell tee times by controlling the calls that could get through. Every other poor schlub who was unaware of the operation got busy signals 24/7.

17

Next year it will be at Olympia Fields, south of Chi. Played OF last year with a member who was on the committee interacting with the USGA.

Old style course. Very narrow with many mature trees. A major bone of contention between the club and USGA was the number of trees USGA wanted to remove for seating, equipment, etc.

The main changes the USGA was making to the course was digging the bunkers deeper (you needed a ladder to climb out of some of them), and narrowing the fairways at distances that mean nothing to the average golfer - unless you were planning on carrying your drives 260+. Course plays @7200 from the tips, and there isn’t much room to stretch it if they wanted to. We played it at 6900.

While I always enjoy country club golf (and not just because my $ is no good!) I was underwhelmed by the course. I shot a 96, and did not score at all. I was driving well so I stayed out of trouble off the tee, but I was having trouble hitting the greens. Think I was in sand 6 of the 1st 8 holes. Didn’t sink a putt until the 18th - my first par.

The course is certainly not visually stunning IMO. No major water. Just a creek that meanders through and a few ponds. Yeah, it was a tough course, but that’s all. I always kinda expect a pro layout to be somehow completely different from the courses I regularly play. But if you aren’t playing them at full length, and they don’t have the tees, greens, and rough set up for the pros, they’re just golf courses.

What seemed wierd to me was, they are switching the 9s around because the 9th green will accomodate more spectators than the 18th. While the 18th is a fantastic hole, 9 is nothing spectacular.

Another kick in the pants - they have a south course that I thought was actually more fun. More elevation changes and interesting looking holes. Not just long and tight. I can’t remember if they are using that course for parking or hospitality tents…

The clubhouse was amazing, tho. Next life, I’m coming back with money!

18

Okay, I admit I’m trolling a bit here, but is there some truth in the following assertion?..

Let’s say a foreign player shot a fine round Friday morning at Bethpage Black before the rain started and led Tiger by 2 strokes. Tiger tees off later and the rain starts. Conditions become miserable and even the great Tiger starts bogeying every second hole.

I think the USGA would suspend play.

Of course, in reality it was the other way around. Tiger played early and added to his lead, then sat in the clubhouse while most of the field had to play in horrid conditions. I’ve never before seen a tournament continue after water started pooling that badly on the greens.