Official U.S. Open Thread

[McKdaddy]

Nicklaus always said he loved to hear a guy talking about how tough or unfair the course was.  In his mind that was one less player he had to contend with because he had already beaten himself.

Lance Armstrong (fwiw) said the same thing about rain at the starting line. Said he'd hear the negative talk, see the down faces, and knew that 1/2 the peloton were already out of it.

[ricepig]

It seems the USGA listened to me, no windmills on the pin placements.

[Dillar Dog]

It seems the USGA listened to me, no windmills on the pin placements.

And they got control of the wind.  That's impressive.

[EastexHawg]

I think we can now say with 100 % certainty that Patrick Reed is going to win the Grand Slam.

[EastexHawg]

Tommy Fleetwood is just too ugly to win the U.S. Open.  On the other hand, I have pair of pliers I need to oil so I might run them through his hair.

[EastexHawg]

Wayne's World!  Party time!  Excellent!

[ricepig]

And they got control of the wind.  That's impressive.

We'll see if the wind picks up as it did yesterday, late in the afternoon. It's about the same compared to yesterday at the same time, different direction, though.

http://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KFOK.html

[Wildhog]

USGA should have told those [CENSORED] to eat darn.

[userpick]

Tiger would've made a charge this weekend if he just caught a couple of breaks on Friday. Probably would've won in all honesty.

[GoHogs1091]

Shinnecock Hills held its own.  There is now only 2 Pros who have been able to solve it, Retief Goosen in 2004 and Tommy Fleetwood (for 1 Round in 2018).

A lot of times when someone shoots a 63 in a major, they go on to win the tournament.  This is now 3 years in-a-row where someone has shot a 63, and not gone on to win the major (Mickelson in 2016 at Royal Troon, Justin Thomas in 2017 at garbage Erin Hills, and Tommy Fleetwood in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills).  Brooks Koepka has won 2 of those majors despite someone shooting a 63.  He has had some fortunate circumstances (really wide fairways at garbage Erin Hills and his approach shot at Hole 18 at Shinnecock Hills hitting the grandstand and bouncing towards the green) to overcome the 63s being shot, but Koepka did what he had to do to get the wins.

[99toLife]

Shinnecock Hills held its own.  There is now only 2 Pros who have been able to solve it, Retief Goosen in 2004 and Tommy Fleetwood (for 1 Round in 2018).

A lot of times when someone shoots a 63 in a major, they go on to win the tournament.  This is now 3 years in-a-row where someone has shot a 63, and not gone on to win the major (Mickelson in 2016 at Royal Troon, Justin Thomas in 2017 at garbage Erin Hills, and Tommy Fleetwood in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills).  Brooks Koepka has won 2 of those majors despite someone shooting a 63.  He has had some fortunate circumstances (really wide fairways at garbage Erin Hills and his approach shot at Hole 18 at Shinnecock Hills hitting the grandstand and bouncing towards the green) to overcome the 63s being shot, but Koepka did what he had to do to get the wins.

I played Shinnecock Hills many years ago from the tips at around 6,800 yards ( not set up like an open of course ) . They have made many changes since then, but for me it was a visually aggravating and uncomfortable course, as a 16 yr old and legit 3 handicap I played good and shot 78 ( very little wind ) , best in my group of old good golfers. I ask the asst Pro in the pro shop what he thought I could shoot in a tournament set up. he said add 9 to 15 shots.  ouch.   

[EastexHawg]

Tiger would've made a charge this weekend if he just caught a couple of breaks on Friday. Probably would've won in all honesty.

He will get a chance to prove your theory next month at Carnoustie.

I'm guessing he won't do much better there.

[userpick]

He will get a chance to prove your theory next month at Carnoustie.

I'm guessing he won't do much better there.

I was kidding, by the way.

[EastexHawg]

I was kidding, by the way.

I knew you were.  I figured you were seeing if I would take the bait.

[GoHogs1091]

I played Shinnecock Hills many years ago from the tips at around 6,800 yards ( not set up like an open of course ) . They have made many changes since then, but for me it was a visually aggravating and uncomfortable course, as a 16 yr old and legit 3 handicap I played good and shot 78 ( very little wind ) , best in my group of old good golfers. I ask the asst Pro in the pro shop what he thought I could shoot in a tournament set up. he said add 9 to 15 shots.  ouch.   

It frustrated the Pros this week.

Really, the following should be the only U.S. Open courses.

Southern Hills
Merion (East Course)
Shinnecock Hills
Winged Foot (West Course)
Oakmont
Olympic Club (Lake Course)
Pinehurst #2

The USGA will have to trick-up Pebble Beach in 2019, which will probably involve baking out the greens and growing high rough.  One thing they might do is make the 18th Hole play as a Par 4, which would actually be a good decision.

Pebble Beach has history, but it should be remembered that it hosts a yearly Pro-Am event.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

It frustrated the Pros this week.

Really, the following should be the only U.S. Open courses.

Southern Hills
Merion (East Course)
Shinnecock Hills
Winged Foot (West Course)
Oakmont
Olympic Club (Lake Course)
Pinehurst #2

The USGA will have to trick-up Pebble Beach in 2019, which will probably involve baking out the greens and growing high rough.  One thing they might do is make the 18th Hole play as a Par 4, which would actually be a good decision.

Pebble Beach has history, but it should be remembered that it hosts a yearly Pro-Am event.

Wapner.  Gotta get home for Wapner.

[PonderinHog]

Wapner.  Gotta get home for Wapner.

Yeah. Yeah...

[GoHogs1091]

Wapner.  Gotta get home for Wapner.

If around 400 Yards can be added, and if there is enough room for the U.S. Open infrastructure, the following would also be a course to have on a U.S. Open rota of courses.  It is an A.W. Tillinghast design that is a very, very good test.  When the Senior Players was held there in 2016, there were several who felt it is U.S. Open quality.  It is currently 7,119 Yards from the back tees.

http://www.myphillygolf.com/uploads/bausch/PCCWissahickon/index.html

The change in the hole numerical routing that was used for the Senior Players would probably need to occur.

http://myphillygolf.com/detail.asp?id=17400

[Dillar Dog]

Pinehurst #2 is a dump. 

And I'm a Ross fan.  He forgot more about designing good courses than Maxwell ever knew.

[onebadrubi]

Wapner.  Gotta get home for Wapner.

One minute to wapner

[Dillar Dog]

I fully expect this idiot to post something that has, "here's an article about....." because of what I said about Pinehurst. 

But it is a dump.

[GoHogs1091]

Pinehurst #2 is a dump. 

And I'm a Ross fan.  He forgot more about designing good courses than Maxwell ever knew.

I am not a fan of Pinehurst #2 either, but the USGA will take the U.S. Open there because those greens cause the Pros problems.

Pinehurst #2's greens are not even Donald Ross' greens.  Pinehurst #2 probably has the goofiest set of greens on a major championship course.

[GoHogs1091]

He will get a chance to prove your theory next month at Carnoustie.

I'm guessing he won't do much better there.

Woods won't win at Carnoustie.

Also, highly doubtful Koepka will win at Carnoustie.

[HognitiveDissonance]

Pinehurst #2 is a dump. 

And I'm a Ross fan.  He forgot more about designing good courses than Maxwell ever knew.

I wouldn't go that far, but I don't really like what Coore/Crenshaw did to the place. They were trying to restore a more native grass, wild look with lots of sand, but I don't like it.

It's still a nice place with a lot of history, but I felt very overcharged playing there. They really sock it to you. The value just isn't there. They know they're a US Open course and charge accordingly. Same thing with the merchandise in the pro shop. $100 for a shirt?
Since it is Pinehurst #2 and a one-time deal, I sucked it up and paid the massive greens fee but never again.

I had as much fun or more playing Pine Needles up the road, a former women's US Open course. Very nice course for about 1/5 of the price.

[Dr. Starcs]

That was a really boring final round of golf.

[Ex-Trumpet]

That was a really boring final round of golf.

USGA caved in like a bunch of girlymen.  Shoulda kept the course brutal in my opinion. 

I guess Phil's circus act paid off.

[cosmodrum]

Wapner.  Gotta get home for Wapner.

They are in there making legal history, Ray!

[onebadrubi]

USGA caved in like a bunch of girlymen.  Shoulda kept the course brutal in my opinion. 

I guess Phil's circus act paid off.

They definitely softened up the greens and put the pins in much more favorable positions.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

I'm not sure I'm ready to live in a world where Brooks Koepka is the best player and star of the golf world.

[EastexHawg]

I'm not sure I'm ready to live in a world where Brooks Koepka is the best player and star of the golf world.

One of the guys doing the live streaming coverage of his group on Thursday asked, "I wonder if he is going to return that t-shirt to the middle school student who loaned it to him."  I think it's the same size extra small that Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney passed back and forth for years.

[EastexHawg]

Andy North won two U.S. Opens.  So did Lee Janzen and Retief Goosen. 

This may or may not signal the ascension of Brooks Koepka to golfing greatness.

[Ex-Trumpet]

Andy North won two U.S. Opens.  So did Lee Janzen and Retief Goosen. 

This may or may not signal the ascension of Brooks Koepka to golfing greatness.

And Coitus Strange, back to back.  But, I don't think BK will be thought of like CS was in his heyday...or today, for that matter.

Dude can kill it though!!

[GoHogs1091]

The greens should be receptive to a 9 iron/wedge, the pin placements will make the holes tough enough.

You bring up an interesting aspect regarding the greens at Shinnecock.  I saw the following that was posted by someone on another site.

At Monday's Architectural Forum at Shinnecock, Charles Stevenson gave us a history of the course and the shrinking of the original Flynn greens, mostly due to irrigation system limitations from the 1950s.  They let these greens shrink for 30+ years, but I imagine they kept top-dressing the smaller greens.  When they reclaimed the edges of these greens in recent years, I suspected there would be some natural crowning from the years of top-dressing.  Even if they reclaimed the original Flynn sizes, did they really reclaim the original pinnable areas?  Were the edges of these greens supposed to fall off so severely, making the virtual size of the greens so small?

In other words, they are getting some natural crowning, and they (the Club) may in the future have to do something or they will become like Pinehurst #2's greens.

Also, the short grass run-off areas put in at the urging of the USGA probably would have been frowned upon by William Flynn.  The rough the USGA had around the greens in 2004 is more along the line of what Flynn would have wanted.