US Open

[Rustique]

I watched the Zach interview but didn't understand the point he was trying to make
What does being on the edge and lost the course mean ?
The mickleson incident was in my option unsportsmanlike never mind rule bending

 

[Hobbit]

But he didnt break a rule. If he had, he would have been disqualified. The penalty for what he did is two shots, not disqualification, so his action is catered for within the rules. So none is broken.
The same as a football or rugby player choosing to give away a free kick or penalty and accept the sanction as the lesser of two evils - he is penalised for it sure, but in accordance with what the rules allow him to do.

#JusticeForVilifiedPhilWhoWasHonestEnoughToPointOutWhatANonsenseTheUSGAHaveMadeYetAgainOfAGolfMajor

The penalty for a serious breach of the rule is disqualification. It was a deliberate act, and not in the spirit of the game. Further, it opens the door to future breaches, potentially seeing someone making a choice that will determine who wins a competition.

Do we really want to see a player deliberately hit a moving ball as it passes a hole to ensure they win a competition?

 

[Hacker Khan]

I watched the Zach interview but didn't understand the point he was trying to make
What does being on the edge and lost the course mean ?
The mickleson incident was in my option unsportsmanlike never mind rule bending

Being 'on the edge' means it is on the brink of turning into crazy golf and 'lost the course' means it has turned into a crazy golf course and all you need is a miniature windmill in front of the hole to finish it off.

 

[Rustique]

Being 'on the edge' means it is on the brink of turning into crazy golf and 'lost the course' means it has turned into a crazy golf course and all you need is a miniature windmill in front of the hole to finish it off.

Thanks for clearing that up I now know what to blame my next crap round on ,lol
I have actually enjoyed watching it ok it's not a pretty for the cameras course but it has certainly tested the world's best
Nice to see accuracy rewarded and long wayward shots punished

 

[Hacker Khan]

Thanks for clearing that up I now know what to blame my next crap round on ,lol
I have actually enjoyed watching it ok it's not a pretty for the cameras course but it has certainly tested the world's best
Nice to see accuracy rewarded and long wayward shots punished

The complaint from a few players was that, in the afternoon yesterday, accuracy was not being rewarded and it turns into a bit of a lottery on the greens.

 

[pendodave]

Imho it (the course set up) was inappropriate.

Tee to green it is difficult but acceptable. On the green it became a joke. I'm sure that the golf course is good enough to identify the best player without being reduced to this. If not, what does that say about the state of the game?

 

[Foxholer]

The complaint from a few players was that, in the afternoon yesterday, accuracy was not being rewarded and it turns into a bit of a lottery on the greens.

USGA seems obsessed with making a small number of shots under Par the 'target' for winning the US Open! Setting courses up to 'test' every part of a competitor's game is fine, but by taking that approach, they risk making it either a lottery, should conditions vary markedly on any day, or just daft by placing the pins in places that are 'too difficult'!

There will always be an elememt of 'luck' with conditions and timing in Golf tournments. Nature is unpredictable and that's the main reason why 'Draw' times change between days 1 & 2. But trying to utilise nature to test, to the limit, the world's best is fraught with (going OTT) danger!

I suspect that only a few pins will be in 'really tough' positions today. And, depending on predicted level of breeze, there may be some watering of some greens between groups - though that would be an admission that they 'lost' them yesterday, so unlikely.

I'm much more a fan of how The Open courses are set up - difficult, but not 'on the edge' - and simply find who scores best in those conditions. It's still a serious couple of steps up from the 'bomb and gouge' style that PGA Tour tends to be, but not 'completely daft' as has been the case for too many previous (and possibly this) US Open setups!

 

[Deleted member 16999]

The leaders after yesterday went off early, if it continues in that way today it could end up with someone 6 or 8 back going off early today and making the most of the better conditions.
Those top of the leaderboard will then be simply playing damage limitation and trying to hang on.
This years winner is unlikely to be the best golfer, just the bloke that got lucky with tee timings and weather conditions.

 

[MadAdey]

With regards to people saying they have lost the course, one of the top men from the USGA admitted on the golf channel they have lost the course and it’s going to take a lot of heavy watering today to keep it playable.

Ok it’s nice to see the pros hacking around now again, but 3 rounds if it is enough for me, in fact half way through the first day I had enough. To me the US Open should be won by the man who pulled off the best shots, not the one who got some luck and managed not to screw up as bad as the rest.

 

[bobmac]

Last years' score (-16) was equal best ever at the tournament as the course played easy.
They weren't going to let that happen again.
That's why it was set up so tough this year plus it's par 70 compared to Erin Hills par 72 last year so the field is +8 before it starts compared to last year.
It will be interesting to see what pin positions they choose today. If they are tough again that shows they don't listen to criticism. If they make them easy that will be admitting they were wrong for the last 3 days.

 

[JohnnyDee]

For me the whole thing has been a massive turn-off. (IMO) Tricked up course made artificially more difficult than it needed to have been just so the USGA can brag about how the US Open is the 'greatest test of golf'.

I'm waiting to see if they go with Abe Lincoln hats and windmills later today.

May not even bother watching it.

 

[larmen]

Tricked up course made artificially more difficult than it needed to have been

Is the regular course there different? How do 'normal' members go around there?

 

[Hacker Khan]

USGA seems obsessed with making a small number of shots under Par the 'target' for winning the US Open! Setting courses up to 'test' every part of a competitor's game is fine, but by taking that approach, they risk making it either a lottery, should conditions vary markedly on any day, or just daft by placing the pins in places that are 'too difficult'!

There will always be an elememt of 'luck' with conditions and timing in Golf tournments. Nature is unpredictable and that's the main reason why 'Draw' times change between days 1 & 2. But trying to utilise nature to test, to the limit, the world's best is fraught with (going OTT) danger!

I suspect that only a few pins will be in 'really tough' positions today. And, depending on predicted level of breeze, there may be some watering of some greens between groups - though that would be an admission that they 'lost' them yesterday, so unlikely.

I'm much more a fan of how The Open courses are set up - difficult, but not 'on the edge' - and simply find who scores best in those conditions. It's still a serious couple of steps up from the 'bomb and gouge' style that PGA Tour tends to be, but not 'completely daft' as has been the case for too many previous (and possibly this) US Open setups!

I think that is the key. Nowt wrong with tough pin positions if you are testing the best in the world, but if you are doing that you can't also have the greens playing like concrete so that missed puts are rolling off greens.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Is the regular course there different? How do 'normal' members go around there?

The fairways are on average 20 yards wider than the US Open setup (as in average fairway width is normally 60 odd yards as opposed to 40 odd yards as it is now) and of course the greens will be slower and more receptive, plus they are not playing from so far back.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Is the regular course there different? How do 'normal' members go around there?

I read a description on Twitter the other day which suggested that any other week a amateur golfer can quite easily play to their handicap. But it changes immeasurably when set up for the Open.

 

[larmen]

Thanks. I guessed the green are faster, but I didn't think you can do much to the fairway as that grass in the rough isn't growing in a week.

 

[Foxholer]

Is the regular course there different? How do 'normal' members go around there?

Still a very tough course! Par is 70; Mens Tees have Rating of 74.4, Slope 140; 72.4/134 from Front ones. So an 18-capper shooting handicap off the back tees would score 96, 93 off the front. Likewise a 9 capper 'should' score 85 and 83 resp.

Obviously, for the US Open, the rough would have been let grow thicker and taller and maybe the fairways shrunk a little. The Greens will have been virtually shaved. Stimp readings around 10-11 are 'very fast' for normal club play; these will be 13-14 (maybe even more!) which really exaggerates breaks and slopes!

 

[USER1999]

Are all the NYPD midgets, or did they specially select 4 to walk on with DJ?

 

[Deleted member 18121]

I think it's a real shame how easy the course is today... Back to the normal PGA birdie fest. Boring.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I think it's a real shame how easy the course is today... Back to the normal PGA birdie fest. Boring.

Seriously ? I don’t think you understand the issues the course had yesterday and today there is a grand total of 5 players under par out of the 30 odd playing. Birdie Fest ? Maybe you aren’t confused or watching a repeat of an old Comp

Yesterday the course punished good shots , Pin’s were in places that made it near on impossible to stop the ball close even from putts , players couldn’t even put their ball back on the green as it couldn’t stop moving because the greens got that bad - they lost the greens and they have even admitted it.

It’s nor a birdie fest today - far from it , it’s being a fairer test where good shots get the reward but bad shots still get punished as well as being at its softest but it’s going to firm up .To suggest the course is easy is laughable but also suggests a lack of understanding