Is anyone watching the U.S. Open?

Parent Cafe
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The Spieth story:

Spieth was victimized by a Fox Sports on-course microphone which picked up his conversation with caddie Michael Greller while making double bogey on No. 18 at Chambers Bay.

“This is the dumbest hole I’ve ever played in my life,” Spieth said.

Ropes has just one question: Is there a problem?

He didn’t swear. He told the truth. Nobody was injured.

Spieth’s criticism stems from the USGA’s decision, made before the event, to change par on the 18th hole from 5 to 4. He said afterward that the change gave a distinct advantage to the long bombers. They can fly the bunkers while others hit to a small landing area.

“I think 18 as a par-4 doesn’t make much sense,” Spieth said. “Of course, at the moment when I didn’t hit the right shots, it’s going to make even less sense. If the microphones are going to pick it up, they’re going to pick it up. I’m not going to put a smile on and be happy with the way I played the hole. So I am who I am.”

He continued:

“I think the hole doesn’t make sense because you can hit it down the left center of the fairway and still end up in the right bunker. There’s a group of about 10, 12 guys that can fly it 310 yards that have an entirely different hole to play there. For anybody else, you have to hit it in a five- or six-yard area. And if it’s going to be a par-4 and you’re going to bring that other bunker into play, I think the tee should have been moved up more.”

Spieth’s drive landed in the left bunker. He barely cleared the deep face with 9-iron then hit into the front greenside bunker, hit to 25 feet and took two putts.

“I was trying to carry the pot bunker, which wasn’t the right move,” Spieth said. “It was a bad decision. I should have hit a sand wedge out and made bogey at worst. At 4 under through eight holes, I didn’t sit back and make myself aware that a bogey is not terrible.”

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The article was written … before the last day and contained this:

It’s quite possible that the championship will come down the final hole, which will be 18 unless the USGA decides to make more drastic alterations.

So what will Spieth do if he’s on 18 with the trophy hanging in the balance?

“I’m going to hit a punch slice,” he said.

Sounds like a smart play

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“Do you wonder what’s tougher for these guys, losing like Johnson did or losing like Oosthuizen? Whose shoes would you rather be in?”

The commentators agreed that several of the players who started in the groups near Oosthuizen played very aggressively on Sunday, basically with a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude and it work for him, not so much for others. Often that’s what makes it exciting. He was going for the greens, he was taking chances. Johnston obviously went for the win on 18 but then putted past the hole. Aggressive play that didn’t work out for him.

I’d rather be Oosthuizen, but hope Johnston realizes he did the right thing in going for the win on 18.

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But 18 was a par 5, at least on the last day.

Billy Horschel was complaining about the greens, and about pin placement on Sunday. Those greens were HUGE, so pin placement could really make a difference. I think I agree with him that while everyone played the same greens, having inconsistent greens makes luck more of a factor, with great putts putting like average putters and not so great putters putting like average putters. When I play a public course, I expect holes and divits and sandy spots and weeds and sprinkler heads that are broken. When I play an expensive course, I expect more.

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Appreciate the professionalism of golf reporter Judy Rankin.
She has the respect of the top players to ask questions, able to contribute insights to the anchor desk as she walks the course with the players during play.
Those ginormous headphones with the antennae Judy wears is her equivalent of the golf mini skirt.
The review of Fox’s US Open coverage:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/06/fox-us-open-coverage-review-horrible-mistakes-joe-buck-greg-norman-golf

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^^^ Thanks for that. No. 16 makes me feel better about not being able to see the ball. They may not have been showing it. :slight_smile:

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What I noticed and I am not a golfer so this could be taken with a large grain of salt:
On the shorter putts it was really important that they be actually lined up well and struck with enough pace (as they say in soccer which IS my sport) to get cleanly to the hole. Those who had pace but lacked touch went wide and often paid a steep price with a big roll away from the hole. Those who tried to play it safe and just nudge it in often didn’t get there or left their ball more at the mercy of the surface. I noticed that Spieth took a lot of time lining up his putts - even the shorter ones. He didn’t treat any of them like they were gimmes. He looked form several angles, conferred, approached his ball, then went back and looked some more. Johnson seemed to just walk up there and putt the thing and didn’t have a level club face. He was counting on the green to bail him out of a poorly struck ball and these greens didn’t. On the 18th hole as a par 5 he was rewarded by having a bomb of a drive then 2 opportunities to wither win or tie with a solid putt. He couldn’t do it.

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For any CC’ers in the Austin area, the UT tower will be list orange tonight (June 22) in honor of Jordan’s win yesterday.

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I think xiggi’s just steamed because Spieth gave a near treasonous shout out to the 12s :wink:

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I wish I could be in Austin!

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This is why Speith won. He figured out the course better than anyone else did, and then he executed. When they play the more traditional American courses, it’s much more about execution. This course forced them to play a top mental game as well.

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Well, this might illustrate what has happened on those greens. Hidden in the grass were little imperfections and problematic level changes looming below the surface.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ts1kh

Imagine they threw invisible gravel pebbles on the Augusta greens, One could read the 10-20 putts really well and still be surprised by an unpredictable hazard.

Not all the misses were because of bad greens. They just happened in weird places and to people known for being good putters.

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Actually he did rush a number of them. Take a look the 17th on the final day!

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Not really and I found the answer both charming and diplomatic. He defused the grenade thrown by good ol’ Joe. The boy is a Jesuit-educated Dallasite after all!

This said, am I inventing that Spieth also mentioned why nobody likes to visit the state’s stadiums, except the local hardliners? Fwiw, I do like the crazy enthusiasm at the football and soccer venues. The over-the-top lunatics … not so much. Perhaps too subtle a nuance and lot less useful to hurl a quip! Not that I mind, Saintfan!

And I am happy to discuss soccer at any time!

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The issue on the 18th hole was not the par per se, but when they played it as a par-4, they moved the tees up 85 yards to make it a 520 yard par 4 instead of a 605 yard par 5.

There was a proper landing zone for a driver from the par 5 tees, short and/or to the right of the fairway bunkers, with a fairway that was wide enough for a driver landing zone, all well short of another bunker down the right side.

With the tees moved up, there was no landing zone for an average PGA tour player. Now, those same fairway bunkers were exactly the distance a driver carries. And, because of the width of the fairway (and another bunker down the right), there was no place to aim the driver away from the bunkers.

On a normal par 4, when the designer takes away the landing zone for a driver, you lay up short of the bunkers with a fairway wood or iron. But, a lay up par 4 designed that way is not 525 yards long.

The “proper” way for an average PGA Tour player to play the 18th in the par 4 configuration would be to hit a 235 yard 5 iron off the tee, short of the bunkers. Then, a 285 yard 3-wood for the second shot to the green. That is, as Spieth aptly described, the “stupidest hole I’ve ever seen”. It’s just bad design as a par 4. You don’t force players to lay up off the tee and then have 285 yards to the green on a par 4.

It’s a great par 5, really a great design. Converting it to a shorter par 4 made an awful hole that was simply illogical in terms of landing zone and bunker placement. The Golf Channel pro analysts pointed out the bad par 4 configuration on their shows the Monday before the tournament and how it would be horrible to ruin such a great par 5 finishing hole.

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And next year, we might be longing for the good old days of Chambers Bay, where the winning score was 5-under.

Oakmont winning scores:

1927: Plus-13
1935: Plus-11
1953: Minus-5
1962: Minus-1
1973: Minus-5
1983: Minus-4
1994: Minus-5
2007: Plus-5

Back in the old days of the mid-20th century, Oakmont members used to brag that the USGA had to make the course easier for the Open.

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My problem with the USGA and the way the course was set up was that a great shot could have been made to turn out disasterly. Rory hit a couple of great shots onto the green that rolled off the green. So did other golfers but I remember Rory’s. These pros are great golfers and I personally want to see them chip to a few feet from the hole. God knows I can never chip like that!

It’s really hard to take Holly Sonders as a credible journalist when she dresses like she does. I’ve never thought much of her and she didn’t do anything to change my mind. Seriously, she’s going to be on the NFL sidelines? I don’t understand but then I’m not in the demographic that Fox cares about.

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Here you go, @MaineLonghorn :slight_smile:

https://twitter.com/LonghornNetwork/status/613168492305448960/photo/1

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@cgpm59, thank you!! You’re making me homesick, though. My parents can see the Tower from their house (where I grew up).

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With the Rory-Spieth rivalry, going forward, who has the bigger edge?
Spieth’s putting against Rory?
Rory’s ball-striking and distance against Jordan?
In other words, does one of them have such a distinct edge in those areas it tilts the rivalry toward them?

I’d take Rory on his skills, however, Spieth’s heart is pretty remarkable. I could see Spieth getting the career Slam before Rory because the Masters might turn into Rory’s white whale like the US Open is for Phil.

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It’s a little early to compare Spieth and Rory. Spieth is only 21 and hasn’t even completed three seasons on the PGA Tour. It hasn’t even been 2 years yet since he got his full-time Tour status. He was playing on sponsor exemptions until his first win in July 2013. Rory is working on his 8th full season as a pro.

Spieth is still learning the game and has some obvious room for improvement. For example, he is statistically mediocre with pitch shots from 50 to 100 yards out. I heard him mention that in a recent interview as something he’s specifically working on. He’s the #1 putter on tour on the strength of excellent lag putting and sinking a lot from outside 25 feet. He’s statistically just OK (not bad, but not great) on putts in the 6 to 10 foot range. I’m sure he’s working to improve that. Rory and Spieth had exactly the same number of putts at the US Open, tied for 15th best in the field.

The ball-striking difference with Rory is not so cut and dried. McIlroy is much longer off the tee with similar accuracy. But, Spieth is more accurate (statistically closer to the hole) on all approach shots from 100 to 250 yards. That’s a pretty important stat at places like Augusta or Chambers Bay where precision shots to the green are essential.

The real question is how much will Spieth improve in the next five years between now and when he gets to Rory’s age (26)? The prime ages for golfer are generally 25 to 35.

I think it was probably a big plus for Spieth that he experienced choking away a major (his horrendous double-bogey to blow a 2 shot lead on 17) and still bounce back to win with exceptional play on the next hole. He gets a second major AND the kind of lesson that will pay off next time.