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USGA Pulled it off
PISC
Legend
 
220 Views    12 Replies    3 Likes   I like it!
They pulled it off and not one of the top world golfer broke par. As Bobby Jones said "old man par" was a great score this tournament. It really displays the quality of golfer there is when you see these guys making putts to save par on greens running at 12+, boring not all, much more exciting then bombing-birdie attempts. Shotmaking is always better to watch in my opinion.
LyinLewis
Legend
 
# 1    6/18/2012 8:29:03 AM   
Agreed. The US Open is about survival.

There is not a better stage for players' anguish in golf.


BUCKNUT
Legend
 
# 2    6/18/2012 8:33:37 AM   
I enjoyed that much more than Rory's 50 under par (or whatever it was) tournament last year when it seemed as if he was on cruise control. I liked that Rory won last year, but I like watching pro's struggle and have to think about what to do.


Don Freeman
Professional Champion
 
# 3    6/18/2012 8:47:23 AM   
Yes ! Now the pros know how I feel on the course.


ArizonaBlue
Professional Champion
 
# 4    6/18/2012 9:39:58 AM   
This was a great tournament to watch. I agree that courses that the pros play should be more difficult than they are. The rough should be more penal ... but not so much as the US Open. This would cause the pros to think about hitting more fairways instead of just bombing it down there. Let's see more of the art of shot-making.


cogolfer1
LowIndex
 
# 5    6/18/2012 11:02:10 AM   
As I had said before the tournament, I'd have gone nuts if the score was -1, let alone -16. They made it brutal, and it was much more enjoyable to watch than the John Deere Classic or Humana Challenge. I wish more tournaments did this. Valero, Honda, Memorial, and Bay Hill are the only ones I can think of right away that don't let the winning score get above -10 (most of the time).


LyinLewis
Legend
 
# 6    6/18/2012 11:14:17 AM   

As I had said before the tournament, I'd have gone nuts if the score was -1, let alone -16. They made it brutal, and it was much more enjoyable to watch than the John Deere Classic or Humana Challenge. I wish more tournaments did this. Valero, Honda, Memorial, and Bay Hill are the only ones I can think of right away that don't let the winning score get above -10 (most of the time).


I don't mind letting the pros shoot low in a tour event. But agree the US Open should be brutal. I don't buy the whole...I want them to feel what I feel when I play golf because if you and I played that course we couldn't break 100. I do, however think that the US Open, more than any other tournament puts the focus back on driving accuracy, smart play and short game saves.

For all of those people who decry the modern game and the driving distances players hit on the tour. Tell the PGA Tour to grow up the rough and narrow their fairways and I promise you players will dial back the long ball.


Slicer_1
Professional Champion
 
# 7    6/18/2012 2:06:55 PM   
I would love to see the USGA, after the cut, cut down the rough and slow the greens down. Talk about screwing with your mind. To me the US Open is fairly boring. I really only watch 25% of it until the last few holes yesterday. I see golfers struggle to hit out of the rough and duff chips every week when we play. I'd rather watch these guys tear it up. I can see making it a little more challenging but there comes to a point where it gets ridiculous.


MikeNomgi
Professional Champion
 
# 8    6/18/2012 5:43:52 PM   
The USGA's goal each year is to identify the best players, not embarrass them. They accomplished their mission. The course was difficult, but not unfair.

On to Merion!


PISC
Legend
 
# 9    6/19/2012 12:37:40 PM   

I could call every hole a par 1 at any muni and the pros wouldn't break par, I guess that means I'm better than the USGA at setting up a course.

So if you think that is ridiculous then the US Open winner was at -7
Because just changing par isn't setting a course up difficult, a par 5 is a par 5 no matter who is playing it.

Would you consider a scratch golfer an expert golfer? A scratch golfer is partially defined as being able to reach a 475y hole in 2 strokes, par is partially defined as any expert player can reach the green in regulation. So, excluding the 2 par 5's arbitrarily called par 4, how many par 4's were 500+y?

Yes, not using their own definitions, they can set up a course where the pros cannot break par over 4 rounds. I can too.


There is alot more that goes into setting up a course then just converting 5's to 4's. The USGA spends several years working with the Superintendent to determine rough height, fairway width, green contours and speed....They rebuild almost the entire course at Olympic to host this tournament.