Thoughts on the US Open men's golf tourney

[uihawk82]

Bryson D was clutch, as poorly as hid driving accuracy was the seemed to find a playable lie 95% of the time which is beyond lucky. But his short game was very good. He made an all world par on the 72nd hole to win it by one stroke. If Bryson would have been playing a US Open course with its regular high, difficult grass rough he probably shoots 6-8 shots worse than he did.

Did Rory choke? Or is he just snake-bitten in these big events? If you watched he really lost his putting form missing a 2 1/2 foot putt late Sunday. Overall on Saturday and Sunday, Rory was 5 over par on the final 4 holes of both rounds. He either lost some concentration, which can happen, got ahead of himself, got jacked up hitting some long and bad irons, but it doesnt seem he is clutch in these majors anymore.

It was good to see a couple other golfers having good events, Aberg is really good and so young (he had two triple bogeys and still finished even or 1 under par), Pavon can play, Finau had a triple and only finished 3 shots behind the winner, Cantlay played very well even with his tee to green play being B minus.

That course is effing difficult with the fast and elevated greens.

Did anyone else watch or follow? Your thoughts? The crowds on the course were huge and loud?

 

[Aardvark86]

Bryson D was clutch, as poorly as hid driving accuracy was the seemed to find a playable lie 95% of the time which is beyond lucky. But his short game was very good. He made an all world par on the 72nd hole to win it by one stroke. If Bryson would have been playing a US Open course with its regular high, difficult grass rough he probably shoots 6-8 shots worse than he did.

Did Rory choke? Or is he just snake-bitten in these big events? If you watched he really lost his putting form missing a 2 1/2 foot putt late Sunday. Overall on Saturday and Sunday, Rory was 5 over par on the final 4 holes of both rounds. He either lost some concentration, which can happen, got ahead of himself, got jacked up hitting some long and bad irons, but it doesnt seem he is clutch in these majors anymore.

It was good to see a couple other golfers having good events, Aberg is really good and so young (he had two triple bogeys and still finished even or 1 under par), Pavon can play, Finau had a triple and only finished 3 shots behind the winner, Cantlay played very well even with his tee to green play being B minus.

That course is effing difficult with the fast and elevated greens.

Did anyone else watch or follow? Your thoughts? The crowds on the course were huge and loud?

1. This is the risk/reward that Bryson plays, and this time it paid off for him. While it's easy to say he got lucky, to be honest, I don't think that's quite fair. I've played #2 a couple of times, and (to my surprise) a substantial majority of the balls I hit into the natural areas were quite playable and bad luck was the exception rather than the rule. And it's not like he had a great lie on 18 (and a couple of others I can remember) - his second shot, to me, was even more impressive than his third. Beyond that, they all played the same course.
2. I don't think it's fair to say Rory choked. He went on a tear mid round, and he cooled off late on one of the most amazing (and difficult) stretches of finishing holes in golf. TV doesn't really do justice to how complicated the 18 pin placement is. These things tend to balance out.
3. Big fan of Finau.
4. While Bryson is to me still something of a carnival curiosity, he is entertaining and good for golf; it's refreshing to see someone who seems to be having fun. And to put a finer point on it, Rory is a great golfer but just annoys the hell out of me as a drama queen that cant keep his mouth shut, so words cannot express how happy I am that Bryson won, that people were chanting USA, and how unsurprised I am that Rory quickly got out of Dodge.
5. I honestly don't think I've watched a televised golf event where the crowds seemed so massive. My buddy has a place down there and attended all four days and confirmed they were just enormous.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

Holes 14-18 are the most difficult on the course but yes, Rory missed two very short putts that should have been made for the win. Bryson missed one as well but didn’t let that affect him down the stretch. It’s nice to see pros struggle too as they typically have courses set up to give them max opportunities to score low scores instead of scramble for par a lot like we saw Thursday through yesterday. Just shows how tough the course was and is when pro golfers miss short putts. I’m sure they are mentally exhausted with the focus needed for 18 holes of demanding golf, tee to green.

 

[uihawk82]

1. This is the risk/reward that Bryson plays, and this time it paid off for him. While it's easy to say he got lucky, to be honest, I don't think that's quite fair. I've played #2 a couple of times, and (to my surprise) a substantial majority of the balls I hit into the natural areas were quite playable and bad luck was the exception rather than the rule. And it's not like he had a great lie on 18 (and a couple of others I can remember) - his second shot, to me, was even more impressive than his third. Beyond that, they all played the same course.
2. I don't think it's fair to say Rory choked. He went on a tear mid round, and he cooled off late on one of the most amazing (and difficult) stretches of finishing holes in golf. TV doesn't really do justice to how complicated the 18 pin placement is. These things tend to balance out.
3. Big fan of Finau.
4. While Bryson is to me still something of a carnival curiosity, he is entertaining and good for golf; it's refreshing to see someone who seems to be having fun. And to put a finer point on it, Rory is a great golfer but just annoys the hell out of me as a drama queen that cant keep his mouth shut, so words cannot express how happy I am that Bryson won, that people were chanting USA, and how unsurprised I am that Rory quickly got out of dodge.
5. I honestly don't think I've watched a televised golf event where the crowds seemed so massive. My buddy has a place down there and attended all four days and confirmed they were just enormous.

I agree with your points. I like Finau and I really like Cantlay after his injury and comeback from the pedestrian-car accident. I would like to see Spieth find his game again instead of having just flashes as he can get the crowds going and he can make huge shots.

As far as Rory, as I was watching him putt and miss that 30 inch putt I could see his wrists and arm action break down right before impact. It was a bad stroke on a fairly routing putt which is why I called it choking. Rory is not a great putter but as you said a really streaky player.

 

[uihawk82]

Holes 14-18 are the most difficult on the course but yes, Rory missed two very short putts that should have been made for the win. Bryson missed one as well but didn’t let that affect him down the stretch. It’s nice to see pros struggle too as they typically have courses set up to give them max opportunities to score low scores instead of scramble for par a lot like we saw Thursday through yesterday. Just shows how tough the course was and is when pro golfers miss short putts. I’m sure they are mentally exhausted with the focus needed for 18 holes of demanding golf, tee to green.

Correct, and it is why I love the difficulty of the US Open with firm fairways and greens, generally tougher rough, etc. And it is just human nature to sometimes tighten up or lose your concentration on a few shots, and that is all it takes, a few missed shots. As I said, Rory was 5 over on those last 4 holes on the last 2 rounds. That is 5 over par on 8 holes of the tourney and 10 under par on the other 64 holes of the tourney.

But Rory seems to have distance control problems on irons under pressure which is what happened on number 16. And he has to rue bogeying the par 5 # 5 and playing the par 5's pretty average.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

I agree with your points. I like Finau and I really like Cantlay after his injury and comeback from the pedestrian-car accident. I would like to see Spieth find his game again instead of having just flashes as he can get the crowds going and he can make huge shots.

As far as Rory, as I was watching him putt and miss that 30 inch putt I could see his wrists and arm action break down right before impact. It was a bad stroke on a fairly routing putt which is why I called it choking. Rory is not a great putter but as you said a really streaky player.

Spieth appears to be a mental midget now with his game. He starts to think too much and the wheels come off or one bad shot then see ya. It all happened when he melted down at Augusta and has never really recovered from the round of golf.

 

[hawkeye54545]

My thought was how they didn't pull Brandel Chamblee off the air mid broadcast. What a terrible performance. He didn't even try to be impartial when it came to Dechambeau.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

Bryson hit 6 of 14 fairways on Sunday, and was unable to advance the ball to around the green 2 times.

That’s not the typical missed fairway penalty for a U.S. Open, and is too random in my view.

I thought the USGA did a better job setting up the course other than a few spots this year though — it is just limited to what it can do with the nature of the course.

Still shocked that it is now an anchor site.

 

[uihawk82]

My thought was how they didn't pull Brandel Chamblee off the air mid broadcast. What a terrible performance. He didn't even try to be impartial when it came to Dechambeau.

I thought the same thing to a lesser degree. But first Chamblee talks too much and takes too long to make an observation. And he just kept mentioning how lucky Bryson was with his drives finding pretty good lies. Well that is the luck of golf in a way. But Brandel should stay on the Golf Channel coverage.

 

[uihawk82]

Spieth appears to be a mental midget now with his game. He starts to think too much and the wheels come off or one bad shot then see ya. It all happened when he melted down at Augusta and has never really recovered from the round of golf.

I agree with you about halfway. Spieth has had some finger and wrist injuries which he plays with and ongoing wrist tendon problem. And the other thing is he has worked on his length off the tee and hitting his driver out there 320 with pretty decent accuracy. But he has lost his iron and approach accuracy and even he cant keep making 30 footers all day.

 

[nelly02]

1. This is the risk/reward that Bryson plays, and this time it paid off for him. While it's easy to say he got lucky, to be honest, I don't think that's quite fair. I've played #2 a couple of times, and (to my surprise) a substantial majority of the balls I hit into the natural areas were quite playable and bad luck was the exception rather than the rule. And it's not like he had a great lie on 18 (and a couple of others I can remember) - his second shot, to me, was even more impressive than his third. Beyond that, they all played the same course.
2. I don't think it's fair to say Rory choked. He went on a tear mid round, and he cooled off late on one of the most amazing (and difficult) stretches of finishing holes in golf. TV doesn't really do justice to how complicated the 18 pin placement is. These things tend to balance out.
3. Big fan of Finau.
4. While Bryson is to me still something of a carnival curiosity, he is entertaining and good for golf; it's refreshing to see someone who seems to be having fun. And to put a finer point on it, Rory is a great golfer but just annoys the hell out of me as a drama queen that cant keep his mouth shut, so words cannot express how happy I am that Bryson won, that people were chanting USA, and how unsurprised I am that Rory quickly got out of Dodge.
5. I honestly don't think I've watched a televised golf event where the crowds seemed so massive. My buddy has a place down there and attended all four days and confirmed they were just enormous.

Can you explain why you think Brysons 2nd shot was better than his 3rd? To me his second was just a ho hum pitch out and I feel it was even a little below average that he let it get into the bunker. I feel the 3rd was all world... pros don't get a lot of 55 yard bunker shots. And to put that to 3 feet with that pressure with a shot he rarely gets was outstanding. Just my opinion though.

 

[uihawk82]

Spieth ranks 96th in greens in regulation and a low 67% per pga stats. Where he used to throw darts at pins, now he has trouble getting on in regulation.

So no doubt where he has to focus his practice

 

[Scott559]

As an older guy watching Bryson reminded me of something Jack Nicklaus said decades ago when he was in his prime and hitting the ball much further than his peers, “ I would rather hit a 9 iron out of the rough than a 6 iron out of the fairway” I believe was Jack’s statement. In US opens on firm fast greens nothing beats hitting loft into the greens.

As far as Rory, He has put so much pressure on himself in majors because of his drought, Maybe choking is harsh but IMO there is no doubt he succumbed to the pressure, Missing one 3 footer, OK it happens but missing 2 in the last 3 holes…..


I have mixed emotions on Pinehurst, For me there is just a bit too much random luck in hitting the ball offline, Shots that miss the target by a foot the can roll off into truly shitty lies and shots that miss by 30 yards end up with very good lies. I know “bad luck/good luck” can happen in any tournament I just feel Pinehurst has a bit too much random luck in play. The bottom line though was it was a very fun Championship to watch.

 

[joelbc1]

Holes 14-18 are the most difficult on the course but yes, Rory missed two very short putts that should have been made for the win. Bryson missed one as well but didn’t let that affect him down the stretch. It’s nice to see pros struggle too as they typically have courses set up to give them max opportunities to score low scores instead of scramble for par a lot like we saw Thursday through yesterday. Just shows how tough the course was and is when pro golfers miss short putts. I’m sure they are mentally exhausted with the focus needed for 18 holes of demanding golf, tee to green.

Remember….Bryson missed a “short one” too…Can you imagine how one’s mind is racing in the heat of a tournament (major) with a myriad of random and crazy thoughts racing through their brains? and how hard it is to solely focus on the next shot? Even the best players in the world have issues at times. This pressure to perform has ended many a great golfer into an early retirement…Johnny Miller comes to mind. He got “the yips” so bad at the end of his career, he couldn’t even draw the putter back. (Which makes his winning his last tournament (the Bing Crosby) a couple of years after quitting the game perhaps the greatest professional tour win of all time.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

My thought was how they didn't pull Brandel Chamblee off the air mid broadcast. What a terrible performance. He didn't even try to be impartial when it came to Dechambeau.

 

[uihawk82]

View embedded media

Bryson used to be somewhat of a dick talking about his game, walking by in the camera line being loud enoughe while other golfers are being interviewed, talking about other golfers .

I did not know that about Brandel but yes Brandel has a big mouth and tries to be controversial when not needed.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

5. I honestly don't think I've watched a televised golf event where the crowds seemed so massive. My buddy has a place down there and attended all four days and confirmed they were just enormous.

My nephew attended the first two days and said the same thing. He said there was a surprisingly good crowd at the practice round he attended.

 

[Aardvark86]

Can you explain why you think Brysons 2nd shot was better than his 3rd? To me his second was just a ho hum pitch out and I feel it was even a little below average that he let it get into the bunker. I feel the 3rd was all world... pros don't get a lot of 55 yard bunker shots. And to put that to 3 feet with that pressure with a shot he rarely gets was outstanding. Just my opinion though.

1. Magnolia tree interfering with/limiting backswing requires incredible concentration and focus to make your actual swing just like your ideal practice swing.
2. Root right in front of ball could have sent that ball in any direction, including backwards or even broken a club.
3. Some native grass in the path as well.

Go here and look at 19:07. https://www.usopen.com/2024/videos/...c=230596675.1.1718634448240&__hsfp=2160068541

And it's 18, and at that moment you've got to be thinking you're looking at a likely bogey, but you manage to stay alive.

in contrast, the bunker shot, while fabulous, is just a long bunker shot. I'd have to think he felt marginally more optimism (even if still low) about a save from there than he did from next to the root.

 

[Scott559]

My thought was how they didn't pull Brandel Chamblee off the air mid broadcast. What a terrible performance. He didn't even try to be impartial when it came to Dechambeau.

Brandel is a pretty smart guy, And he likes to let everyone know it. If you watch “live from” He has gone on and on about how Rory needs to go away from his patent draw and go to a fade, He believes it is what is costing Rory majors, He did it again last night while seeming to be oblivious to the fact that the guy that just won the tournament hits draws almost exclusively.

 

[Mister_Man]

Rory choked. I'm a fan but he did. It's a choke for the ages. The 18-hole putt was definitely not a gimmie but you have to make it.

It sucks, I would have enjoyed watching a playoff. It was great theater, a memorable US Open. The back 9 stretch was incredible.

 

[Mister_Man]

What are your thoughts on version 10 of DeChambeau?

 

[Nole-4-Life]

Bryson hit 6 of 14 fairways on Sunday, and was unable to advance the ball to around the green 2 times.

That’s not the typical missed fairway penalty for a U.S. Open, and is too random in my view.

I thought the USGA did a better job setting up the course other than a few spots this year though — it is just limited to what it can do with the nature of the course.

Still shocked that it is now an anchor site.

Agree...missing the fairway was just not as penal as it usually is. No chance Bryson breaks par on a normal course with the 6" thick ass rough.

 

[MikeyHawk]

Bryson hit 6 of 14 fairways on Sunday, and was unable to advance the ball to around the green 2 times.

That’s not the typical missed fairway penalty for a U.S. Open, and is too random in my view.

I thought the USGA did a better job setting up the course other than a few spots this year though — it is just limited to what it can do with the nature of the course.

Still shocked that it is now an anchor site.

It is a great course and one of the best for the US Open. no rough around the greens and challenging greens. Ball rolls and creates more challenging pitch/chips. Thick rough just stops the ball right near the green and the shot is almost always the same.

Lies in the rough in US Open's are not random?

Golf fans and the fascination with thick rough is something I have never understood

 

[MikeyHawk]

Agree...missing the fairway was just not as penal as it usually is. No chance Bryson breaks par on a normal course with the 6" thick ass rough.

It was so easy, only 8 players broke par

Thick rough actually favors players like Byrson and Rory

 

[Scott559]

Agree...missing the fairway was just not as penal as it usually is. No chance Bryson breaks par on a normal course with the 6" thick ass rough.

You mean a course like Winged Foot?

 

[Nole-4-Life]

You mean a course like Winged Foot?

I dunno. I don't know the courses like the back of my hand. But shooting par as often as he was off the fairway would surely have been more of a challenge, IMO.

 

[Nole-4-Life]

It was so easy, only 8 players broke par

Thick rough actually favors players like Byrson and Rory

I never said it was easy. Just that the long thick rough is more penal than the native areas on Pinehurst.

 

[HawkMachine]

I really like Cantlay

 

[fivecardstud14]

It’s great to see Cantlay lose, will never cheer for that slow-playing tool. McIlroy’s putt on 16 was more of a choke than the putt on 18. Can’t believe he hit 7 iron too far on 17. I know he got it up & down but his caddy needed to step in there & say something.

McIlroy also left himself on top of the pin on 18. Announcers were saying the putt didn’t break that much. Kaufman said left center should be good. McIlroy played it left edge or just outside & it still slid hard.

 

[Scott559]

I dunno. I don't know the courses like the back of my hand. But shooting par as often as he was off the fairway would surely have been more of a challenge, IMO.

He won the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot, Traditional old style course with thick rough and considered one of the toughest in the US Open rotation. He shot -6 (same as he shot at Pinehurst) and was the only player to shoot under par for 72 holes.

He hit many wayward drives in 2020, He was strong enough to muscle the ball out of the rough and onto the green.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

]

It is a great course and one of the best for the US Open. no rough around the greens and challenging greens. Ball rolls and creates more challenging pitch/chips. Thick rough just stops the ball right near the green and the shot is almost always the same.

Lies in the rough in US Open's are not random?

Golf fans and the fascination with thick rough is something I have never understood

I have no problem with the shaved area and collection points around the greens. I think those test the nerves and skills.

I just think you need fairway rough.

Imo lies in the 4-6 inch rough are more similar (consistently bad) than the binary no problem or you are screwed behind the wire grass that is Pinehurst.

I think Pinehurst is a very good course - just isn’t what I think of as a US Open course.

 

[uihawk82]

]

I have no problem with the shaved area and collection points around the greens. I think those test the nerves and skills.

I just think you need fairway rough.

Imo lies in the 4-6 inch rough are more similar (consistently bad) than the binary no problem or you are screwed behind the wire grass that is Pinehurst.

I think Pinehurst is a very good course - just isn’t what I think of as a US Open course.

Pinehurst isnt penal enough for bad driving and wide and long approach shots.

 

[uihawk82]

McIlroy also left himself on top of the pin on 18. Announcers were saying the putt didn’t break that much. Kaufman said left center should be good. McIlroy played it left edge or just outside & it still slid hard.

You are correct about the Rory chip on 18, the way that green is tilted you have to leave it to the right of the hole and perhaps 2-4 feet short which should give you a pretty straight uphill putt.

Either Rory was juiced or whatever or he thought this chip would break more which might scrub a little more speed off of it, it just wasnt hit correctly.

 

[uihawk82]

It’s great to see Cantlay lose, will never cheer for that slow-playing tool. McIlroy’s putt on 16 was more of a choke than the putt on 18. Can’t believe he hit 7 iron too far on 17. I know he got it up & down but his caddy needed to step in there & say something.

McIlroy also left himself on top of the pin on 18. Announcers were saying the putt didn’t break that much. Kaufman said left center should be good. McIlroy played it left edge or just outside & it still slid hard.

If Cantlay hardly ever gets warned for slow play then he is ok. The guy was awesome putting and chipping which takes a lot of concentration. He used to stripe his drives and irons and maybe now he is taking too much time over those shots before swinging.

I think Aberg has a great routine and gets over it and hits it.

 

[ihawk in FWB]

1. This is the risk/reward that Bryson plays, and this time it paid off for him. While it's easy to say he got lucky, to be honest, I don't think that's quite fair. I've played #2 a couple of times, and (to my surprise) a substantial majority of the balls I hit into the natural areas were quite playable and bad luck was the exception rather than the rule. And it's not like he had a great lie on 18 (and a couple of others I can remember) - his second shot, to me, was even more impressive than his third. Beyond that, they all played the same course.
2. I don't think it's fair to say Rory choked. He went on a tear mid round, and he cooled off late on one of the most amazing (and difficult) stretches of finishing holes in golf. TV doesn't really do justice to how complicated the 18 pin placement is. These things tend to balance out.
3. Big fan of Finau.
4. While Bryson is to me still something of a carnival curiosity, he is entertaining and good for golf; it's refreshing to see someone who seems to be having fun. And to put a finer point on it, Rory is a great golfer but just annoys the hell out of me as a drama queen that cant keep his mouth shut, so words cannot express how happy I am that Bryson won, that people were chanting USA, and how unsurprised I am that Rory quickly got out of Dodge.
5. I honestly don't think I've watched a televised golf event where the crowds seemed so massive. My buddy has a place down there and attended all four days and confirmed they were just enormous.

Hey Aardvark I'm an 18 hcp, 63 years old and still play from the men's tees.

What do I shoot on number 2?

I shot a 105 at Merion a few years ago.

 

[uihawk82]

Brandel is a pretty smart guy, And he likes to let everyone know it. If you watch “live from” He has gone on and on about how Rory needs to go away from his patent draw and go to a fade, He believes it is what is costing Rory majors, He did it again last night while seeming to be oblivious to the fact that the guy that just won the tournament hits draws almost exclusively.

And Brandel was saying repeatedly that Bryson is in a position that needs a fade but he just cant really hit it or depend on hitting one well.

A lot of these pros, most of them only want a ONE WAY miss so they predominantly hit draw or fade.

Personnally, I can hit the ball really straight most of the time so these guys should be able to hit it very very straight, repeatedly. A few do but not sure why most of them dont.

 

[Aardvark86]

Hey Aardvark I'm an 18 hcp, 63 years old and still play from the men's tees.

What do I shoot on number 2?

I shot a 105 at Merion a few years ago.

You're pretty close to a mirror image of me, though I'm just a bit younger. You'll shoot 100-105.

The "easy" thing about the course is that it's all right in front of you, there's not a huge amount of elevation change that you have to deal with, and as noted, I do think the waste areas are not that bad - even kind of fun - as long as you don't just have flat out bad luck. Half stroke effect per hole for you and me.

But the green surrounds are another matter. First, you cannot - repeat cannot - bump and run in bermuda. Second, some of the holes can be even more penal to miss than they are for the pros (eg, #13, where if you go over, you will not be held up by a grandstand.) Third, you have to be a decent lag putter.

 

[torbee]

I still think Dechambeau is a Twatwaffle.

 

[Nole-4-Life]

He won the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot, Traditional old style course with thick rough and considered one of the toughest in the US Open rotation. He shot -6 (same as he shot at Pinehurst) and was the only player to shoot under par for 72 holes.

He hit many wayward drives in 2020, He was strong enough to muscle the ball out of the rough and onto the green.

Ok.

 

[nelly02]

1. Magnolia tree interfering with/limiting backswing requires incredible concentration and focus to make your actual swing just like your ideal practice swing.
2. Root right in front of ball could have sent that ball in any direction, including backwards or even broken a club.
3. Some native grass in the path as well.

Go here and look at 19:07. https://www.usopen.com/2024/videos/...c=230596675.1.1718634448240&__hsfp=2160068541

And it's 18, and at that moment you've got to be thinking you're looking at a likely bogey, but you manage to stay alive.

in contrast, the bunker shot, while fabulous, is just a long bunker shot. I'd have to think he felt marginally more optimism (even if still low) about a save from there than he did from next to the root.

Agree to disagree. Not saying it was routine but those guys deal with stuff like that on a regular basis especially guys like Bryson who play aggressively and get in trouble like that often. The root probably limited the line he could take but it didn't prevent him from making solid contact. On the other hand as I said earlier these guys rarely get bunker shots from that yardage and it had to be precise to get it to where he did. With the second shot the goal was just getting it out of jail. Just my opinion but I feel the 3rd shot was much more impressive.