125th U.S. Open thread

[Cosmo]

Correct, but the Players is something the casual will watch. At least the final round.

 

[ChrisLong]

Awesome quote from an L.A. sports junkie:
Q: Does this put you up there with Kobe Bryant?
A: More like Derek Fisher, hitting that shot with 4-tenths of a second left.

 

[qtlaw]

IMHO you can want to see a “ big name” but if you love pure golf, JJ played the best pure golf on back 9, he ripped those last two drives on 17&18 and the you could tell hit his 200yd approach on 18 exactly where he wanted to. Just a great performance.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

He also opened with a bogey-free 66 and was the leader after 18 and 36 holes.

 

[dixiehack]

I do think cord-cutting has a lot to do with a lack of awareness/diminished presence of major events. You watch broadcast TV/cable the networks would blanket their ad space with promos for "big events." US Open, NBA Finals, etc. Now I'm not even aware of the "big movies" coming out because the ads I see streaming are for other things.

Something that occurred to me last night watching the CWS is thanks to taking the ESPN Plus feed my TV screen was filled with the sport I was watching and not a flashing ticker constantly grabbing my attention. That’s a really nice change.

 

[da man]

He also opened with a bogey-free 66 and was the leader after 18 and 36 holes.

Burns led after 36.

 

[swingline]

I'm just glad my bowler won.

 

[rtse11]

The dude shot 32 coming in with the course under water and everybody else, including the No. 1-ranked player in the world, unable to consistently make putts.
He was nails.

 

[playthrough]

Amazing U.S. Open. I'd have bet folding money during that rain delay that it would have finished Monday -- the cheers in the media center weren't just for the fact that J.J. Spaun won a major.

 

[I Should Coco]

We deskers in the PDT zone were also pleased that Spaun beat the sunset -- and on a very dramatic, awesome putt no less.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

The more I find out about this guy the more I like him. Buried deep in this story is a gem. Spaun would practice at a Scottsdale muni with normal golfers because it kept him humble

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/us...ry-won-unforgiving-open-off-improbable-finish

 

[hondo]

Michael Campbell says hello.

This was actually pretty reminiscent of 2005, where the guys at the top when play started (Goosen and Jason Gore) were nonfactors at the end.

What the hell does that mean? "Least distinguished?" Spaun played 72 holes in fewer strokes than anyone in a major, under brutal conditions. That's distinction. Rory and Bryson and Scottie and Rahm, etc. were free to make more birdies. No one was holding them back.

 

[swingline]

Maybe Gillooly kneecapped them

Why!?

 

[DanOregon]

One of the reasons people regard the Masters as the top major is that they are familiar with the course, its the same every year, and its a small field with about a third having no shot because they are riding in on exemptions that don't take into account how they've been playing the last six months (six years in some cases). So you are almost always going to have a "distinguished" champion who has either been tearing it up here or overseas or someone who has won a major before.
It would be interesting if there was qualifying for The Masters.
I'd say its similar to comparing TV ratings back when Fox signed on, to today. Nobody wins the US Open by accident.