2013 U.S. Open Running Thread

[Mark2010]

You shouldn't hit the green with a mid-iron and have the ball take two rocket bounces and roll off down a cliff, like what happened too often at Olympic Club. The greens should be able to hold good approach shots.

I suspect the winner will be a Lukas Glover-Webb Simpson type.... good, solid tour players who the average sports fan has never heard of. Someone who keeps the ball in the fairway and makes a lot of par putts and never takes a big number. Borrrrrr-ing!

 

[Chef2]

You shouldn't hit the green with a mid-iron and have the ball take two rocket bounces and roll off down a cliff, like what happened too often at Olympic Club. The greens should be able to hold good approach shots.

I understand what you're saying on mid-irons in, to a point. If you have a sectioned green, and you hit into the wrong section, you deserve to be penalized.

Don't look at it like one big green.....look at it like 4 small greens that you're playing into.

 

[Mark2010]

You shouldn't hit the green with a mid-iron and have the ball take two rocket bounces and roll off down a cliff, like what happened too often at Olympic Club. The greens should be able to hold good approach shots.

I understand what you're saying on mid-irons in, to a point. If you have a sectioned green, and you hit into the wrong section, you deserve to be penalized.

Don't look at it like one big green.....look at it like 4 small greens that you're playing into.

Yeah, but the penalty should be a much more difficult putt, not a chip from 60 yards out of whatever sort of rough.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

It's called adapting your game and hitting the ball lower and lighter with more of a bump-and-run approach rather than skying it into the the green as if it's Kemper Open soft.

 

[Mark2010]

Lot of the Euros love that form of play. You would have thought that they would have a better track record at the US Open.

I still think the tee shots and irons are the key. If you miss the fairway, or miss the green, you are going to make bogey more often than not.

 

[MileHigh]

Bump since Gee revived the golf thread but we did have this.

Lots of rain and this thing could turn into the old Bob Hope Desert Classic.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

If this turns into the pitch 'n putt Ernie Els is saying it will they'll never be back to the Philadelphia area.

 

[MileHigh]

Well, they definitely will not be coming back to Merion. This is it for the old lady.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

And I don't think any other course in the area has expressed the interest in hosting.

 

[MileHigh]

Watching the Golf Channel's preview -- and this course is wickedly cool. Long par 3s (save for the 115-yarder). Short par 4s. It's a brilliant design, and while still a bandbox (by today's standards), it's really too bad so much rain fell to turn this thing into a pitch-and-putt. It's going to be target practice out there, unfortunately. And it would be really bad if the doomsday scenario of having to bring in two holes from the West course come into play.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

There will be some very low scores, if the course is playable. But there will also be some very high scores, since the rough is going to resemble six inches of creamed spinach.

 

[trifectarich]

This is what I hate about modern-day selection of championship sites. In order to make Merion more of a challenge, they moved bunkers closer to the fairways at some holes. Now there's a story out that says when the Open is over, those bunkers will be moved back for regular member play. Of course, we all assume the USGA paid for this work, but I'm in the camp that you ought to go find a course and play it and stop trying to be Donald Ross.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

The British Open approach is far superior. Here's the damn course, same as it was in 1880. If the weather's bad, scores will be higher. On those infrequent occasions it's nice for all four days, the winner will go very low. Who cares about the number?
It is noteworthy that the one time the R&A engaged in USGA-style preparation of a course, at Carnoustie in 1999, it became just about impossible.
I respect the USGA's desire to make their Open the hardest tournament in the sport. But that doesn't need to be pegged to an artificial concept of par.

 

[Mark2010]

I don't think Tiger Woods will win this week. He dominates at courses when he can make hay on the par 5s and score birdies and eagles there. His length off the tee won't be as big of a factor at Merion as some other places.

I like Lee Westwood's chances. Got to see him play earlier this year at a PGA Tour event I worked and he was hitting the ball very well. Luke Donald could also do well, as well as, oh, maybe 50-60 other guys. It's such a crapshoot each and every week now. Just keep the ball in the fairway and you'll give yourself a chance.

 

[qtlaw]

This actually will play to Tiger's current strength; he can keep up with the youngsters with his irons and "stingers" off the tee on a short course. He's still got the great short game and he's been putting extremely well post-Stricker.

He won the Players on a course he's historically done very poorly.

 

[Chef2]

With it being this soft and this short......Someone beats Miller's 63.

 

[trifectarich]

With it being this soft and this short......Someone beats Miller's 63.

I'll take the over. Looking at some of that rough, hell, a caddie might lose a bag if he puts it down to look for a lost ball.

 

[Mark2010]

Weather forecast is not looking particularly good for Thursday. 80 percent chance of rain, including some strong thunderstorms.

As we learned in 2009 at Bethpage, if you fall very far behind schedule on Thursday, you never catch up the rest of the week and probably end up with a Monday finish.

 

[Matt1735]

I was at the Open in 2009, and was so ****ed up with the weather... ended up watching Monday's finish from the airport.

 

[MileHigh]

A golf reporter I worked with within the past decade would always schedule a Tuesday departure from the majors just in case.

I'll take the over on the 63 as well. I think in the end Merion will show some bite, but 6 under to 8 under could win this thing. And it could be like Bethpage -- it's going to depend which side of the draw you catch weather-wise. There were distinct advantages in 2009 because of that.