When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
If the USGA had not positioned the Champions tent on No. 11 of the East Course at Winged Foot, would Phil's wayward drive had ended up with a view at 18 West?
What did you think of the tent positioning next to both 9 and 18 of the West?
Was it me or did he seem to gain some confidence with two aggressive drives on 8 and 9, that maybe backfired down the stretch?
Oh, another question while we're at it. For two guys who talk everything through, did it seem that Phil and Bones rushed the decision on the first shot from the 18 trees?
Thoughts?
7:28: NBC wraps things up, did a good job as always (18 was iffy), they plugged a few things, but sign off sounding dejected. I'm not. Way to go Geoff!!! You earned this win!
7:22: You parred last four...Costas...to salvage par, you're thinking what? Geoff: he thought Colin had made 5, not 6. He says he was thinking playoff, never thought he'd win it outright. Costas asks about Norman in 1984. Geoff says one of his first memories of the game. He said he first came to the course for the first time a week ago Monday. Was impressed with what he saw. Costas asks about what it means to be about to become a father. Phil politely declines interview. He and Amy are watching trophy ceremony from scorecard signing area.
7:20: Walter Driver announces the U.S. Open champion, Geoff Ogilvy. Geoff thanks fans and all of the Aussie's in the crowd. He says it's a special place, tougher than he's ever see, to hang on, he doesn't have the words. Costas interview starts.
7:09: Phil doesn't do it, Johnny calls it one of the great collapses in U.S. Open history. GEOFF OGILVY IS THE U.S. OPEN CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Class guy, great name speller who has overcome all of the Gee-offs and Geolf's, and who is a great friend of the game as it should be played!!! Way to go Geoff!
7:08: Maltbie's in shock, seems to be questioning gambling nature of shot from fairway.
7:05: What a scene, it's loud, the crowd has convened on the fairway in classic Open fashion. The light is beautiful. Phil blasts over green. Will have to make shot from buried lie in hay to win.
7:00: Phil catches elm flush, doesn't advance it far. Roger says tough shot. He hits this one high and left in sand and buries. Ogilvy watching. NBC dejected.
6:59: Johnny laments death of precision golf. Even Hogan couldn't hit some of these fairways Johnny, come on!
6:58: Ogilvy makes it!!! Clutch!!! +5, Phil in trees at +4. NBC doesn't sound so elated.
6:56: Maltbie reports Phil has an opening for a big slice. Johnny says he feels like he's watching Seve.
6:55: Ogilvy hits "perfectly" (Johnny) to about 4 feet. AWESOME shot under the circumstances!
6:51: Poulter in pink is +9. Ogilvy hits stellar shot out of divot, gets to green front top, rolls back down. Tough up and down. Phil sprays it way left off Champions tent! Johnny can't "believe he didn't hit four wood there," I can't believe the USGA could put a tent that close to play. Vijay hit it in the last group too.
6:49: Ogilvy is in divot, horrible lie. It's down to two as Monty three putts to double 18.
6:47: Monty hits lob shot way too strong. Everyone is on the 18th hole. Phil +4, Geoff +5, Monty +4 but heading to +5.
6:45: Ogilvy safely in 18 fairway at +5, may be in divot, hard to tell how the lie is. Johnny thinks it's iffy, Hicks isn't so sure.
6:43: Monty switches clubs, says "what kind of shot is that" as it ends up short in hay. Mickelson two putts on 17 for par. NBC is showing him looking at board so he knows where he stands.
6:42: Koch says Ferrie has handled himself well as Ferrie screams obscenity and starts to take swing at his bag with club.
6:40: Mickelson hits miraculous cut recovery to middle of 17 green, threading trees.
6:38: Ogilvy chops his way around 17, chips in from the left rough for PAR!!! One to go, Phil's in the garbage can on 17...literally. David Fay is not asked for a clarification, keeping his mute status in tact.
6:33: Monty pacing on 18 tee. He asks someone to stand still. Stripes it. Phil's in the tents on 17.
6:26: Mickelson out of hay buries badly in 16 bunker, explodes it out nicely to fringe, MONTY birdies 17!!!!! They're dancing in the streets of wherever he loves to wash his car to get his mind off those terrible things that writers write about him.
6:23: NBC logo in lower left of screen quietly has gone to color now that we are close to Sportscenter worthy highlights.
6:21: Johnny: "The course has just pulled everyone down a little."
6:20: Phil takes a lot of practice swings on 16, seems like more than normal, hits it into the tall stuff on 16 but ball is visible. Ogilvy has just hacked out of there, reaching the approach cut with a tough up and down, hits a great shot 3 feet short and makes key par.
6:15: Phil is heard saying his putt on 15 is not an easy two putt. Leaves first 5 feet short but just sneaks par putt in the left side.
6:12: Furyk misses birdie chance on 17, Phil still clear by two. Commercial break includes the Tiger-Earl ad. Brand moment.
6:09: Dottie's says there's more brown grass than green between Padraig and hole, and that things are getting "toasty out here."
6:07: Phil tries to hit silly 22 yard fairway on 15, does but ball rolls into intermediate cut, Monty hits it close on 16. Ogilvy has 30 footer on 15, just misses! He thought he had it.
6:03: Monty misses birdie putt on 15 to tie. Ferrie misses to get within 1. Phil has 2 fairways hit according to Johnny, doesn't matter as he birdies 14, leads by 2.
5:56: Furyk misses birdie putt on 16, Ogilvy's par putt on 14 goes up to edge of the hole and hops left. Harrington falls to +5. Phil hits it tight on 14 from the rough, shot of the tournament!
5:55: Dan Hicks wins segue of the week when he says this feels like a game 7, then gets in plug for game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.
5:53: Ogilvy hits lofted shot by 14, Johnny wonders if he shouldn't be hitting more of a wristy, "stuccato" shot. Leaves wedge shot 8 feet above hole. NBC has sent Dottie Pepper ahead to Harrington's group where he hits it onto 16 green "poorly" in Johnny's words, Dottie says lie was pretty bad.
5:50: Ogilvy has only 123 into 14 from the intermediate cut, hits it into rough long. Harrington misses 16 green left in rough. +5 is looking better all the time.
5:48: Mickelson bogies 13, Harrington and Ogilvy are tied for the lead again. Those three would make for one amazing play...sorry.
5:46: Monty three putts 14. His first of the week. Amazing.
5:41: Furyk leaves birdie putt on 15th 8 feet short and bogies. Ogilvy in left greenside bunker on 13 facing impossible shot hits it perfect, takes one big bounce, hits hole and ends up 2 inches away. Easy par! Phil just hit it in the same bunker.
5:32: Ogilvy leaves third shot short of ridge on 12, stays 1 back of Phil who has wedged out of rough and is still looking for first par-5 birdie. He misses, stays 1 ahead of Harrington, Furyk, Ogilvy and Monty.
5:30: Harrington's birdie putt on 14 stay on the ground, he pulls within 1 with it. Nine are within three shots of the lead.
5:27: "Widows will go on." This Merrill Lynch ad actually works on people?
5:25: Furyk's birdie putt on 14 rolls horribly.
5:22: Vijay hits ugly birdie putt on 12. Ogilvy drives in left rough, Dottie says worse lie she's see all week. Aussies are chanting something in the crowd. He wedges out, has "good angle" into green according to Johnny. Harrington hits it close on 14 with chance to get within 1.
5:17: Phil birdies 11, Koch notes that it's feeling like yesterday when Phil took charge.
5:13: Okay, hate to say it, but playoff is looking likely.
5:08: Ogilvy hits approach to 11 in bunker, ball buries. Koch says it'll be hard to keep on green. Dottie says he's aiming left of hole, but hits it at hole, leaving 10 footer downhill. Back on tee, Phil in play at +4 after solid par. Ogilvy mises par putt, 4 way tie for lead with Furyk, Mickelson, Monty, three one back of lead (Ferrie, Singh, Harrington).
5:04: Wind is kicking up, Furyk hits hybrid on 13.
5:00: Furyk gets within 1 after birdie on 12, Singh birdies 11 to get within 2. It's getting interesting...finally!
4:58: Ogilvy makes clutch two putt on 10. Now has two birdie shots.
4:54: Blimp shot of scene on 9 and 18 shows how close tents are to 18 fairway. Remember the days when they wouldn't put corporate tents so...oh forget it.
4:52: Phil bogies 9 from same bunker as Ogilvy, now trails by one.
4:50: Monty makes bogey on ten after missing tee shot on right bunker face. Falls one back of Phil and Geoff. Scottish writers conceding that they are going to have to follow their man despite the heat.
4:39: Ogilvy gets awful bounce, but in good shape in left greenside bunker instead of rough. Phil takes aggressive swipe on 9, no more cutesy stuff. Ogilvy has wet lie in 9!? Leaves it 15 feet short. Makes bogey. Johnny says it's not a good bunker shot, but a long bunker shot from a wet lie is not easy, no matter who you are.
4:32: Ogilvy hits it left on 9 into trees and trampled down rough. Miller says he may have tree troubles. Meanwhile Monty makes par putt to stay within 1 of Ogilvy. Ferrie misses by 10 feet on 8th hole birdie putt where only one has been all day. Phil two-putts.
4:27: Phil bombs it over trees on 8, no more Mr. Nice U.S. Open obedience golf guy!
4:23: Phil plays 5-6-7 +2, Ferrie bogies and suddenly Ogilvy has a two-shot lead pending his play on the 8th where he's in the rough short. Pepper reports a bad lie. Ogilvy hits it about 15 fee short and left of the hole, makes bogey.
4:18: Okay maybe Ferrie's a little easier rattled than we thought. A "Superman" call from the gallery gets him riled up, even though NBC clearly shows it came after impact. He and Phil hit it over No. 7 green.
4:14: Ogilvy gets up and down on 7 after tee shot comes up just short. Ferrie makes another par, showing that he's not going away.
4:12: Phil in bunker fronting No. 6, has tough shot, misses green. NBC times hang time of tee shot at 8 seconds. Hey, what happened to bunker cam?
4:07: Johnny compliments USGA for bringing temptation into play on No. 6. Phil pulls out driver, carries it to greenside bunker 307!
4:06: Ogilvy lays up on 6, has 23 yards according to Pepper who says he got a big bounce. He knocks it 7 feet from the hole with a handy little bump and run. Sinks birdie putt, takes outright lead.
4:05: Monty has no three putts through 61 holes.
3:56: Phil is 141 from 5th hole, has fairway metal from ankle high stuff. Ball didn't go "three feet" according to Maltbie. Johnny calls it a "crazy shot to try." Koch concurs. Phil pulls iron for fourth shot, safely on with long putt. Will media ask him about it after the round!?
3:49: Monty lays up in rough on No. 6, it's ankle high rough. Phil drives in that ugly Fazio bunker on No. 5. Pitches out to rough! Ogilvy lays up, makes birdie to pull within one of Phil again.
3:48: Phil birdies No. 4 proving that it's all about hitting fairways and greens. Ferrie makes another par, Stricker holes out to pull within 3. Furyk bogies 7.
3:42: Monty birdies 5, moves to +3. Huggan must be excited!
3:38: Ferrie hits another fairway, Mickelson misses another fairway. Theme developing here?
3:36: Johnny reports that No. 6 is playing 307, downhill.
3:30: Phil hits great 6 iron from 223 on No. 3. Ferrie makes nice two-putt, Phil misses birdie chance.
3:27: Els makes birdie on 18, finishes +13, is still limping. Ogilvy going ri
ght along, three pars in three holes. Looks solid.
3:24: Furyk birdies 5, Monty birdies 4, both within 3 of the lead. Phil leaves long putt short on 2, makes par, and things are getting interesting.
3:21: Dan Hicks reports it 94 degrees, one degree shy of record. 36% humidity.
3:13: Ferrie misses 2 fairway, rips off glove, Johnny says it might be a little early to be ripping gloves off. Mickelson misses fairway too. NBC cuts to shot of boy making sand castle in East Course bunker!
3:07: Johnny says Phil is going up and over the tree, he goes under. Has wicked downhill putt for birdie, Ferrie hits it below hole. Both leave first putts way short but make pars.
3:03: Adam Scott drives 6, leaves eagle putt short, has made 3 birdies in a row to get to +7. Ogilvy two putts No. 1 for par, Poulter makes bogey.
3:01: Ferrie nails it down the middle, Phil bombs it into the trees, has great lie, uh, penalty doesn't fit crime lie-wise. Trees are in way though, so all is well.
2:53: Rick Smith is still by Phil's side as the co-leader goes to the first tee.
2:52: Ogilvy stripes it off No. 1 after Pouter's hook left that left him with a nice tight lie, we'll see about the view.
2:33: Maltbie interviews Rick Smith while Rolfing goes to get a new mike. And boy was it worth it.
2:20: Johnny announces US players had better get their act together since the leaderboard is loaded with European players.
2:18: Johnny says there are six or seven "really easy" hole locations. Tees are moved up on 6 and players are taking the bait.
2:16: Mark Rolfing's microphone still doesn't work, Rick Smith's interview is interrupted. Dave Pelz is laughing somewhere.
2:09: Second reference to Johnny's 63. He says he thinks he was best player in the world, better than Jack at the time. Dan Hicks interrupts self love fest, wants to get back on subject of setup. Johnny seems lukewarm.
2:02: Inevitable "Massacre at Winged Foot" feature on NBC. Sandy Tatum repeats humiliate/identify line. Hale Irwin refers to self in third person.
1:43: "The Forte" is on with Bob Costas. For some reason we are talking about John Cook again today, just like yesterday. Oh, he wanted his son to play with him as a marker yesterday. Oy! The Forte mentions Ogilvy going to state dinner! I knew he had good stuff on those little cards.
1:42: Uh oh, 11 green is dying fast. Ernie just makes a birdie putt, cup is surrounded by brown grass.
1:41: Adam Scott sets up to the ball, Johnny says its the best form in all of golf..."Tiger Woods in 2000." Zing!
1:40: First Sunday reference to Johnny's final round 63...Dan Hicks says that's a 66 at Winged Foot this year.
1:29: Maltbie interviews Ogilvy, he seems calm. No interesting questions asked. NBC misses the boat on asking him about recent state dinner invitation.
1:20: Cut to Walter Driver who cracks smile after red light comes on, cut to photo op video at First Tee in Bronx, Walter takes credit for helping young man straighten out short game. Dan Hicks lobs "tough but fair" softball, says players are pleased, thanks Walter for all of his contributions to golf, Happy Father's Day, contract fulfilled.
1:18: USGA puff piece on their grants program. Talking core values and life skills. Feel good acoustic guitar. Marty Parkes says we're nurturing that next generation of golfers, hopefully teach them about traditions of game, so that over time the "faces will change (hint, hint, multicultural), but the values will remain the same."
1:01: Dan Hicks: "Johnny if you're a player you're in the locker room getting reads on these putts." Johnny: "Good point, good point," as they cut to all of the leaders out on the putting green.
1:01: Johnny: "Vijay is possessed by golf...but he's a good family man too!"
1:00: Dan Hicks reminds us that Monty is 0 for 56 in majors.
12:55: First Villages ad appearance. Enjoy the best active years of your life in The Villages!
12:49: Johnny and Bob Murphy agree that the hole locations aren't as tough as they thought. No wind to speak of, Stephen Gangluff is -3 on his round.
12:45: Ian Poulter arrives in all pink outfit, Golf Digest's Marty Hackel is heard to scream "Fabulous" at the top of his lungs for all in media center to hear.
12:42: We see Villegas hit into 12, but we don't know if he hit it close in two or three. If it was his second shot, he drove it past the crosswalk.
12:37: Phil's early arrival documented, he's got a white shirt and a yellow shirt. Dave Pelz gets first glimpse of airtime in competition with Rick Smith.
12:30: The fun begins, big loud intro, and it looks really, really hot.
"We are criticized, and probably rightfully so, for letting technology go too far over the past 10, 11 years or so," he said. "And I used to be on that side of the fence pushing the technology for TaylorMade. Now my job is to make sure it doesn't grow at the break-neck speed it has been growing at."Unfortunately, we then get the groove campaign. But hey, it's a start.
So what is Rugge's primary focus right now?
A firestorm continues to rage concerning the golf ball. Many critics feel the one simple way to solve the sport's problems is to reduce the length the ball travels, even if it entails using a "tournament" ball to be played by the best players.
And while Rugge's department is in the final stages of a study on the ball, their primary focus right now involves making it more difficult to drive the ball off the tee.
"People who are relatively short but accurate ought to have as good an opportunity as the guy who is very long and inaccurate, and that isn't the case nowadays," Rugge noted.
Mike Dudurich in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the contingent from 2007 host site Oakmont visiting Winged Foot.
Advances in technology and the improved athleticism and talents of the players have forced changes in golf courses, but, in Oakmont's case, it's also going to force an adjustment in the practice range.Must be the grooves.
"We have to determine whether our range is long enough, whether we have to think about putting a net up at the end of the range to protect No. 17," Pohl said. "It's very much different from when we hosted the Open in 1994."
Anthony Cotton catches up with Dan Jenkins who moans about technology and the BCS. My man!
I hate what equipment has done to the game. I'm old-fashioned. I just think style and technique should be more important than driving it 350 yards, making a putt and "See you on the next tee." That's what the tour game has become because of equipment. It makes great old courses outdated. You can't have a U.S. Open anymore without an extra course to store all the hospitality tents.Dan O'Neill answers the question of who exactly Kenneth Ferrie is.
Their new man in charge of setting up the course, Mike Davis, has begun his tenure with a welcome nod to fairness and a refreshing attempt to ensure that plodders are not the only players rewarded at the US Open.
Davis, though, has two reasons for keeping a lid on the stimpmetre. The last thing he wants is another fiasco involving glass-like greens such as those his predecessor, Tom Meeks, presided over at Shinnecock Hills and Olympic Club. And on elevated putting surfaces that take a severe dive from back to front and have more ebb and flow than the Hudson River, it would be unreasonable to quicken the pace. Balls are already taking a ghoulish pleasure in rolling off on to the front fringe.
Are the trees a better place to end up off the tee than the "first primary cut of rough?" (The three inch stuff.)
Now, part of me says this is not as much a statement about the concept of tiered rough, but more about the excessive density of the 3 inch stuff due to a wet spring, heavy fertilizing and (excessive?) overseeding.
Thoughts?
That sounds like our USGA! Take a work of art and ruin it so they can treat all the greens the same for four days once every 20 years! Oh yeah, real logical.
Hewitt also reported the well known rumor that they plan to play No. 8 at Oakmont at 280 next year.
The art department emailed a special Saturday night logo, apparently after reading Jim Litke's AP column on the Open:
The course is so quiet and the golf so dull at Winged Foot that the broadcast of Sunday's final round should begin with a warning: Do not try to drive or operate heavy machinery after watching this U.S. Open. May cause excessive drowsiness.
But it isn't just the lack of recognizable names or rivals on the marquee that has given the place all the ambiance of an empty theater. By toughening up an already tough venue, the U.S. Golf Association has chased most of the birdies away, too.
By the close of play Saturday, only 635 had been wrung from the 6,732 holes played, less than one for every 10. There have been 15 eagles, total. The number of bogeys, on the other hand, is 1,932, plus 275 doubles and 35 others, most of which you don't want to know about.
It makes you wonder what it is they do in the press tent all day, because remarkably no one asked Geoff Ogilvy about the debate he had with Squirrel on No. 12. NBC made a big deal about it and clearly it was something worth asking Ogilvy about.
Thankfully, Rich Lerner asked him later on the post game show and Ogilvy said he was not mad at Squirrel, but instead annoyed "that the decision I had to make,I didn't want to make." Thanks Rich! Someone's doing their job!
Here's Damon Hack's New York Times game story for the Sunday edition. Dave Anderson looks at the 18th green and everything that's happened there.
Sunday's pairings are posted, with leaders still going at 3 even though they took 4:10 to play today.
Jane McManus on the groups marshaling holes, including the Tillinghast Society on 17. These people have done an amazing job all week, not only with crowd control, but not losing any balls.
The Journal news offers a photo collection to peruse.
Mark Soltau passes along a weather advisory for tomorrow in New York and at "The Foot," as everyone at Golf Digest is now calling it.
As for stats, reader Martin posted earlier today and then JT followed up on NBC pointing out the much lower scoring average today.
Well, as both made clear, if you take the scoring average of the 63 who made the cut today and compare it with their averages in rounds 1 and 2, the course played just as tough today as it did in round one. From JT:
Scoring average for the top 63: Thursday – 73.7, Friday – 72.5, Saturday – 73.7
Other eye-openers from round 3:
Cost of rough on three non-tiered rough holes in round 3: .744 (5), .359 (6), .704 (11).
But that's nothing compared to No. 14, where the cost of rough was .907!
GIR and scoring average on No. 3, played from the back tee today: 22.2%, 3.508
Driving average today was 292.9 yards
The field hit 51.8% of their fairways in round 3, with the cost of rough at .505, GIR at 54.1%
Music to the ears of superintendents around the country from Phil:
Q. You're sitting there with the lead at plus 2. I hear no complaining from players with the course, nobody is moaning and groaning. Could you explain what in your mind constitutes a fair test of golf?
PHIL MICKELSON: I don't know how to answer that, but let me say this: Every year, one time a year, we get tested like this, and I love it. I love being tested at the highest level of the most difficult and sometimes ridiculous golf course setups we'll ever see, but I love it because I get to find out where my game is at, where my head is at, and it really challenges me as a player.
We can't do this very often. It kills the golf course. A lot of the greens won't survive, so we don't have a chance to do it very often. The fact that we do it once a year I think is great.
From ASAPsports:
Q. Are they friendlier pin positions today?
LUKE DONALD: I think the greens were somewhat softer. I think playing yesterday, the greens were very hard to hole putts on. There was a lot of footprints, they were getting a little crusty and a bit firmer.
Today they said they watered a few of the greens. They didn't really tell us which ones, but some were softer and you could get a lot of spin out there, and some were just kind of sticking where the ball landed. That made it easier.
Your thoughts on Saturday's third round and predictions for Sunday?
Saturday's hole locations seemed to be the most varied between accessible and difficult, with nine that were four paces or less.
7:10: Final group completes play, twosomes of the best players in the world spaced 10 minutes apart taking 4 hours and 10 minutes to play. Lovely.
7:00: NBC stays on the air past sign off time even as one more group remains on 18. Mickelson joins Costas in the booth. Really needs a haircut.
6:48: Padraig triples 18 to go from +3 to +6 and out of a likely second-to-last-group pairing.
6:39: Thank God for TiVo, so I could rewind and relive Padraig's one-step cold-top. How bad that lie must have been!
6:36: Phil hits "stock wedge" into 18 from 135, but rams birdie putt by, giving us hope for a close finish tomorrow.
6:12: Gary Koch tries to set up the Mickelson-Bones chat where a soundman has worked hard to get the dialogue. Naturally, Johnny talks over part of it. Mark Rolfing, whose microphone hasn't worked all day, points out that it's pretty amazing Phil's "stock 8" is used from 176 yards.
6:00: NBC gives us a worm cam view of Ferrie's par putt on 14 and wow was it a bumpy ride.
5:57: The first grain reference comes from Bob Murphy, taking Johnny off the hook.
5:46: NBC needs a worm cam because Ogilvy's par putt on 13 just looked in the hole and wiggled right. Brutal.
5:40: USGA is using recently restored front left hole on 18, Ian Poulter tries to get cute with it and makes double.
5:28: Interesting debate between Ogilvy and his caddie Squirrel on 12 fairway, but Johnny talked over the first part and it was tough to figure out what exactly they were debating. Ogilvy makes par. NBC seems to think they are mad at each other but I'm not so sure that's just not Ogilvy's way. Hopefully the scribblers will get it cleared up after the round.
5:25: So is that Lincoln Financial Group interruption along with the way-too-long Stanley Cup video package designed to be a bathroom break for the crew? It seems like we do this every Open, and always at the worst time.
5:15: Have you notice that Dottie Pepper is starting to give Judy Rankin a run as best on-course reporter in golf?
5:05: Johnny somehow ties Geoff Ogilvy's birdie on 10 into the overall player mindset that things are going to be much easier without Tiger in the field. Okay.
5:00: Seth Davis reports in his SI blog that the writers who aren't watching soccer are officially worried now about writing stories with this leaderboard. But Ogilvy is hanging in, and the ones who know better are rooting hard for the Aussie.
4:51: Ferrie bogies No. 9, no one is under par for the event. That loud cheer from clubhouse is not from Executive Committee members, but soccer fans rejoicing over U.S. goal in World Cup.
4:29: Johnny pronounces Harrington "right on plane" after 9 tee shot and before we see ball flying into left trees.
4:16: Johnny makes "Ferrie Tale" joke, both he and Hicks at least act embarrassed (unlike Berman).
4:05: Phil bombs it into the trees on 8, Callaway smells driver sales taking a hit. Lots going on today, but I'm still feeling a nap coming on.
3:53: Johnny (Callaway man) notes Phil's cool new U.S.Open bag (Callaway). Will it be on sale Monday if Phil wins? I know, so cynical. Johnny then compares Kenneth Ferrie to golfers who camp out in their cars at Bethpage.
3:50: Monty starts bogey-bogey-doublebogey-bogey, Scottish writers mourn in press tent because they have to file before they can interview their boy.
3:49: Mickelson intentionally drives into No. 6 bunker, explodes out close, showing that the hazard is a better place to be than the 7 inch rough around hole. Birdie 3 for Phil.
3:44: First "signature hole" reference to No. 6, Dan Hicks is guilty as charged.
3:42: Johnny says that the rough has not been cut all week on the last 90 yards of No. 6. Think they're a little paranoid about birdies being made?
3:27: Graphic points out that Winged Foot's greens are 4,750 sq. feet, compared second smallest in last seven Opens. Hicks reads Tilly quote about large greens breeding slovenly play and notes that Tilly was an "intellectual type."
3:18: Sun is out, wind is starting to blow, Dottie Pepper makes reference to bumpiness starting to be a concern.
3:10: Boy, the birds sure are chirping a lot more at Winged Foot than they were at Westchester last week. Huh.
3:05: NBC stat notes that there has been 1 ace on No. 3, no birdies. Later stat says only 22.8% of field has hit the green today.
3:04: Phil scoops under lob shot on 3, stuggles to make bogey, NBC execs wondering why they didn't buy World Cup rights instead of golf.
2:48: Phil in rough on 2, hits ugly chop shot out. Then to hay where the Havercamps are working as marshals. Hits great wedge out and makes par.
2:45: Johnny wonders what's going on with all of the Euro and International players playing so well, So far the American showing is pretty poor.
2:42: After Stenson birdie on 9, Hicks notes that we've seen more highlights in first few moments of third round than first two days. Amazing what happens when you let the players play a little golf.
2:39: Bunker cam debuts on No. 6. Cut to Phil doing the impossible, leaving it short on a downhill put on No. 1. McDowell makes only 12th birdie on No. 1 all week.
2:33: Phil's drive is in center of first fairway. No one seems to know how it got there!
2:30: Mickelson pulls first drive into right trees, NBC execs let out first audible moan.
2:20: Villegas wearing all black with yellow shoes he bought at Liberace estate sale.
2:08: Oh no, they're here too! That's right, our first "The Villages" ad, and it's the older, really embarrassing one!
2:06: Hedlbom makes eagle on 5, second in three holes.
2:00: Contractually obligated USGA puff segment. USGA nurturing game of golf. Fay interviewed, needs comb. Says they put "as much effort into U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur as the U.S. Open," with a straight face. Jimmy joined now by Fay, mentions Merion getting 2013 Open, Jimmy says issues with Merion, "would it provide an adequate test of golf." Fay: "we told Merion not that many years ago that the Open as outgrown Merion. Course was too short, facilities were too small. the members didn't take that answer well. They set to work, they thought creatively, so what they've done is lengthen those great long holes at Merion. You still have the great short holes. A lot of the holes on Merion are under 400 yards. They've cleared away a lot of trees. I would say our operations people have looked at Merion more comprehensively than any U.S. Open site. This will work." Fay says the Open will be same size as Winged Foot.
1:55: Back to the range too, Smith is to the left of Phil, Pelz behind him. I think they've got him covered.
1:50: Mickelson sees Smith as he's leaving the range tee, microphone picks up him saying to Smith: "is there a microphone you just don't love."
1:47: Rick Smith wins, get NBC interview. Says he'd love to see Phil hit more fairways. The revelations!
1:39: Els drives 6, Johnny says he could get closer approaching from 100 yards out after ball ends up in rough with stance in bunker. Els knocks it tight, Johnny concedes maybe he couldn't get it inside that. Els makes 3.
1:37: Maltbie asks Kenneth Ferrie for diet tips. Seriously. Hicks says Ferrie went from 280 to 225!
1:27: Peter Hedblom makes hole in one on No. 3, amazing shot. Throws ball into crowd. Is he nuts!? Wow, they replay it again, what a beautiful swing.
1:21: Hicks mentions championship "perhaps" ending on Father's Day, guys in truck groan at possible dreaded Monday playoff.
1:20: Tim Rosaforte joins Bob Costas, plugs the David Duval Golf Digest interview in May issue.
1:01: Roger Maltbie asks Ogilvy if he's had a eupiphany after all of his great recent play in majors.
1:00: Johnny: It's a heckuva hole; Dan: It's a heckuva golf course. Blame W.
12:58: Hole flyovers, Johnny notes beauty of striped tee cut, causing supers around the country to grown.
12:42: First inevitable reference to Johnny's 63 at Oakmont today, but this one by Dan Hicks. Johnny says "great trees" at Winged Foot. Tilly would be proud. NBC does a good job of explaining tiered rough Johnny brings out ruler and clump of rough for display, not Karl Ravech's rug.
12:41: Koch reports watering last night and today. Greens look greener, but maybe it's the cloudy day.
12:40: NBC wide shot of 11 fairway. Stomach churning here. Sad to see such neat contours hidden in rough.
12:38: We see Monty arrive in a gas guzzler, Dan Hicks says he's in a jovial mood. Cut to Mickelson with Pelz and Smith vying to see who can jockey for closer position to their man.
The greens (maybe a bit unfairly) have become the player's focus while other elements of the setup have gone unmentioned (except Ogilvy's comments in the post below).
And before I forget, the fairway contours are the handy work of Tom Meeks, leftovers from the 2004 U.S. Amateur. Just wanted to clarify in case someone wanted to point the blame at Mike Davis, Jim Hyler or Tim Moraghan for that element of the setup. They did tweak a few, but the basic parameters were already set.
Josh Thomson talks to Davis about the state of the greens, which was one of the main themes in Saturday's early coverage. It's still not entirely clear if the complaints center around small bumps created by spikes and Softspike craters, or by the areas dying out (while others are green). I'm guessing the latter, which is never fun.
Andrew Both reports on a "out of position" warning that Scott Hend wasn't too happy about (rightfully so) and also quotes several Aussie players about the greens.
Dan Daly makes fun of the player whining.
Stan Awtrey wonders if the greens will survive the weekend.
Darren Clarke says the greens are the worst he's ever seen in this AP story.
Ed Sherman offers his first 36-holes birdies and bogies.
And Matthew Futterman talks to NBC producer David Neal about the weekend coverage and with some fans who won't be watching now that Tiger is out. But at least this spokesman is honest about how the ratings play out: "It's a factor of a great story and if the program goes into prime time," said Mike McClary, a spokesman for NBC Sports.
So that's why they tee off so late!
You know the USGA has learned from the Shinnecock Hills fiasco of 2004. With the weather report for the weekend calling for 15-20 mph winds and gusts up to 26 mph, USGA officials will selectively water the greens and fairways to make sure the turf at Winged Foot doesn't dry out. They'll also move planned hole locations around if the wind makes some exposed spots on the greens too precarious.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
