Xander On Bryson "Exposing" Sport: "It's no longer sort of a touchy-feely game."

Xander Schauffele off a fourth-straight excellent U.S. Open performance, sounds conflicted about where things are headed as he saw Bryson DeChambeau overpower Winged Foot.

Q. What are your thoughts on Bryson just in general and what he's done in transforming his body?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, he's a man of his word. I said it last night, if there's anyone that I was worried about, it was him. Everyone talked about hitting fairways out here. It's not about hitting fairways. It's about hitting on the correct side of the hole and hitting it far so you can kind of hit a wedge instead of a 6 iron out of the rough. Yeah, he's sort of trending in the new direction of golf, and he said he wanted to do everything he's doing, and yeah, happy for him. He's playing unbelievable.

This answer was especially fascinating:

Q. Going back to what you said before about Bryson,do you feel like he's revolutionizing the game?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: No. If you look at just people that have dominated, it's always been distance. Obviously, Tiger had the mix of touch and feel and everything. If you look back at he was sort of the first guy to really hit it far with those clubs. Jack hit is really far as well. All the greats hit it pretty far for the most part. It's no longer sort of a touchy-feely game. The only way to make a golf course really hard is to firm up the greens and grow the rough. It's going to make it hard for everyone, and you'd rather be the guy in the rough with a lob wedge than with an 8 iron or 7 iron. Revolutionize? Maybe he's just exposing our game in terms of, if he keeps hitting it further and further, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to win many more U.S. Opens.

And there is launch angle golf in a nutshell.

So Maybe The 9th Won't Be A Par-5 The Next Time Winged Foot Hosts A U.S. Open

If they’re hitting drives like this with a helping breeze, Winged Foot’s 9th might be drivable in 2028, 2031 or whenever Winged Foot hosts the U.S. Open again.

From the 2020 U.S. Open final round where all three players made “eagles” after video game length drives.

Bryson DeChambeau, the “short” one of the group at 374.4:

Matt Wolfe, outdrove himself from Saturday’s 377 yarder and gave himself a wedge approach Sunday after this 388.5 yard tee shot.

And without the aid of a cart path, lucky bounce or any other known assistance beyond strength, launch optimization and some roll, a 418.8-yard drive from Dustin Johnson.

These three are obviously longer than most and on NFL reserved lists as potential injury replacements at any number of positions. Still, this was a hole changed back to its original par-5 status but played like a tough four at 565 yards.

Rory On Bryson: "Brilliant...he's taken advantage of where the game is at the minute"

This 2020 U.S. Open post-final round comment from Rory McIlroy has been getting mostly negative reviews and I believe, incorrectly so. McIlroy posted a final round 75 to finish T8 at Winged Foot.

Q. Your golf followed from Tiger's and Tiger's followed from Faldo, Watson, and back to Nicklaus, very kind of straight line. Then you see this guy doing it completely in his own way, and I'm wondering what that says to you about the guy and about the game.

RORY McILROY: So I think -- about the guy, I think it's brilliant, but I think he's taken advantage of where the game is at the minute. Look, again, whether that's good or bad, but it's just the way it is. With the way he approaches it, with the arm-lock putting, with everything, it's just where the game's at right now.I'm not saying that's right or wrong. He's just taking advantage of what we have right now.

DeChambeau’s approach should raise questions about whether this is where the game should head. But you have to admire how he’s taken advantage of technology and put his body on the line in ways no one ever has. McIlroy seems to be saying that with his where the game “is at the minute.”

Which is also code for: where the game is because the governing bodies did not adequately anticipate many things that are happening.

2020 U.S. Open Winners And Losers

They pulled off a fall U.S. Open and there were many more winners than losers at Winged Foot.

Winners

Bryson DeChambeau – You’ve taken enormous risks, listened to no shortage of doubters and now are a worthy, convincing major championship winner. Most impressive is the accomplishment coming on a course supposedly rigged against your aggressive style of play. Plus, no run-ins with the rules or officials, and you gave credit to your parents for the sacrifices they made. Classy win.

Matthew Wolff –  Just two majors and already a second place and a T4 at age 21. Oh and an ebullient style when so many players look so joyless.  

Westlake Golf Course – Wolff’s home away from home is also where Chris Como, DeChambeau’s distance-boost coach, got his start in the game. What a day for Thousand Oaks. Check out Sean Martin’s story here on the little course that is producing so many characters.

California – Two for two in 2020 majors along with Wolff securing a runner-up, confirming the Golden State as a hotbed of talent development. And these are no country clubbers.

Winged Foot – Sure, the winner was six-under-par and you’ll now have to wait at least eight years to wonder what the next U.S. Open winning score will be. But the restoration came off brilliantly and it’s not your fault the governing bodies are dragging their feet on equipment rules tweaks. Hey, I have an idea, why not make some form of action a requirement to host again?

USGA Course Setup – John Bodenhamer and Jeff Hall led a crew balancing architecture, science, early fall conditions, irrational Winged Foot member desires and the ghosts of USGA setups past. The task is not a pleasant one but the setup eased players into the week, moved the field around, and exuded U.S. Open difficulty all the way.

Dan Hicks – You maintained great energy during NBC’s eight hour broadcast Saturday and obviously know your home club, gulp, better than most. Sure, there were too many references to “The Foot” and most of America didn’t need to know the timing on the pro shop renovation.  But you balanced an unabashed affection for Winged Foot with storytelling, conveying the outcome of key shots while investing us in the venue. I wouldn’t expect anything different.

Poa annua – Winged Foot’s greens didn’t look so hot by day’s end but sure appeared to putt beautifully. Superintendent Steve Rabideau and team presented incredibly smooth poa annua greens. This proves for the second year in a row that the dreaded “weed” can be managed in a U.S. Open. Special shout-out to Darin Bevard’s USGA agronomy team on a success streak we hope becomes permanent.

Square Green Shapes – The restored hole locations and shapes looked incredible on TV and even the oddity of seeing so many geometrically shaped green complex fronts totally worked.

Lexus – While some undoubtedly grew concerned seeing your courtesy cars parked randomly throughout Winged Foot—mitzvah alert, always cluttering NBC camera shots—the screen time made for just the kind of organic advertising that the coveted demo admires.

Winged Foot Squirrels – Before budget cuts killed the animal cams and a whole bunch else, NBC would have made you stars this week. Still, you got in a few shots and now the tournament will leave town so you can store acorns without a U.S. Open around. Maybe the rough will finally come down too.  

Losers

NBC – Fox was missed. That’s an unfathomable notion given Fox’s early struggles and NBC’s former place atop golf television. But Fox got a lot better and corporate budget cuts at NBC clearly took a toll in too many departments to list here. The broadcast lacked the technology, production values, sense of place and other little stuff NBC was famous for bringing to golf. Worse, so much cut from producer Tommy Roy’s pallet was just the kind of stuff viewers came to love from Fox’s USGA telecasts and CBS’s recent “Return to Golf” run.

Danny Lee – A terrible look with the Saturday six-putt and putter slam into the bag, followed by a WD. That came 90 minutes after play due to a wrist injury, but it took a Tweet from No Laying Up’s Tron Carter to shake the replay of your meltdown free of NBC servers. How did this not make on an eight hour telecast, only to be aired on the early morning pre-game?

Green Reading Books – A rule change designed to make these silly novellas more difficult to read has only added time to rounds. Speaking of slow play…

Slow Play – The USGA miraculously got the field around Thursday and Friday, but Sunday’s last twosome took just over four hours and thirty minutes, including 2:15 on the front nine even with the duo taking just six shots to play the par-5 ninth. Yes it’s a big course with high rough and diabolical greens, but matters are not helped by the players never facing a penalty the way they are at all other USGA championships.

Tiger And Phil – This fan-free golf just doesn’t seem like your thing. Maybe next year at Torrey you’ll give it one last college try.

Lost Ball Search Committee – The thankless task to minimize lost balls was mostly a success, but an early Thursday disappearance of Jordan Spieth’s Titleist and Sunday’s loss of a Harris English first tee shot will not be soon forgotten. We still appreciate your service.

Huge Square Tees – They just didn’t have the same character as those charismatic putting surface shapes.

Nothing To See To Here Society – Saturday’s bomb-and-gouge numbers combine with the future of players bulking up to showcase how silly it is that we have governing bodies still tap dancing around the distance debate.

Club Pro Guy – Bryson’s trophy ceremony thank you to CPG was almost an elite moment for the former Mexican Mini Tour player-turned-Yucatan National instructor.

Winning Score Watchers – Six-under-par. The travesty! The horror! Form a committee to find more back tee land and assess only those members who whine about this U.S. Open.

Rick Pitino – Your new house behind the third green is not situated properly for a flip to lengthen the fourth. Oh, and social distancing in the Pitino grandstand needs work even in a non-pandemic year.

The Importance Of Hitting U.S. Open Fairways Isn't What It Used To Be

Lee westwood after round 3

Think about all the effort put into juicing the roughs with fertilizer, fine tuning the lines a bit to make the players lay up so the ball doesn’t have to be regulated and the excitement at seeing them punished!

Not happening. At least, not for the 2020 U.S. Open leaders.

The most stout rough we’ve seen in some time is not meaning a darned thing at Winged Foot, as Matthew Wolff takes a two stroke lead into Sunday. Two, also happens to be the number of fairways hit in a 65 that featured two very makeable birdie misses. Wolff has hit 12 fairways after three rounds leaving him tied for 58th. The bottom portion of the fairways hit ranking:

In second place sits Bryson DeChambeau, whose found 17 of 32 fairways, placing him T31 in that category.

To recap: the top two players hit 5/28 fairways but 23/36 greens Saturday.

Yes, two players with a legit shot Sunday are hitting fairways and they may still flip the narrative if 57% is a number that affirms your faith in tee ball accuracy:

Digging into the course stats, note how just four holes saw a higher fairway hit percentage than green in regulation. The other ten driving holes saw higher GIR’s than balls in the fairway, with some showing a huge discrepancy indicating that the short grass means only so much.

Also note how small the cost of rough was Saturday, with only four holes having it cost a half stroke or slightly more.

Third round leader Patrick Reed’s ballstriking struggles did finally catch up to him, so there is that for those wanting to insist there is great relevance in hitting fairways.

But the distance numbers suggest launch angle golf is working and there is no reason to do anything but bomb away. A staggering 38 players are averaging over 310 yards through three rounds with only 7 players averaging under 300.

The 310-and-up club, led 15 players averaging over 322 yards for the week on the measuring holes.

While it should be a fun final round to watch, this week reminds those who’ve forgotten the previous bomb-and-gouge era that juiced rough still does not discourage the strategy. Still, it is stunning to watch the approach work so well on a course rigged to diffuse such an approach.

The madness of it all was summed up at the NBC telecast’s end when Roger Maltbie was asked by Dan Hicks about Bryson DeChambeau’s attacking style.

“Every part of me wants to not like this, that you just reduce the game to power and the fairway becomes less important, especially at a U.S. Open because historically, that’s just not the way it’s been done,” Maltbie said. “But this is impressive and (DeChambeau is) convincing me that he’s not wrong in the way that he’s assessed how to play the game now.”

Paul Azinger then offered this assessment.

“What are you going to do if you want to neutralize these guys, or if you want to make them accurate? Is power going to trump accuracy in this great game? The answer, it seems, is yes…one single club has made the difference, and it’s the driver.”

Instant Poll: Who will win the 2020 U.S. Open?

Matthew Wolff hit two fairways and twelve greens en route to a sensational third round 65. He leads the U.S. Open at Winged Foot by two over Bryson DeChambeau in what figures to be a wild Sunday race.

Who you got?

Who Will Win The 2020 U.S. Open?

Matthew Wolff (-5)

Bryson DeChambeau (-3)

Louis Oosthuizen (-1)

Xander Schauffele (E)

Hideki Matsuyama (E)

Harris English (E)

Rory McIlroy (+1)

Someone else

pollcode.com free polls

6th Hole Winged Foot Then And Now: 2020 U.S. Open (So Far) vs. 1929 Playoff

The short par-4 sixth features such a simple design and yet remains one of the world’s best short par-4’s, even with the fairway shrunken down to counter advancements by today’s physics majors.

Through two rounds of the 2020 U.S. Open, notice how No. 6 played depending on the hole location. The more players tried to drive it, the worse they played it. (3.806 v. 4.028 scoring avg difference).

Yet only a few who laid up in round 2 made birdie, perhaps due to the tricky angle from the fairway center. (The fairway has been moved in on the right.) Those who got their tee shot just in front of the green fared best:

A close up view from round 2 where the best lay-up spot is now rough:

Jump back in time to one of the 1929 U.S. Open’s 36-hole playoff rounds documented by The American Golfer. You can see how much wider the course was and see the role rough plays today for those laying up in what was once fairway. You can also see that Bobby Jones hit a 300-yard drive, to which O.B. Keeler told spectators that it was all in the agronomy. Al Espinosa bogeyed the hole after a tee shot into the fairway bunker.

U.S. Open: Mashers Collide In Mamaroneck; Quickly-Refuted Report Suggests USGA Hands Over Setup To Super!

These guys know how to mash it! Even the golf ball!

Round three of the 2020 U.S. Open features two of the game’s elite, First Team All-American mashers of terra firma in the vicinity of their golf ball.

I bring good news: if their past run-ins with the golf laws are any indication, drama looms this weekend at Winged Foot.

Patrick Reed(-4), was called out on live TV pushing rough down behind his ball in the playoffs, and digging a canal in the Bahamas, and has a lawyer trying to silence those branding him a cheater. He’s also hitting just 38% of fairways and half the greens, so there is a sustainability question heading into the weekend.

Bryson DeChambeau (-3) came to the forefront of rules official bad dreams with incidents along the way, but nothing like this year’s combo package at Muirfield Village. While most of the footage has been taken down after takedown requests by the PGA Tour, though there remains a couple here where Bryson handles a ruling with absolutely no class. The scenes of him turning his driver into a spatula, however, sleep behind a password.

Worse news for officials: Reed loves the pairing, reports GolfChannel.com’s Ryan Lavner. What could go wrong!

For starters, this pandemic-delayed edition of the U.S. Open lacks walking officials and only TV cameras to witness any excess mashing. A belated Happy Saturday to the USGA Rules trailer. Hope you get a good pizza delivered. Then there is the whole these-guys-grow-the-game and they-are-athletes and we-can’t-taint-brands mindset that has so far prevented higher ups from telling players to stop with the lie improvement nonsense.

Mercifully, there were no incidents reported through 36 holes other than NBC’s Jim “Bones” Mackay noting the mitzvah that was Reed’s lie on the fourth. So maybe Reed and DeChambeau have gotten the message. Or they’re just waiting to liven up our Saturday. Coverage begins on Peacock and moves directly to NBC, so check those local listings if they still exist.

In other bizarre U.S. Open news, there appears to be a peculiar vibe developing between the Winged Foot set who were reportedly not pleased with the sensible USGA team attempting to present a tough, smart and efficient setup.

Following the very good round one scoring, Outside The Cut reported this assertion and I have no reason to doubt someone fairly credible in greater Mamaroneck believes this occurred, as delusional as it sounds:

UPDATE — Per internal source, the USGA has made an uncharacteristic move to largely defer setup decisions back to the Winged Foot team in regard to SubAir (which ran all night), watering and pin positions. Both the USGA and WF are very pleased with the setup for R2.

— Outside The Cut (@OutsideTheCut) September 18, 2020

Before that was up too long, Andy Johnson at The Fried Egg asked the USGA’s John Bodenhamer about this report. The reserved Bodenhamer, charged with setting up the course along with Jeff Hall and doing a stellar job, replied quickly to Johnson:

In response to rumors that the USGA has deferred to Winged Foot on a lot of setup and agronomic decisions, John Bodenhamer said this is "absolute FAKE NEWS!"

— The Fried Egg (@the_fried_egg) September 18, 2020

I’m not going to belabor the utter shallowness of a few hundred members of a club hoping for higher scores. But I will say this: keep an eye out in the middle of the night for any weird light and roller sounds coming from Winged Foot. Stranger things have happened.

Missing The Old Guard USGA, Files: Green Gathering Would Not Be Seen This Weekend

It’s easy to poke fun at the old guard USGA and their stodgy ways. But every now and then some stodginess would do wonders for the American spirit.

Take the group of loudmouths sandwiched together during our pandemic in New Rochelle-adjacent COVID-19 hotspot. They’re not wearing masks but screaming their brains out and to cap off this coronavirus sundae, are anchored by NCAA hooligan and world famous restaurant regular/home owner Rick Pitino.

He even made the USGA post round notes in another leg of the USGA’s Barstool transformation:

• Current Iona men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino watched some of the action from a home behind the third green. Pitino coached the University of Kentucky to the national title in 1996, and also led Providence College and the University of Louisville to the Final Four during his career.

Yes he did. Also, he and his friends—including tournament volunteers—are sandwiched together and should think about following state guidelines because they are on national TV.

Which brings me back to P.J. Boatwright.

A USGA friend saw this odd scene given the need for the U.S. Open to show it’s on good behavior. The person noted how the various old guard—pandemic or not—would have had this unsafe gathering blocked out with green-screen fencing by sunrise.

Ah, how we do miss our Hannigans, Boatwrights and Deys.

**Update: we’ve got masks today for round 3!

So Sad: Great Leaderboard At Winged Foot But (Gasp!) 32 Players At Par Or Better

Oh I jest. At least about the horrors of red numbers.

Because you have to step back. Savor the absurdity of 600 or so rich folks investing so much passion into protecting par, as if they will add height or portfolio heft.

Even after all these years. Par matters to the folks of means. But I’m going to predict here and now: the folks at Winged Foot will recover. Live will go on after round one of the 2020 U.S. Open’s sensible, get-the-round-in-during-early-fall-days setup which, admittedly, rendered the vaunted West Course a tad overwhelmed by today’s jock-strap wearing, former boxers who randomly discovered the Royal and Ancient game.

I offer this for those “of means” who are grieving near the blue and white awning that really doesn’t fit with Clifford Wendehack’s masterful clubhouse:

—Your course is in perfect condition.

—It’s very, very, very green, with a lot of grass on those greens supporting well struck shots, no matter how firm the soil underneath.

—Players today are armed with launch monitors (or three), coaches, video, amazing equipment, adjustable drivers, and of course, the ability to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in a single bound.

—There was almost no wind.

—A light overcast was present most of the day, ideal for scoring because of fewer shadows, better depth perception and greens remaining…green.

—It’s the U.S. Open and players have not been beaten down by the course, yet.

The USGA’s round one notes did acknowledge the sheer horror, as predicted here yesterday, of making sure the field gets around before sunset. That said, this modern athlete sure made 7500 or so yards of par-70 look awfully short.

Highlights from the excellent USGA staff notes and David Shefter insights:

• No player in the field registered a bogey-free round.

See, the West course is stout! Have another G&T, Winthrop. You’ve earned it managing the family portfolio.

• Louis Oosthuizen surpassed four-time champion Jack Nicklaus for the most rounds of 67 or lower in U.S. Open history (8) with a 67 on Thursday.

• The seven birdies by Rory Sabbatini established a single-round record for U.S. Opens at Winged Foot. Eight players, including Justin Thomas, had registered six in one round. 

Okay, that’s a lot of red. Maybe the ball goes too far?

• Davis Thompson and John Pak joined legendary USGA champions Bob Jones (1929) and Jay Sigel (1984) as the only amateurs to break par in a U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

And his Nike scripting was impeccable, take that Harvie Ward.

Top player quotes:

“The greens are very soft. I thought they'd be a little firmer, but I also understood that they need to err on this side so they can get them how they want this weekend.” – Justin Thomas

Or prevent a 5:45 round.

“I love hard golf courses. I think it separates the top golfers compared to the rest of the field. Also, I think it separates the guys who can use creativity and can handle adversity. Out there you're going to hit some quality golf shots that are either going to have a bad bounce, end bad up in a bad spot, or going to land on the green, catch a ridge, go down. How do you react to that?” – Patrick Reed  

Mash down the sand behind your ball? Just a guess!

“I thought the golf course was set up fantastic. It gave us an opportunity to make some birdies, and you look at most of the scores, and the guys took advantage of it.” – Tiger Woods

“I played great the last round at Valderrama [two weeks ago], which is a difficult golf course. You can't really afford to hit many bad shots around there. I shot 67, and I felt like I left four or five shots out on the golf course. I've built on that and fed off confidence from that.” – Lee Westwood after shooting 67 at age 47 

And what a deserving winner he would be.

“I came here to compete. I really didn’t come here to be a tourist.” – amateur Davis Thompson after shooting a 69

Oh we’ve got one liners in this one. Nice!

Finally, this gem from the guy who employed Danny Noonan for USGA social media purposes and is playing in his home region.

“It was nerve-racking. Any time you play in a major, even if there weren't any fans. It was my first U.S. Open. It was 6:50 in the morning, so it was still early. I got 4-iron into a par 3, which is very difficult. All in all, I hit it solid. I missed it in a spot that I shouldn't have, but like I said, the nerves. They're still out there.” – Fresh Meadow club professional Danny Balin on hitting the first ball off No. 10

U.S. Open Coverage Shifting To Peacock Goes About As Well As Expected

As predicted some time ago, the inclusion of Peacock as part of NBC’s streaming strategy might upset U.S. Open fans. This, even though the app was free and shockingly, completely free of ads during its round one debut on Comcast’s big foray into streaming.

Todd Kelly reports on the viewer issues with Peacock, which picked up the last and first two hours of weekday coverage (more weekend windows early are looming).

Problem is, Peacock doesn’t quite have Netflix-level penetration across the U.S. and many sports fans are probably still scrambling as this story was being typed, looking for that app. NBCUniversal reported on Sept. 15 that 15 million people have signed up. It first debuted about three months ago for Comcast and Cox subscribers.

They’re probably banking on acquiring more by using a major championship to spur sports fans to jump on board.

Good news: You can find Peacock on your computer by going here. You do need to create an account but it’s free.

Reports on Twitter are that Peacock is not on the Roku. It’s been confirmed that it’s also not on the Amazon Firestick, but, there’s a work-around for that.

Nothing says well-oiled machine like a workaround and being unattached to Roku and Amazon.

But the kids love their streaming no matter how clunky it remains for sports viewing. Personally, I had no issues with Peacock working on a smart TV other than a noticeable loss of picture quality and whites looking blue, some of which was verified by many on Twitter if you hit this and read the replies:

For those who made the leap, anyone else finding the US Open @peacockTV picture to be softer than @nbc and @GolfChannel? Graphics that looked so good now feel very 2007.

— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) September 17, 2020

Report: GolfChannel.com Shuttering At Year's End

Brendan Quinn at The Athletic dropped a doozy of a feature that I’ll return to next week when Golf Channel’s U.S. Open coverage is over.

But among the many exclusive details: NBC (and therefore Comcast)’s dismantling of Golf Channel: the stunning end of the channel’s reliable, award-winning golf website, GolfChannel.com.

Quinn writes:

Golfchannel.com is being shuttered at the end of the year. Its content will move to NBCSports.com, where it will be found as a drop down option off the main page, like any other sport. Its staff is shrinking dramatically, weakening the focus on written content and originally produced journalism.

Now holding heaps of live programming costing countless millions of dollars, including documentary work and television series, Golf Channel is expected to dramatically reduce if not outright eliminate original productions.

Mickelson's Triumphant Return To Winged Foot Probably Ends Before It Gets Started

Coffee for wellness, 19 clubs, 2 launch monitors, last minute driver adjustment...US Open Thursday for Phil. pic.twitter.com/wvuvk5Y1IE

— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) September 17, 2020

Not sure if you’ve heard, but to recap: Phil Mickelson did not finish well the last time Winged Foot hosted the U.S. Open, New Yorkers are just amazing in every way, and Danny Noonan caddied in the tournament practice rounds.

The only story of those that matters: 50-year-old Mickelson’s return hot off a Champions Tour win. But a 79 ended his bid to win the 2020 U.S. Open. He was gracious after a round that probably was over before it started judging by the range scene four hours prior (above).

Q. Obviously you got off to a great start.

PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah. I don't know what to say. It's a disappointing day.

Q. Something that was not right as you went along inthe round?

PHIL MICKELSON: I drove it poorly and I putted poorly. The course couldn't be set up any better. It's a spectacular golf course, great design, awesome setup, and I thought it was a good opportunity to score low today. I just played terrible.

Q. Is there anything that you can do right now to get back in a better groove for tomorrow?

PHIL MICKELSON: I'm 9-over. I'll play as hard as I can tomorrow and enjoy the round.

Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger tracked the Phil-being-Phil round and filed an entertaining account. To whet your appetite:

2 p.m. PMWFT (Phil Mickelson Winged Foot Time): Last time, in 2006, he was Big Phil. He was awshucks Phil. Now he’s badass Phil, with the shades and the calves and the bombs. Oh, he bombed one on the first hole here Thursday afternoon, lefter than left. So left he drew a decent lie. He launched-and-stuffed from there and did not do the Phil nod after making his birdie 3. Not because badass Phil doesn’t acknowledge his peeps anymore. He most assuredly does. It’s just that his people are not here. No Amy. No coach. No huddled masses. Just Brother Tim on the bag, Raja Maltbie in an NBC cart in the rough and a prop plane droning overhead. Phil’s quest, at age 50, was under way. You know what we’re talking about.

If Phil can take heart, he inspired Club Pro Guy into a particularly aggressive Thursday Night League pre-round grind session.

90 minutes before my tee time. Looking for that elusive swing key. #TNML @bestballcbd

"A PGA veteran’s callous joke about blackface and Tiger Woods turned into a lesson on empathy"

I’m not sure I would have dropped on day one of the U.S. Open and might recommend bookmarking if you want to stay focused on the tournament. But Michael Williams files a lengthy, shocking, bizarre and eye-opening piece for The Undefeated detailing something he witnessed at last year’s U.S. Open.

Shocking because it involves one of the best people you’ll meet in professional golf—Charles Howell—who has gone above and beyond to learn from the incident. As always, please hit the link and take all of Williams’ piece in, but below is the setup.

I’ll add this to expedite matters: picture a lot of affluent people in a Lexus tent at Pebble Beach, one that make you wonder why need to have these corporate tents in the first place (oh, right, growing the game).

Williams writes:

I had been invited to the tournament by one of the corporate sponsors of the USGA, the organization that owns and operates the US Open. One of the perks was the opportunity to attend private post-round interviews with players, including Howell, in the sponsor’s hospitality tent beside the 18th fairway. As a golf journalist, I was familiar with Howell as a player, but I didn’t know much about him personally. While he wasn’t a contender to win (Howell finished tied for 52nd, 17 strokes behind winner Gary Woodland), I decided to attend to get some insight into how a physically unremarkable guy had willed himself to a remarkable career.

Todd Lewis of the Golf Channel was slated to ask Howell and fellow pro Patrick Cantlay about how the players thought they did, what their chances were, the difficulty of the course, etc. Typically, the players’ answers would match the banality of the questions.

But after a couple of softballs, Lewis started describing a story that Howell had shared with him when asked for an amusing anecdote. “You all remember the night Tiger Woods hit the fire hydrant with his car, right?” The 75 or so people in the tent laughed nervously and nodded, unsure why the 2009 accident outside Orlando, Florida, that contributed to Woods’ tragic fall was being raised at the national championship.

Lewis continued: “Now just to set the scene, there were reporters crews, camera crews, outside the gates of Isleworth from all over the world. I mean, it must’ve been 150 to 200 people there. There were helicopters flying above, trying to get pictures of Tiger’s house, the hydrant, Tiger, whomever. And looking for [his then-wife] Elin. Well, Charles decided he’d have some fun with all of that. Charles, pick up the story from there.”

Howell then told a story about how he thought it would be funny to punk the media looking for Woods.

And then it goes in rather unimaginable places from there, but with a happy ending! I promise.

Be Careful What You Wish For Files: What Would A Winged Foot Massacre 2 Prove?

USGA

The appeal of hack-out, last-man-standing golf has always been a mystery.

The joy of seeing tour pros brought down to a lower level is deeply narcissistic. To want to watch skills reduced or nullified, to make you feel better about your lousy game is both selfish and terribly simplistic.

But it’s been a while since we’ve heard of a setup so anticipated for the carnage it will inflict. Winged Foot this year sounds legitimately cruel, with spot-fertilized rough, tight fairways, old-style rough, restored hole locations and no fans to mash down the tall stuff.

Players made very clear in pre-tournament assessments that they expect this to be a war of attrition.

The last car not to crash into turn three may prevail Sunday. That last car will have done a lot right to win, but will it be a real display of skill or just a better effort to survive than other contenders?

After some ugly early century attempts to combine old school USGA setups with modern green speeds, they got away from the attrition approach. Things changed at Winged Foot in 2006 when Mike Davis introduced staggered rough cuts and flexible tee placements, including on the par-4 6th. It all went quite well until some setup hiccups in recent years led to the USGA pulling back on some of those advances in course setup.

Many others saw the U.S. Open lose its identity. They were not totally wrong. But some of that identity loss was brought on by equipment advances which can only be offset by so much harvesting of fertilized rough.

Now, John Bodenhamer and Jeff Hall try to balance the best components of the old approaches while appeasing those wanting to see an old school U.S. Open. Not a fun task. Particularly when you factor in the headstrong Winged Foot membership that always seem a tad too bogey blood-thirsty.

The USGA’s setup team will earn their money balancing these desires while also trying to get the tournament in on time. Perhaps the specter of long rounds in early fall days will help justify a sensible setup Thursday and Friday. Because the U.S. Open pressure, Winged Foot’s many elements and a host of top players in fine form should produce a memorable week as long as things stay sane. But push it too far and there could be another massacre. A worthy winner could still emerge, but history tells us as chance enters into the equation, the winners become more surprising.

Golf Digest has been slammed over the last week for publishing a list of “underwhelming” U.S. Open winners. It was a poor choice of words and some of the selections were even worse. But I understood their point: some U.S. Open winners are more convincing than others. That doesn’t mean they are bad people or even unworthy.

But knowing what we know now about the role of setup and architecture, a place like Winged Foot does not need silliness to produce a well-earned, U.S. Open-style victory.

So for those hoping to see carnage at the expense of skill: be careful what you wish for.