Good Article On Problems W/ USGA Set Ups

[plaster8]

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The players will continue to whine endlessly, but I hope the USGA never makes things easier for them.

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I could be wrong, but I thought the players were pretty unanimous in their praise for the setup at Pinehurst this year.

[JTrout]

I understood his (your) point.
I just don't agree with it.

[BadBoyBenny]

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"it isn't the sternest test of golf, it's just the sternest test of driving. You miss a fairway, you're screwed and that brings everybody, regardless of his ability, down to the same level."

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I think that the worlds number one and number two were both way down there in fairways hit but the top two or least 2 of the top 5 in greens hit. It was the putting that cost both of them the tournament not the width of the fairways.

[MoreWineII]

Like someone else said, the US Open has a niche and it would be a mistake to change that. The US Women's Open is the only women's event I'll watch all year.

To tell you the truth, I read that entire article and I still don't really see what his point is. Cut the rough and make the tournament like every other on tour?

I'm not sure how much the author knows about golf, but when you want to toughen up a course, that's pretty much what you do - grow the rough, make the greens fast, and tuck the pins.

I see complaints about the US Open as a total non-issue. I get the feeling even the author doesn't really believe his "argument".

[andyfox]

Fair enough. Didn't mean to be condescending, if I came across that way, my apology.

[andyfox]

This is correct. Vijay and Tiger outplayed everyone tee to green but had putting woes.

[JTrout]

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Fair enough. Didn't mean to be condescending, if I came across that way, my apology.

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No worries. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Most weeks Tiger and/or Phil outplay the field tee to green.
They are head and shoulders above most of their competition.
If they chip/putt well, they win.

Pinehurst was a little different challenge.
With so many of the hole locations on a high spot, and/or near a drop off, shooting away from pins made lag putting extraordinarily tough.
Tiger admitted after one of the rounds that he just didn't have enough makeable putts.
Johnny Miller harped on how Phil and Tiger were giving the course too much respect, and not shooting at enough pins.
And that Retief was shooting at many of them.
(#18 Saturday comes to mind. Refief missed short side, and made the putt from the fringe. He later commented that it was an easy uphill putt.)

The toughest lag putt (for me) is one that is uphill most of the way, then downhill around the hole. There is little margin for error with speed.
In most rounds of golf, you won't have a putt like this.
I think the players saw a lot of these putts at Pinehurst.

[Bill Murphy]

I like a bloodbath once a year, but Shinnecock and Olympic were ridiculous. Congressional and Pinehurst '99 have had the best recent Opens.