2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock

[Tskware]

Great round by DJ BUT 4 strokes isn't what I'd call a comfy lead on this course. He could lose that on one hole.

Tru dat, but he is the no. 1 ranked player in the world, I would take his chances over anyone else right now 20-1. Brooks Koepka is the dark horse, had the low round of the tournament I think.

Hope the course plays a bit easier this weekend, would like to see some sub 73ish scores at least, so there is a decent chance of a good finish.

Tiger looks like a guy that has just run out of gas, like Ernie Els did several years ago. But Els did manage to pull off one miracle win at the British Open, maybe Tiger can do it too.

 

[kevcat]

Joe buck is unbearable at times because he tries too hard, but really hope espn/cbs/etc. take notes and realize that showing basically the entirety of a major is the way to go in 2018. Get with the program.

I rarely have the sound up when I watch.

 

[kevcat]

Tru dat, but he is the no. 1 ranked player in the world, I would take his chances over anyone else right now 20-1. Brooks Koepka is the dark horse, had the low round of the tournament I think.

Hope the course plays a bit easier this weekend, would like to see some sub 73ish scores at least, so there is a decent chance of a good finish.

Tiger looks like a guy that has just run out of gas, like Ernie Els did several years ago. But Els did manage to pull off one miracle win at the British Open, maybe Tiger can do it too.

Woods played well on Friday. He just doesn’t make putts as much as he used to.

 

[ukalumni00]

Tiger dominated guys on Par 5’s. He just cannot do it anymore because most of these guys on tour snipe Par 5’s as well. Add in that he cannot get all aspects of his game clicking at the same time and it appears age may be creeping into both his putting and overall focus for 18 holes with tournament pressure. No doubt he is good enough to still win, but it’s going to be a struggle and won’t happen much. Still, the game is much better for having him out there whether you like him or not.

 

[kevcat]

Tiger dominated guys on Par 5’s. He just cannot do it anymore because most of these guys on tour snipe Par 5’s as well. Add in that he cannot get all aspects of his game clicking at the same time and it appears age may be creeping into both his putting and overall focus for 18 holes with tournament pressure. No doubt he is good enough to still win, but it’s going to be a struggle and won’t happen much. Still, the game is much better for having him out there whether you like him or not.

Very good points.

 

[dgtatu01]

Tiger is rusty and when he gets it going he is not going to be as good as he was, but he will be good enough to win 5 or so more tournaments and show up in a major once a year over the next few years. I don't think he will win another US Open if they stick to these traditional setups like they have this week. His best shot at another major will be at The Open and The Masters imo. Especially The Open it just seems to favor experience over great ball-striking. Either way I just enjoy watching him out there. DJ is super good, maybe the closest to Tiger that has been on tour. He has all the shots and I think he doesn't care enough to get bothered by bad shots. He is just out there playing golf for a living. Win or lose he gets another check and moves on.

I like the US Open when it plays like this. It's cool to see who can make the least mistakes rather than who can make the most birdies. Golf Digest has an excellent article about this course and setup exposing the golfers who make their living playing bomb and gouge golf. Rory, Jason Day, and Jon Rahm are the biggest examples. They bomb it inaccurately off the tee and then make up for it by scrambling really well from 100 and in. Well you can't do that on this course because the rough is penal and there isn't anywhere to bail out around the greens. You need to be in the fairway and you need to land on the green. Accuracy is more valuable than distance here and Dustin Johnson is killing this course because he is long and accurate. Spieth is generally very accurate, but he didn't adjust well to the conditions from what I saw yesterday. Prime example was on 18 he was sitting right on the edge of a bunker 7 inches from the green on top of some very thick 2 inch deep grass with a downslope all the way to the hole. He tried to use a high lofted wedge (looked like a 54 or 56) of some sort and undercut the ball and it just popped up and landed 1 foot from where he was standing and didn't roll down to the hole. All he had to do was take a 7 or 8 iron and gently tap that ball, the slope would have rolled it down the hill and the higher loft would have left no chance of getting under the ball. Some of the players these days just don't have a lot of creativity. That poor shot made him miss the cut by one.

 

[UK 82]

Good God Phil what was that! Out of character for Lefty.

 

[cawoodsct]

 

[cawoodsct]

DJ + 6 on the day and currently 2 back through 8 holes.

 

[Bill - Shy Cat]

Something not right with a course that’s so screwed up that Tiger can’t even make the cut. Zack Johnson just busted the USGA in the ***.

 

[UK 82]

DJ + 6 on the day and currently 2 back through 8 holes.

The back nine is going to be a nightmare for these guys.

 

[bluthruandthru]

These guys expect to be able to shoot in the low 60s every round.

Not this week. It's all mind set. You've got to expect some bad breaks and settle for bogey. Just don't take triple.

 

[bluthruandthru]

DJ with the f :bomb:

 

[ukalumni00]

The course is just kicking these guys in the nuts. Great stuff!

 

[Bill - Shy Cat]

DJ with the f :bomb:

Thought I just imagined the f bomb. Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[catfan in loserville]

This is EXACTLY what the US Open is supposed to be played like.

In high school back in the late 90s I once asked my golf coach why the US Open was so tough?

He said “Imagine putting in your bathtub.”

 

[buckethead1978]

I’m traveling. How the hell is Dustin Johnson +6?

 

[UK 82]

I’m traveling. How the hell is Dustin Johnson +6?

One reason is 22 putts in 10 holes.

 

[catfan in loserville]

I’m traveling. How the hell is Dustin Johnson +6?

+8 on front 9, leaving every put short, greens are breaking dudes down. Phil is probably going to get DQ’d over it.

 

[RacerX.ksr]

I’m traveling. How the hell is Dustin Johnson +6?

+5 on the day, +1 for the tournament.

 

[UK 82]

Brooks buries a 60-footer.

 

[bluthruandthru]

Brooks buries a 60-footer.

Yep. Took his medicine after bad shot. Played away from hole accepting bogey...

Got lucky and came away with par. Didn't bring the big number into play.

 

[kevcat]

Tiger is rusty and when he gets it going he is not going to be as good as he was, but he will be good enough to win 5 or so more tournaments and show up in a major once a year over the next few years. I don't think he will win another US Open if they stick to these traditional setups like they have this week. His best shot at another major will be at The Open and The Masters imo. Especially The Open it just seems to favor experience over great ball-striking. Either way I just enjoy watching him out there. DJ is super good, maybe the closest to Tiger that has been on tour. He has all the shots and I think he doesn't care enough to get bothered by bad shots. He is just out there playing golf for a living. Win or lose he gets another check and moves on.

I like the US Open when it plays like this. It's cool to see who can make the least mistakes rather than who can make the most birdies. Golf Digest has an excellent article about this course and setup exposing the golfers who make their living playing bomb and gouge golf. Rory, Jason Day, and Jon Rahm are the biggest examples. They bomb it inaccurately off the tee and then make up for it by scrambling really well from 100 and in. Well you can't do that on this course because the rough is penal and there isn't anywhere to bail out around the greens. You need to be in the fairway and you need to land on the green. Accuracy is more valuable than distance here and Dustin Johnson is killing this course because he is long and accurate. Spieth is generally very accurate, but he didn't adjust well to the conditions from what I saw yesterday. Prime example was on 18 he was sitting right on the edge of a bunker 7 inches from the green on top of some very thick 2 inch deep grass with a downslope all the way to the hole. He tried to use a high lofted wedge (looked like a 54 or 56) of some sort and undercut the ball and it just popped up and landed 1 foot from where he was standing and didn't roll down to the hole. All he had to do was take a 7 or 8 iron and gently tap that ball, the slope would have rolled it down the hill and the higher loft would have left no chance of getting under the ball. Some of the players these days just don't have a lot of creativity. That poor shot made him miss the cut by one.

Totally agree. He’ll win 5-8 more tournaments, and 1-2 more majors.

 

[CondorCat]

Greens look a bit lumpy to me. As putts slow down the ball doesn't seem to track smoothly.

 

[vhcat70]

None of these guys can hit a green. Terrible.

 

[UK 82]

Jeez. Berger/Finau in the final pairing. They finished 5 hours ago. Say what you want about the course but this may turn out to be one for the ages.

 

[cawoodsct]

Officially no DQ for Phil. After his comments many thought DQ could be in order.

 

[ukalumni00]

Rooting hard for Finau. Really good guy with a lot of game that needs a breathrough performance tomorrow and not continue to be known as the guy who dislocated his ankle at the Masters.

 

[maneal4]

Jeez. Berger/Finau in the final pairing. They finished 5 hours ago. Say what you want about the course but this may turn out to be one for the ages.

The course had clearly gone past the point of being fair, as the USGA basically just admitted. Everyone loves a good challenging us open but when it gets to the point like it did this afternoon where good shots/putts get punished, it turns into a crapshoot not a sporting championship.

 

[rick64]

I can’t believe Phil’s penalty is getting so much attention.

 

[kevcat]

The course had clearly gone past the point of being fair, as the USGA basically just admitted. Everyone loves a good challenging us open but when it gets to the point like it did this afternoon where good shots/putts get punished, it turns into a crapshoot not a sporting championship.

Totally disagree. This is precision golf. There’s very little room for error, but everyone is playing the same course. Koepka said it best after his round. He said it was extremely hard, but fair. The USGA will put the pins in much more accessible places tomorrow.

 

[ukalumni00]

Totally disagree. This is precision golf. There’s very little room for error, but everyone is playing the same course. Koepka said it best after his round. He said it was extremely hard, but fair. The USGA will put the pins in much more accessible places tomorrow.

Yep, no way they are going to allow another 2004 Sunday happen to them at the same place even if it means many guys going under par. That said, it will be hard but pin placement relative to wind will be more generous.

 

[dgtatu01]

None of these guys can hit a green. Terrible.

Really tough to keep landing 200 yard iron shots onto tiny rock hard greens with forced carries.

 

[mash_24]

Professionals have been bitching about US Open conditions for as long as I can remember. Somehow Berger and Finau managed to shoot 66. I'm sure it got harder as the day wore on. But on a seaside links course where conditions can change in a few minutes, I'm not sure how you prepare for all contingencies. Even par is the standard the committee sets for a winning score. If they get an easy day tomorrow, someone will be close to that.

 

[GrandePdre]

Has to be a crazy feeling for a golfer to be 11 shots back one day and tied for the lead and in the final pairing at the US Open. And yet, both guys in that final pairing are feeling that right now. That's just absurd.

 

[The_Catfather]

I like all the Fox golf and Golf Channel guys (even Chamblee) but they're acting like Phil murdered someone on the course today. Even Steve Sands is OUTRAGED. And of course that has-been Steve Elkington went ballistic on Twitter, then had a mini meltdown replying to people poking fun at his career. Just not a fan of that dude and his edgy social media persona. It's like he realized no one cares about him anymore so he invented an alter ego for attention.

It was Phil's birthday, he was out of contention and he didn't give a ****. Although he probably should've chalked it up to pure frustration and a "John Daly moment" rather than referencing some obscure rule he was trying to take advantage of.

 

[bluthruandthru]

Agree with the faux outrage stuff. I think Phil had wondered over the years if he did that what would happen.

I believe the rule will be changed as to intent and what not.

 

[vhcat70]

Totally disagree. This is precision golf. There’s very little room for error, but everyone is playing the same course. Koepka said it best after his round. He said it was extremely hard, but fair. The USGA will put the pins in much more accessible places tomorrow.

But they weren't playing the same course as the USGA started the course dry intentionally & it only got drier meaning the early guys had it softer/easier. Probably best playing 2-3 hours in front of leaders today to get a lower score than they can.

 

[ukalumni00]

One thing is for sure, you almost have to be a rocket scientist to remember and understand all of the rules of golf. Listening to these USGA and media guys recite rule 30-1 and 1000-3 (just making those up) is tiring. Think I know enough to play a fair round, but sort of scary what most of us do not know when we play.

 

[cawoodsct]

I hope each year for the sake of the US OPEN we don’t have a controversy over the course setup, but all too often we do. The first 13 groups out scored 4 shots better than the last 13 groups. The integrity of this event was ruined yesterday. It’s a little embarrassing as an American to have our Open considered to many to be a joke.