What Sucked about Merion This Week?

[William_G]

Oh, wait, the young girl working as a standard bearer getting hit by Donald's tee shot on the 3rd hole sure sucked.  If I was the walking scorer for that group I would not have let her stand where she was.

that did suck

[Lou_Duran]

I would like to have seen a set up where the winner was -8 instead of +1.  Lower cut of rough, wider fairs cut out to the fairway bunkers.   The green speed was fine, I never had the feeling while watching that the Stimp was 13-13.5.  Uphill putts were slow, downhill putts were slick. It looked more like 10-11.   

Agree.  I don't understand the USGA being so enamored with par.  It would be more enjoyable, at least for me, to see a setup more similar to the final round of the club championship, where if I was playing well, I might have a shot at posting a score within double my handicap.  As it was at Merion and at nearly all the US Opens in memory, a normal 0-2 handicapper (a common range for the championship flight), would have a hard time breaking 100.  IMO, rather than identifying the best player, the USGA approach brings the element of luck too much into the equation.  Not that I think Justin Rose was an unworthy winner; I think Philip is right.   

[John Ezekowitz]

It sucked that I had to be in China for most of it.

Shifting the 2nd and 15th fairways right next to the roads (Ardmore Ave. and Golf House Dr., respectively) was aesthetically displeasing and also contributed to some of the highest single hole scores.

Agree with you on the 2nd, but not on the 15th. Players were always going to aim away from those bunkers, and the majority of the tee balls I saw go out of bounds on 15 did not land in the fairway and roll out; rather they were big hooks well out of bounds.

Don't understand your logic here, John.  If the players were hitting big hooks off the tee, then shifting the tee over toward the boundary had no effect; they could have just left it over to the right another 10 yards.

I assume you mean shifting the fairway, not the tee?

My point was that I believe that moving the fairway did cause higher scores on 2, as players had aim closer to Ardmore Ave than they otherwise would have. I don't think it did on 15, as the aim point did not shift as much from that tee and the shots that went OB would likely have gone OB had the fairway not been moved.

I'm not arguing that either move was aesthetically pleasing or correct.

[Rich Goodale]

Rich,

Whom, by your standards, should have won ?

Rose

Was I not clear, Godfather?

[Richard Choi]

Scott and Sean

There are numerous situations in majors when the "best player" did not win.  Scott in last year's Open, Cabrera in this year's Masters, Faldo in 4 out of his 6 major "wins," Fleck vs. Hogan, Mize vs. Norman and the list goes on and on....  It is refreshing to see a wannabe like Rose finally step up to the plate and stuff the rest of the field by playing the best golf over the 4 days.  And no, Scott and Sean, playing the best does not and never has meant shooting the lowest score.

Rich and Rich

Oh, C'mon Rich. If that is the case, you can certainly argue that Phil was the best player this week.

We keep scores for a reason. Lowest Score = Best Player for any tournament.

[Ed Brzezowski]

It sucked that I had to be in China for most of it.

Shifting the 2nd and 15th fairways right next to the roads (Ardmore Ave. and Golf House Dr., respectively) was aesthetically displeasing and also contributed to some of the highest single hole scores.

Agree with you on the 2nd, but not on the 15th. Players were always going to aim away from those bunkers, and the majority of the tee balls I saw go out of bounds on 15 did not land in the fairway and roll out; rather they were big hooks well out of bounds.

Don't understand your logic here, John.  If the players were hitting big hooks off the tee, then shifting the tee over toward the boundary had no effect; they could have just left it over to the right another 10 yards.

I assume you mean shifting the fairway, not the tee?

My point was that I believe that moving the fairway did cause higher scores on 2, as players had aim closer to Ardmore Ave than they otherwise would have. I don't think it did on 15, as the aim point did not shift as much from that tee and the shots that went OB would likely have gone OB had the fairway not been moved.

I'm not arguing that either move was aesthetically pleasing or correctI

I

I worked the 15th tee and left fairway, most of the balls that went OB never touched the fairway nor the rough. I would say 90% of the ones i saw go out airmailed the tents. Bubbas would have been out of yellowstone park. In the three days i was there i saw two hit the fairway and roll out of bounds.

[David_Tepper]

Years ago I remember Sam Snead saying that the only way Merion was a US Open worthy venue was if they grew the rough up to your "fanny" (his word, not mine). Was he right? 

[Terry Lavin]

Years ago I remember Sam Snead saying that the only way Merion was a US Open worthy venue was if they grew the rough up to your "fanny" (his word, not mine). Was he right? 

The rough was penal, but not only because of its height; I read somewhere (probably Golfweek.com) that they spent time before every round raking the rough so that a player would have to hit most every shot into the grain.  If true, there's some cruelty in that decision!

[Peter Pallotta]

If anything sucked it's that the 280/even par score is being trumpeted as evidence that this grand old example of great architecture can 'hold its own' against the best players in the world.

That message was picked up by everyone in the media, even Ran here is excited about how the great architecture produced a great champion. (I won't mention here the need to factor in the role of the USGA's set up in this regard.)

The trouble is, that's a horrible standard to have -- because the amount of energy (time, money, labour etc) needed to have any course 'hold its own' -- if that's what we now mean by the term -- is simply unsustainable.

In the years and decades to come, golf and golf courses will have to succeed with a lot less 'energy', not more.

I'd hate to think that 'success' is to be measured by the standard the USGA and everyone else involved seems so proud of.

[Bill Shotzbarger]

muddy walkways, Tim Rosaforte, only one player taking a local caddie

[Dan_Callahan]

Any sporting event that employs Chris Berman as a broadcaster sucks it hard. His voice coming out of my TV was by far the worst thing about the US Open.

[Sean Leary]

muddy walkways, Tim Rosaforte, only one player taking a local caddie

Can Rosaforte do ONE segment without club name dropping? He can't help himself..

[BHoover]

muddy walkways, Tim Rosaforte, only one player taking a local caddie

Can Rosaforte do ONE segment without club name dropping? He can't help himself..

Seriously, I'm happy that I'm not the only one who noticed this. It's incredible how often he name drops...especially the Medallist and Bear's Club.

[Sean Leary]

muddy walkways, Tim Rosaforte, only one player taking a local caddie

Can Rosaforte do ONE segment without club name dropping? He can't help himself..

Seriously, I'm happy that I'm not the only one who noticed this. It's incredible how often he name drops...especially the Medallist and Bear's Club.

Its part of his schtick as an insider, apparently...(note he is a member at Medallist, Old Palm and Floridian)

[Matt Dupre]

To amplify the comment on only one local caddie being used, one of the biggest topics among the members over the weekend - granted, over lots of cocktails - was how none of the players even thought to bring the local caddies out for unofficial practice rounds, and even the official practice rounds (they were allowed to have 3 guests walk with them Monday - Wednesday).  I saw players misread the correct lines on numbers 6 and 7 by up to 4 or 5 feet.

It sucks that they can't recognize that local knowledge can trump their ability to figure things out...especially on a golf course with greens as outstandingly subtle as Merion's.

[Matthew Petersen]

If anything sucked it's that the 280/even par score is being trumpeted as evidence that this grand old example of great architecture can 'hold its own' against the best players in the world.

That message was picked up by everyone in the media, even Ran here is excited about how the great architecture produced a great champion. (I won't mention here the need to factor in the role of the USGA's set up in this regard.)

The trouble is, that's a horrible standard to have -- because the amount of energy (time, money, labour etc) needed to have any course 'hold its own' -- if that's what we now mean by the term -- is simply unsustainable.

In the years and decades to come, golf and golf courses will have to succeed with a lot less 'energy', not more.

I'd hate to think that 'success' is to be measured by the standard the USGA and everyone else involved seems so proud of.

I agree overall, but I do think it's good that everyone can kind of see it's the conditions that matter more than the length. McIlroy and others absolutely lit up a golf course that was over 7,500 yards ... but that was wet and had pretty flat greens.

When the wet conditions came to Merion, everyone was convinced those numbers would be matched or broken (esp. when Poulter went -3 for his first three holes), and yet it never came to pass. The course almost 600 yards shorter than Congessional played far tougher.

Some of that is the way the USGA scaled back on the rough at Congressional. But it's not like they had wide fairways there.

The USGA will do what it does to US Open courses. But it's absolutely worth noting that of all factors length isn't correlating with difficulty in relation to par.

[John McCarthy]

Did the girl that got hit in the head by Donald's ball go to the hospital?  

Mark

She better have gone.  She was down like Marvis Frazier.

[Bill Gayne]

What's up with the plants in the left fairway bunker on 18?

It is the same look at the front bunker at #13, and it has always been in both bunkers from memory. Merion is all about tradition:

The current version doesn't look good because they have about eight plants arranged in a very symmetrical pattern. A football shape with two plants in the center. I would like without the plants but if there are going to be plants they need some randomness in the placement..

[Ed Brzezowski]

Years ago I remember Sam Snead saying that the only way Merion was a US Open worthy venue was if they grew the rough up to your "fanny" (his word, not mine). Was he right? 

How high off the ground was his fanny??

Three more weeks to Dornoch. Was the restaurant called Luigis?

[Ed Brzezowski]

What's up with the plants in the left fairway bunker on 18?

It is the same look at the front bunker at #13, and it has always been in both bunkers from memory. Merion is all about tradition:

The current version doesn't look good because they have about eight plants arranged in a very symmetrical pattern. A football shape with two plants in the center. I would like without the plants but if there are going to be plants they need some randomness in the placement..

Plants?  Guys it's Scottish Broom and its all over the course, it's in the logo too.

[Bill Gayne]

Call it what you want but the current version is not a great look.

[Ed Brzezowski]

Sorry.   I disagree , I think it looks great.

[cary lichtenstein]

The setup was perfect

Last time I played Merion I shot 74.

With this setup, breaking 100 would be my goal!

[Mark McKeever]

It sucked that John Lyon wasnt there...

MM

[mike_malone]

 If John Lyon wasn't there then who did I say "hello John" to?