[Jud_T]

Bad news-  30-50% chance of rain all week...

[Matt Bielawa]

Bad news-  30-50% chance of rain all week...

In other words, it's summer in North Carolina (i.e. afternoon storms are possible daily).  You'd think the USGA would know that's coming.

[Jason Thurman]

I predict:

Tiger Woods and Payne Stewart will have their names mentioned more frequently in pregame and postgame shows than anyone actually playing in the tournament.

50% of all penalty strokes will be called in from television viewers.

Someone completely unheralded will be hanging around the top five after day one. I'm going with Sam Love.

Sergio Garcia wins it at +1.

Copious complaining on GCA about pace of play on Thursday and Friday, with little mention of the split-tee start with each wave spread over 2:12.

[Howard Riefs]

What will the winning score be?
-- Men:      -1
-- Women: -4

What will the story of the tournament be?
-- Randomness of lies in the sandy areas, against the wiregrass, in footprints, etc.
-- Condition of the course left for the women's tournament: 1) Fairway divots, specifically on holes 3 and 14, and 2) Condition of the greens
-- When will USGA next return to Pinehurst for another dual Men’s and Women’s US Open tournaments
-- 15 years since Payne and 1999
-- 11 year-old Lucy Li playing in the Women's tournament

How will the course be received by the media, players, and fans?
-- Media: Very positive about course and logistics, especially as they can stay nearby and don’t need to be bussed long distances
-- Players:
      -- Men:       Positive though some whining about random lies and the course playing longer due to anticipated rain
      -- Women:  Positive other than the leftover divots and not being able to practice due to a Monday playoff
-- Fans: Very positive by GCA nerds. Other camp asks why the course is all brown.   

Which hole will be most controversial?
N/A

Which big name will putt off a green?
Jason Duffner

Who will win?
Men:       Rory in a playoff over Jimmy Walker
Women:  Lydia Ko

[Matthew Essig]

If the fact that the Women's Open is played next week persuades the USGA to avoid trying to engineer the course into green/brown asphalt runways and green/brown tortoise shell torture chambers, the winning score should be -7 or so.

Mike Davis will interject himself into the set up attempting once again, successfully, to grab the spotlight.  It will be so stupid that you won't believe your eyes.

+1

They'll need to firm up the greens since the players will now be spinning the ball from off the fairway.  I expect surprisingly low scores the first day or so until they trick up the joint by sparing the water. 

Bogey

It is Monday, and the course is already browned out......

[John Kavanaugh]

Davis was building new tees 3 weeks ago. Something like a new 240 tee on a par three. This tournament will be seen as the end of the minimalist movement.  People will beg for definition after hours of rulings after rulings. Worst US Open in modern history accentuated by a disputed champion.

[Wade Whitehead]

It is Monday, and the course is already browned out......

Actually, it's Monday OF THE WEEK BEFORE THE WOMEN'S OPEN and the course is already browned out.

I still cannot comprehend how the golf course will be playable on Sunday, June 22.

WW

[ChipRoyce]

It is Monday, and the course is already browned out......

Actually, it's Monday OF THE WEEK BEFORE THE WOMEN'S OPEN and the course is already browned out.

I still cannot comprehend how the golf course will be playable on Sunday, June 22.

WW

Wade;
We have had almost a solid month of little or no precipitation here in Central NC. I wouldn't blame USGA's agronomy practices *this time* for the brown conditions.  Although there's risk of precipitation from the predicted thunderstorms, so far this year most of these have generated little or no rain. I'm not too worried about the greens softening up more than the USGA can control.
The women? I sure hope the course and greens are playable when they arrive.

[ChipRoyce]

What will the winning score be?

What will the story of the tournament be?
How luck plays a role in players' success. Meaning that the random lies in the waste areas will affect players more than expected.
Also, the weather and disruption by afternoon, random thunderstorms.

This strikes me as an astute observation.  It has been my experience that the typical US Open setup, which is said to "identify the best player this week", too often identifies the "luckiest" or "pluckiest" player.  When you look back at many US Opens, you will find that the person who was the steadiest putter under grueling conditions (Goosen at Shinny, Campbell at Pinehurst, McDowell at Pebble Beach) wound up winning.  They were also steady off the tee and got a lot of breaks hitting into greens, but the defense of this golf course has always been the greens, which will reward both luck and nerves of steel.  If you throw in the random nature of some of the lies in the native areas and the difficulty in predicting how the ball will react into the green, luck may even trump some of these other qualities of the usual US Open winner.

Thanks Terry - our local press is saturated with different pictures of the native areas at Pinehurst. They have become much more rustic and grown in than after the re-opening. Looking at the possibilities (ball resting against a clump of grass, etc...) luck will likely become a major factor.

Then again, the luck of knowing where one can ground their club (what is waste and what is bunker and what is fairway with exposed sand) may just determine the winner.

Knowing how good the pros are, I say allow them to ground their clubs everywhere except within a defined hazard.

[Matthew Essig]

Davis was building new tees 3 weeks ago. Something like a new 240 tee on a par three. This tournament will be seen as the end of the minimalist movement.  People will beg for definition after hours of rulings after rulings. Worst US Open in modern history accentuated by a disputed champion.

The tee you speak of was added on #6.

I have a hard time believing that this will be detrimental to the minimalist movement in any way shape or form. A majority of people have their opinions shaped by press and what the pros say. When the press is expressing the beauty and how spectacular the work is, and the players talking about how they like it much better, I can only think it will push the minimalist movement forward.

The undefined hazards will not be a problem for the players. They have a walking official. There will not be hours of rulings.

This might be the best US Open in the past decade. (not counting US Women's...... we will see how that turns out.....)

[Jud_T]

What happened to Down with Brown?

[Carl Rogers]

the venue is too atypical to be handicapped ..... if Ray Floyd was still in the picture, he would be my choice.  Thinkers w/ short game and a lot of stomach, so I go with:
Ian Poulter
Zack Johnson
Charl Schwartzel

[BHoover]

If there is a GCA god, then the winner will be Geoff Ogilvy so that we can hear the course and the playing conditions praised in the victory speech. If the winner is someone like Poulter, or another whiner, the victory speech will be about how he overcame adverse conditions.

I think the Women's Open may go down as the worst example of slow play ever. Just try to imagine how slowly those ladies are going to play when they reach the greens. I don't it's going to be pretty.

[Carl Rogers]

If there is a GCA god, then the winner will be Geoff Ogilvy so that we can hear the course and the playing conditions praised in the victory speech. If the winner is someone like Poulter, or another whiner, the victory speech will be about how he overcame adverse conditions.

I think the Women's Open may go down as the worst example of slow play ever. Just try to imagine how slowly those ladies are going to play when they reach the greens. I don't it's going to be pretty.

You are right... forgot Geoff Ogilvy

[Nigel Islam]

This might be the type of major Kuchar finally breaks through on. Playing firm so his lack of length won't be a problem.

[Jason Thurman]

What happened to Down with Brown?

I was thinking the same thing with regards to the concerns about the course being browned out two weeks before the women play. We spend all this time clamoring for fast, firm, and brown. Now we finally get it and the story might turn into "Look at the raw deal that the chicks are getting!"

This might be the type of major Kuchar finally breaks through on. Playing firm so his lack of length won't be a problem.

I initially thought the same thing, but the more I think about it, the more I think length is super important. Those greens have such small pinnable areas and slopes that repel the ball. I think it's going to be a major advantage to approach them with shorter irons that are more accurate and spin more. I see this as a course for big hitters and superb ballstrikers.

[Mike Hendren]

Bubba.

[Mark Pritchett]

A new Michael Campbell statue. 

[Nigel Islam]

What happened to Down with Brown?

I was thinking the same thing with regards to the concerns about the course being browned out two weeks before the women play. We spend all this time clamoring for fast, firm, and brown. Now we finally get it and the story might turn into "Look at the raw deal that the chicks are getting!"

This might be the type of major Kuchar finally breaks through on. Playing firm so his lack of length won't be a problem.

I initially thought the same thing, but the more I think about it, the more I think length is super important. Those greens have such small pinnable areas and slopes that repel the ball. I think it's going to be a major advantage to approach them with shorter irons that are more accurate and spin more. I see this as a course for big hitters and superb ballstrikers.

You might be right, but Payne and Campbell were certainly two of the shorter hitters in the fields, and the greens haven't changed a ton. I do think we get somebody new to a major win this week.

[Philip Caccamise]

I think the Aussies will feel right at home again. I'll go with Adam Scott and Jason Day, with the winner being the one that has the hot putter. Par will be defended: -3 wins.

The course and setup will be well received by all.

Dustin Johnson will get a club grounding penalty again despite the rules official walking along... he decides to ask a fan on Instagram instead. #bunker?

Dufner hits 18 greens in one round and shoots 72.

Divotgate becomes a non-issue for the women, with the firm conditions they hit it 40 yards past the men's landing zone with the long hitters pushing 300 yards off the tee.

[Rob Curtiss]

Luke Donald-

Isnt this the perfect place for him to excel. Great short game. Excellent out of the sand. The firm and fast conditions should help with the distance.

I know he chokes in the Majors, but maybe this is the venue he needs.

[Terry Lavin]

For one, I would love to see Luke win a major, regardless of the course or the championship, but he seems to be more of a checkbook guy than a trophy guy.  With all of his talent, one would think that he would have won a lot more tournaments and a couple majors.

[Mark_Fine]

No one will finish under par for the four days.  +3 or higher wins the tournament.  The pros only hope is that the USGA doesn't want to embarrass them and softens the course and moves the tees waaaay up.  If I were playing I would pray for rain!!!

[RJ_Daley]

In the spirit of wild uninformed-no inside knowlege...


What will the winning score be?

    I think the winner will win by 3 or more strokes, implying someone gets lucky/hot.  Even to -5

What will the story of the tournament be?

    Phil doesn't make cut, Aussies and Euros used to conditions bunch up on leaderboard along with Bubba, many disgruntled players whining.

How will the course be received by the media, players, and fans?

    Media -good,  players split between whiners and golfers coping with what it is,  fans - won't get it.

Which hole will be most controversial?

    Unknown

Which big name will putt off a green?

    Ricky Fowler, but not the only one, by far.

Who will win?

   John Senden
   

[ChipRoyce]

On a related note; for this US Open,  is every sandy area considered a bunker (no grounding) or are there particular areas as we saw at Whistling Straits where a competitor may ground their club?

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