US Amateur now a traditional Chicago Championship

[Jeff Goldman]

As is traditional for Chicago Championships (see the PGAs and Opens at Medinah and the Open at OFCC, conditions on the courses were fantastic the weekend before it began, very firm and potentially very, very fast, and then, as seems to always happen here, 2 inches of rain has fell in the last few days leading up to the event.  Firm and fast is pretty much out the window (though I heard that we are only  single cutting the greens). We did get to welcome everyone OFCC style

[Jeff Goldman]

Oh, and I'll be evacuation at 12 green 13 tee South. Send me an email at 3jgoldman@gmail.com if you want to meet.  John M, I'll come by the shuttle to try and say hello.

[John McCarthy]

I walked a few holes of the South Saturday morning.  The rough was up and they got 0.5 inch of rain Friday night.  I ducked out 3 ish and it looked like storms were on the way.  Players were very complimentary of the course and especially the club.

Jeff:  are you around Sunday or Monday?

[Jeff Goldman]

John,

We got another .4 Saturday after you left and I learned how to drive a Lexus van very quickly as we did have to evacuate everyone. We also had 1.3 on Monday. I'm around most of Sunday and Monday afternoon.

Jeff

[Tim_Cronin]

To further Chicagofy the U.S. Am, there was a downpour at about 1:15 p.m. that built up right on top of the club. It came in sideways for a few minutes.


If you want to end a drought in Chicago, bring in a golf tournament. Works every time.

[Andrew Buck]

Tim,

What is the thinking of swaping 2 - 9 and 11 - 18 this week.  I understood doing it for crowd purposes in the US Open, but I don't get the thought in the Amateur, with the back nine being a clearly better nine, IMO. 

[Terry Lavin]

The USGA likes to do things its own way, I suppose. I understood when they needed to fit 6000 people around the 9th green but this is a puzzler.   It's not that awkward a walk, but it puts the four weakest holes in a row (4.5.6.7) on the back nine.  The real back nine provides a much better challenge IMHO.

[Andrew Buck]

The USGA likes to do things its own way, I suppose. I understood when they needed to fit 6000 people around the 9th green but this is a puzzler.   It's not that awkward a walk, but it puts the four weakest holes (4.5.6.7) on the back nine.

Yep, and 12 - 18 is clearly a great stretch of golf. 

I've tried to think before, but is there a composite course to be had for a future major?  It's probably too awkward to cross the parking lot to make anything work.  Seems the first 7 on south, plus 10 - 18 would make a very strong 9, probably stronger than the front of North, but would probably require 7 played to a 4.  Even then, probably a lot of work for minimal gain.

[Matthew Essig]

Tim,

What is the thinking of swaping 2 - 9 and 11 - 18 this week.  I understood doing it for crowd purposes in the US Open, but I don't get the thought in the Amateur, with the back nine being a clearly better nine, IMO. 

To ensure that 12-18 are played everyday during match play.

[Tim_Cronin]

Andrew, I agree it doesn't make much sense to do the flip for the Am. I'm a fan of playing the course as the architect intended.


Hey, at least it's not the arrangement for the 1961 PGA, when the final four holes were really 17-18-10-9. CBS needed holes close together because TV camera cable runs were short back then. They could put the truck nearby and cover the last four. They played 1 through 8 as usual, then 11 through 18, then 10, then 9. So Jerry Barber's three long putts were on 18, 10 and 9.

[Tim_Cronin]

Monday night's torrential downpour caused enough flooding and bunker repair that the second round of qualifying was pushed back 90 minutes, an 8:30 a.m. start. Finishing today is iffy.

[John McCarthy]

Are they going to finish and get a cut today?  It stayed dry on the north side today.

On edit:  These kids can really hit it, putt like no one's business, but the pace of play was not the best on Monday. 

[Terry Lavin]

Tornado warning right now, about 15 miles west of Olympia. Let's hope they dodge tonight's bullet.

[Pete_Pittock]

Play called because of darkness. Aboot 60 players will finish Wednesday morning. Looks like a massive playoff looms.

[Jeff Goldman]

As one on the Evac crew, it has been a nerve-racking 4 days. Monday, there was thunder and storms all around us, and we dodged a bunch of bullets to finish play. Not so much Monday night, where about an inch fell, making maybe 3.5 for the last 8 days. We could only single cut the greens and not roll. My guess is that the North greens were a foot slower than Monday.


Otherwise, it is thrilling to be part of the Championship.  Met John McCarthy, who was doing shuttle duty, and Chris Cupit who was on 18 (my 9) for the USGA. A few observations:


I think the extremely soft conditions are great for the top players, but maybe not so much for the mid-ams and folks who don't carry it 310. 1, 2, 4 and 10 south were pretty brutal into the wind, and a fair number of players had 230 yard approaches.  On the other hand, holes play long, but it's much easier to hit fairways, and the greens are "drop and stop."


I'm not sure we have placed enough emphasis on hole locations in measuring difficulty. It's hard to think that the courses can play any easier, but even in these conditions the players were held back some by difficult hole locations. The "renowned" holes on the North Course, member 3 and 14, played pretty easy, I think because the holes are basically towards the back middle on both. On the other hand, the short par-4 5th and 12th on the North are playing significantly more difficult than either of those, again I think because the hole locations are either in front or near bunkers and in tricky spots.


These guys are good AND smart. 5 South is a 245 yard par 3 with a green sloping huge to the back left and mounding on the right that feeds balls into the green. It isn't a redan, but can play like one, and with a helping wind I saw a number of players hit slinging hooks that landed short right and used the mounds to roll within 10 feet. very cool. Other players who tried to hit a wood or long iron right at the hole did not fare well -- either short into a "redan swale" or the ball rolled over the green.


The only negative is that it really is a bummer not to see these folks play the course as it was supposed to be set up.  Oh well, maybe next month at the Fighting Illini.

[Tim_Cronin]

The wind is howling today. West 19 with gusts higher. Still wet, but the crew's been able to mow fairways and greens. The latter are slick, but that didn't stop Kyle Mueller from rolling in a 60-footer with 6 feet of break on the 18th (usually the 9th) to beat Thomas Detry 2 up. Shades of Jerry Barber, same hole, 1961 PGA.

[Terry Lavin]

I'm a homer, but OFCC is really looking good this week. A great host for Championship golf.

[Chris Cupit]

I did not have a chance to see much of the south course but the north was really good.  Lots of big strong Par 4's and a nice variety of par threes.  I had no idea what to expect but I guess with Chicago I should have expected a big, tough, brawny course and it was 


A couple of thoughts:  I still can't get over how far some of these kids hit the ball.  And, they are not swinging like maniacs--just really good, solid swings that yield incredible speed.  It is a fundamentally different game than a generation ago--I am not saying that is all bad but to fail to recognize the change is to bury your head in the sand.


Had Jake Knapp's first match against the 15 year old junior phenom Noah Goodman.  It took Jake 21 holes to win and frankly, he was outplayed in that match.  He was loose/wild with his driver and Noah flat out played a more solid round.  Both were legitimately under par in the match and only the last hole was a bit sloppy.  However, Jake's length allowed him to get away with some loose swings.


First hole (remember this is match one one a wet day with little or no roll)  Driver in the left rough and a three iron carried into the front right bunker.  Hole was playing 617.


Hole 2 was playing 382.  Jake flew the ball into the left greenside bunker.  (Normal 11th hole??)


Hole 5  Driver in right rough and another 3 iron cut around the corner that carried into the front right greenside bunker.  (Normally #14??)


Hole 8 Jake flew the bunkers and was about 40 yards short of the single cross bunker in the middle of the fairway short of the green.  (Normally #17??)


He also hit some shots off the map but his length allowed him to do so--on 18 he hit it so far right he was in the middle of the first fairway with a clear shot to the green.  It must have been 50 yards off line.  On the second hole (his 20th) his attempt to drive the green resulted in a huge pull into the 16th fairway--again, he was just fine.


I am not sure why I got so focused on his length.  The real point I started with was that OFCC is a terrific facility.  People were great, course which I knew nothing about really impressed me and a Wahoo upset Jon Rahm     My money is still on DeChambeau--he will be tough to beat.


I also had the Konishi 2nd round match.  He survived and I was impressed with his steadiness and calm.  He made clutch saves and some great six foot putts to win that match in 19 holes.  My "predition" is DeChambeau wins over Konishi on Sunday 5 & 4.


But, good luck to everyone!

[Kevin_Reilly]

It has been enjoyable to watch, and it looks like OF is a great site for it.

I wish Fox would learn how to turn down the volume on background noise, though.  The telecast is almost unwatchable...it is as if they have a boom mic pointed at a freeway throughout.

[Tim_Cronin]

It's dead quiet in person, and stupid loud on TV. Part of it comes from having an omni mic at each green for ambient sound, then cranking it up. No need. Just one more thing Fox has to fix.

[Kevin_Reilly]

Good for David Fay speaking out during the Sean Crocker and Bryson DeChambeau semifinal match:  "their pace of play stinks, and the USGA has done a poor job in terms of keeping them under control."

[Jeff Shelman]

As I've watched some this week on TV, I don't get the change in routing.

I don't like that there isn't a par 5 after the 6th hole. In addition, with the routing change, there's a stretch of seven consecutive par 4s -- member holes 17, 18, 10, 2, 3, 4, 5. In the regular routing, you never play more than four par 4s in a row.

[JJShanley]

Good for David Fay speaking out during the Sean Crocker and Bryson DeChambeau semifinal match:  "their pace of play stinks, and the USGA has done a poor job in terms of keeping them under control."

I wondered: what sort of sanctions exist for slow play in matchplay?

[Pete_Pittock]

Good for David Fay speaking out during the Sean Crocker and Bryson DeChambeau semifinal match:  "their pace of play stinks, and the USGA has done a poor job in terms of keeping them under control."

I wondered: what sort of sanctions exist for slow play in matchplay?

Rule 6-7 Undue Delay, Slow Play.  Penalty is loss of hole. If it happens it needs to be addressed at the point the referee is first notified of a pace problem, either by telling the players of the situation, or the referee walking at a faster pace, forcing the competitor to keep up.
In some of the match play tournaments I have seen the Committee keeps the same pace chart for match play as they had in the 3 ball stroke play. 
 

[JJShanley]

Good for David Fay speaking out during the Sean Crocker and Bryson DeChambeau semifinal match:  "their pace of play stinks, and the USGA has done a poor job in terms of keeping them under control."

I wondered: what sort of sanctions exist for slow play in matchplay?

Rule 6-7 Undue Delay, Slow Play.  Penalty is loss of hole. If it happens it needs to be addressed at the point the referee is first notified of a pace problem, either by telling the players of the situation, or the referee walking at a faster pace, forcing the competitor to keep up.
In some of the match play tournaments I have seen the Committee keeps the same pace chart for match play as they had in the 3 ball stroke play.

Thank you.  I should have been a little specific: what if both competitors in a single match keep an unacceptable pace?  Does Player A just need to keep in front of his opponent in terms of time to hit a shot?  I ask as the quotation has DF condemning both of them.