Any other US Open...

[MCirba]

...and Brian Harman is -6 right now.


Watch the shots they play, forget about par, and enjoy the day.


Yay wind...Yay golf.

[BCowan]

David Duval has really impressed me, has tried numerous times to explain how conditions effect score.  To compare apples to apples in 2003 the Senior US Open conditions were firm and fast at Inverness and only Litzke and Watson were under par to my memory. In 2011 6 inches of rain week prior made it a birdie fest. Rain =lower scores


Enjoy the day!


I love profit margin with golf. Enjoyed hitting my buddies epic driver 20-30 yards more then my old one yest at a WPJ track

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,


I hear this alot, but which two par 5s would you convert to par 4s?


Its a massively long course, only Chambers comes close to it yardage-wise as I recall..

[Matthew Essig]

Mike,


I hear this alot, but which two par 5s would you convert to par 4s?


Its a massively long course, only Chambers comes close to it yardage-wise as I recall..

I would flip 1 and 7 if you had to choose two to flip. I like the risk/reward of 14 the way it is.
For "fairness," you might have to fill the bunker that is out there in the middle of the fairway on 1. 7 has a set of fairway bunkers further down that would be in play if you moved the tees up, and it has the largest green on the course.

[Kalen Braley]

Mike,


I hear this alot, but which two par 5s would you convert to par 4s?


Its a massively long course, only Chambers comes close to it yardage-wise as I recall..

I would flip 1 and 7 if you had to choose two to flip. I like the risk/reward of 14 the way it is.
For "fairness," you might have to fill the bunker that is out there in the middle of the fairway on 1. 7 has a set of fairway bunkers further down that would be in play if you moved the tees up, and it has the largest green on the course.

Turning 1 into a par 4 would be cool, first ever 600 yard par 4!   

[MCirba]

I used to ask how long the 18th hole at Merion would have to be for a modern day Ben Hogan to hit driver, one-iron.


Now we know.

[Tom_Doak]

I used to ask how long the 18th hole at Merion would have to be for a modern day Ben Hogan to hit driver, one-iron.

Now we know.

None of these guys were in a major car accident two years ago ... just sayin' Hogan's one iron was a bit different.  But I doubt a similarly great player in that condition would be able to compete today.

[MCirba]

Fair point Tom but I'm not sure Hogan came back at too much of a distance deficit at that point of his recovery.


As far as physical attributes, both Justin Thomas and Brian Harman at 5'7" and around 150 pounds are both Hoganesque in stature.


Finally, 50 year old Steve Stricker finished -5 on a 7,800 course, which would have been unthinkable not very long ago.


It's hard not to think technology is a huge part of the reason, when one objectively considers the data.

[mike_beene]

Brian Harmon was incredible. It was fun to see Furyk and Stricker. When Ben Crenshaw was working on our course a few years ago people would whine if he shortend a hole. He basically said golf is a game from one hundred yards and in. I could build an 8000 yard course but that will still not be enough real soon. For better or worse this week proves the point for the increasing number of bombers. As Chamblee just said, Fenway still uses wood bats.

[Tim Martin]

Fair point Tom but I'm not sure Hogan came back at too much of a distance deficit at that point of his recovery.


As far as physical attributes, both Justin Thomas and Brian Harman at 5'7" and around 150 pounds are both Hoganesque in stature.


Finally, 50 year old Steve Stricker finished -5 on a 7i800 course, which would have been unthinkable not very long ago.


It's hard not to think technology is a huge part of the reason, when one objectively considers the data.

Mike-They have Justin Thomas listed at 5'10" but I get your point.

[Kyle Harris]

Fair point Tom but I'm not sure Hogan came back at too much of a distance deficit at that point of his recovery.


As far as physical attributes, both Justin Thomas and Brian Harman at 5'7" and around 150 pounds are both Hoganesque in stature.


Finally, 50 year old Steve Stricker finished -5 on a 7i800 course, which would have been unthinkable not very long ago.


It's hard not to think technology is a huge part of the reason, when one objectively considers the data.

36th Hole of the day for a guy that was a known smoker.

Technology? Maybe.

Fitness. Definitely.

[Tom Fagerli]

Fair point Tom but I'm not sure Hogan came back at too much of a distance deficit at that point of his recovery.


As far as physical attributes, both Justin Thomas and Brian Harman at 5'7" and around 150 pounds are both Hoganesque in stature.


Finally, 50 year old Steve Stricker finished -5 on a 7i800 course, which would have been unthinkable not very long ago.


It's hard not to think technology is a huge part of the reason, when one objectively considers the data.

36th Hole of the day for a guy that was a known smoker.

Technology? Maybe.

Fitness. Definitely.

And wearing heavy leather shoes w steel spikes, and no wicking material pants shirt socks and underwear. Hogan was a beast.

[BCowan]

Fair point Tom but I'm not sure Hogan came back at too much of a distance deficit at that point of his recovery.


As far as physical attributes, both Justin Thomas and Brian Harman at 5'7" and around 150 pounds are both Hoganesque in stature.


Finally, 50 year old Steve Stricker finished -5 on a 7i800 course, which would have been unthinkable not very long ago.


It's hard not to think technology is a huge part of the reason, when one objectively considers the data.

36th Hole of the day for a guy that was a known smoker.

Technology? Maybe.

Fitness. Definitely.

And wearing heavy leather shoes w steel spikes, and no wicking material pants shirt socks and underwear. Hogan was a beast.

Tiger won all or majority of his majors wearing cotton.  Polyester rebranded will go back out of vogue in 20 years or so. 


Okay when there is a tour event and especially a major the course plays considerably shorter then the yardage.  Ud think people on this board would get that. Just as The Good Dr courses typically play longer then the 6500 number on the card for everyday play. 

[MCirba]

Ben,


Are you saying the course wasn't set upnat 7800 yards and 18 wasnt 681 yards yesterday?

[Jim Nugent]

I used to ask how long the 18th hole at Merion would have to be for a modern day Ben Hogan to hit driver, one-iron.

Now we know.

Different courses, conditions, fairway widths, rough etc.  A more apples to apples comparison might be the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.  I think the 18th the final day played around 510 yards.  Didn't Rose hit driver/4-5 iron onto the final green?  And isn't today's 5-iron lofted like the 4-iron of Hogan's day?