Nebraska's non-Dismal River Major

[Tony_Chapman]

I did not see anything posted about the upcoming Senior Open this week at Omaha Country Club. Certainly hope we can pull off a great event in Nebraska. Here are a few links of interest.

Omaha's Golf Champion, Johnny Goodman: http://www.usga.org/ChampEventArticle.aspx?id=21474857389

Senior Open, new Sand Hills course tee up Nebraska for more events (complete with a GCA mention): http://omaha.com/article/20130707/SPORTS/707079920/1695#senior-open-new-sand-hills-course-tee-up-nebraska-for-more-events

Full Senior Open coverage on Omaha.com: http://omaha.com/section/sports97?profile=1695

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Omaha CC is a very good golf course. A 7 on the Doak scale, and a great starting point for a trip to Sand Hills. 

[Terry Lavin]

I'm fired up to see Keith Foster's renovation on television. Should be a perfect site for this great championship.

[Adam Clayman]

Tony, When I read your headline I thought you were talking about this major.

http://www.kearneyhub.com/sports/local/sand-hills-to-host-junior-golf-championship/article_8de701a8-b727-11e2-befc-0019bb2963f4.html


Then there was this blurb yesterday.


http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130707%2FSPORTS%2F707079920%2F1685#.Udqj0hKeAtI.facebook

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

They're playing a slightly different routing, on the back 9, than the members play.  The seniors will play #16 (par 5) as their 14th hole, #17 as their 15th, #15 (par 3) as their 16, #14 as 17... and then finish on #18.  should be fun to watch!

[Jason Hines]

Tony, When I read your headline I thought you were talking about this major.

http://www.kearneyhub.com/sports/local/sand-hills-to-host-junior-golf-championship/article_8de701a8-b727-11e2-befc-0019bb2963f4.html

I am 42, do you think that would qualify as a Jr. for this event? 

Good for SH, what an exciting and memorable opportunity for junior golf as well as growing the game for a new generation.

[Daryn_Soldan]

Anybody headed to OCC this week? I'll be out there all day on Friday. Haven't seen the course in 15 years, looking forward to getting a look at the work that's been done.

- Daryn

[JimB]

Looking forward to watching the amateur/pro brother combo of John and Steve Pate. First time qualifying for John who is an accomplished amateur. Hits it as well as any of the entrants and he has played quite a bit with Freddie.

[Matt Ingraham]

The course was in fantastic shape as of Friday, the last day members could play.  The fairways were as firm as I ever remember them being but the USGA wanted it firmer so water was withheld most of the weekend.  Thus, on Monday a few brown spots were starting to appear on some of the fairways and greens.  After getting my brains beat in by the rough the last month I wasn't overly excited about seeing the USGA out cutting the rough on Saturday. 

I was visiting with one of the USGA officials on Monday and he compared the course to Merion from the standpoint that there are a few short holes (1, 11, 13, 17 (normally the 14th)  that the players will need to birdie but yet there are also a few par fours that are pretty long (8, 10, 12, 18) that will require two good shots. 

I believe the winning score will be 10 to 12 under.

[Dan Herrmann]

Yesterday, Kenny Perry called OCC the "hardest course to walk" he'd ever played.  This was due to the hilly nature of the course.

 Can that be true?

[Jud_T]

Am I nuts or are there more interesting courses holding tournaments this year than any year in recent memory?

[J_ Crisham]

Looking forward to watching the amateur/pro brother combo of John and Steve Pate. First time qualifying for John who is an accomplished amateur. Hits it as well as any of the entrants and he has played quite a bit with Freddie.

Jim,     I met John at Riviera a day after our game  - what a nice guy. The member I played with said that John may be the better player of the brothers at this point- that would be impressive given how good a player Steve is. Will be nice to see Omaha CC on TV - one of the hidden gems in the Midwest.

[Jason Thurman]

Jud, you're nuts. 2010 was an absolute murderer's row. Even the courses that the GCA cognoscenti might not love (i.e. the courses in Washington that hosted a couple of Tier B championships that year) were undeniably interesting.

This year is pretty good though. You're not nuts about that part.

[J_ Crisham]

Jud, you're nuts. 2010 was an absolute murderer's row. Even the courses that the GCA cognoscenti might not love (i.e. the courses in Washington that hosted a couple of Tier B championships that year) were undeniably interesting.

This year is pretty good though. You're not nuts about that part.

Jason,   I would suggest that this year in competitive golf the architecture is as good as it gets: Consider the lineup: NGLA, Fox Chapel, Wakonda, CC of Charleston, Omaha CC, Merion, Oak HIll, Sebonack, Muirfield, Brookline. I'm sure I am missing some great designs. I can't recall a better year although 2010 was right there.Oh I almost forgot- 2013 is the centennial year for Pine Valley- Crump Cup will be special as always.

[Jason Thurman]

Jack, part of the reason I rank this year below 2010 is that so many of the courses we've seen this year are bastardized. There's not a shred of Langford left at Wakonda. Merion was beautiful and the design shone through, but it was definitely a bit tricked up. Oak Hill has been heavily manipulated.

Looking just at majors, I would argue that 2010 had better "acclaimed" courses hosting championships. Oakmont, Pebble Beach, The Old Course, and Whistling Straits are just slightly better than Merion, Sebonack, Muirfield, Fox Chapel, and Oak Hill for me (just slightly, but still a bit better). I would also say that the less acclaimed courses were more INTERESTING. I just find Sahalee and Chambers Bay more architecturally interesting than places like Omaha.

My vote goes to 2010, but it's close and both years were great.

[Adam Clayman]

http://www.usga.org/photo.aspx?id=21474857392

Usga has a photo album with a few shots of the OCC course. And do I mean few.

[Tony_Chapman]

Here is a nice write-up from Stu Pospisil of the OWH (he's a lurker)  about the history of OCC.

OCC's had a little work done: http://omaha.com/article/20130706/SPORTS/707069994/1695#occ-s-had-a-little-work-done

[Terry Lavin]

Looks great on TV.

[BHoover]

It does look great on TV, as does the weather. Keith Foster's work looks great. My old club had a master plan in hand from Keith Foster but the members didn't vote to implement it, regrettably IMO. Granted, the terrain in Omaha doesn't quite look like central Ohio, but the work still looks good.

Curious whether this weather and these conditions are normal for Omaha in the summer? If so, I may need to find a job in Nebraska...

[Tony_Chapman]

It does look great on TV, as does the weather. Keith Foster's work looks great. My old club had a master plan in hand from Keith Foster but the members didn't vote to implement it, regrettably IMO. Granted, the terrain in Omaha doesn't quite look like central Ohio, but the work still looks good.

Curious whether this weather and these conditions are normal for Omaha in the summer? If so, I may need to find a job in Nebraska...

Brian -- This is a bit above normal for Nebraska this time of year. We'll be close to 100 degrees through the weekend, when I'd say 'normal' is low-90s. The wind will blow and it'll be an oven. It appears the golf course is testing the players which is all we can ask for. While their are a good amount of scores under par, the 67s yesterday were the highest opening round lead since Prairie Dunes in 2006. I'd think Fred Funk was right; somewhere in the 6-9 under range is going to be the winning score.

[BHoover]

Tony, what's the humidity like in Omaha? Is it typically muggy or is it a dry heat?

[Tony_Chapman]

Tony, what's the humidity like in Omaha? Is it typically muggy or is it a dry heat?

Generally humid. Not a rain forest, but it is humid. This kind of weather is great for corn growing.