Report Card for the Men's Open at Pinehurst

[Mike Sweeney]

Great competition and the best player was identified.  While light on drama due to Kaymer's exceptional play, watching him play was a pleasure.

My big complaint is on the spectating side, in that it was so over crowded that it made seeing anything very difficult.  Based on some web research on ticket sales, Olympic sold 33K/day; Merion 25K and Pinehurst 50K.  Later in the day my son and I both admitted that leaving at 10am crossed out minds.  We ended up staying at the driving range for the majority of the day.

I feel this way about 90% of "BIG" sporting events now. If you don't have perfect seats, I would rather watch on HD at home. I still love watching great competition live, almost any sport.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Only one suggestion to what was otherwise a perfect setup - I think less firmness in the greens would have encouraged more players to play something other than aerial approaches. When #6 played at its full length of 245 yards the green was sufficiently soft to allow aerial shots with just a few feet of roll. I understand that the heat - especially the heat forecast for the following week - required extra care with the watering but I would have liked to see the course play a little more like Ross had planned. A lot of credit has to go to Bob Farren and his crew. In spite of a real downpour at the start, the green speeds were kept at a reasonable 12-12.5.


Craig,

I would have agreed with you had the announcers not claimed that Phil was hitting a 5-iron on # 6 at 248 and others were hitting 6-iron.

I think the distances that the PGA Tour players are hitting the ball is so other worldly that we really can't grasp it, especially as it relates to architecture and the play of the hole.

How do you protect par against 350 yard drives and 248 yard 5-irons ?

[Pete Lavallee]

How do you protect par against 350 yard drives and 248 yard 5-irons ?[/color]

Turtle backed greens?

[Craig Disher]

How do you protect par against 350 yard drives and 248 yard 5-irons ?[/color]

Turtle backed greens?

...or firmer greens. They're not appropriate everywhere but the firmness through the green at PH2 was so pronounced that it would have been interesting to carry it onto the putting surface. I don't know the physics but at some point the spin and compression of the ball can't compensate for a hard surface. Seeing a 245-yard shot that lands on the green and rolls only a few feet seems unnatural. That sure didn't happen in the fairway. But, like I said, the heat might have made it too risky.

[Jud_T]

How do you protect par against 350 yard drives and 248 yard 5-irons ?

625 yard Par 4's, obviously...  

[Mike Schott]

Again I ask those who were critical of this year's Open, how would you view it had MK been disqualified after the 1st round ?

Pat,

I am curious what you think about Trump's views on Pinehurst?

Cheers

I'm not Pat but why would anyone seriously interested in golf give 2 shits about what Trump has to say? Yes he's wealthy and buying up some famous courses but the man is not interested in quality golf.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mike,

You don't know what you're talking about.

He is interested in quality golf.

In case you didn't know it, there's a huge debate on what constitutes quality golf

Craig Disher,

I think we also have to consider that Pinehurst # 2 is hosting another Open Championship this week.
That's a significant factor that many seem to ignore.

[Jason Topp]

I would consider this a good sign:

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/263553111.html

[Craig Disher]

Craig Disher,

I think we also have to consider that Pinehurst # 2 is hosting another Open Championship this week.
That's a significant factor that many seem to ignore.

I completely agree. I think the greens were watered each night following a 1" downpour Thursday. The forecast called for +90 temps each day and only a chance of showers each afternoon for the next 10. The course stood up well but I don't think it was as f&f as it could have been given different circumstances.

[Mike Schott]

Mike,

You don't know what you're talking about.

He is interested in quality golf.

In case you didn't know it, there's a huge debate on what constitutes quality golf

Craig Disher,

I think we also have to consider that Pinehurst # 2 is hosting another Open Championship this week.
That's a significant factor that many seem to ignore.

Yes, depends on your definition of quality golf Pat. In general I have very little respect for Trump as all he is interested in is making money and self promotion.

[David Federman]

Call me a heretic, but I was less impressed with #2 than apparently most of GCA. I was fortunate to play #2 a number of years prior to the restoration - I found it to be a very good course, eminently playable for virtually all levels of play. It was fun, but less than memorable. The holes were fairly homogenous - few elevation changes of significance - when we were finished, it was hard to remember any one particular hole as a stand-out star.

As for the Open, watching on television could not have been more boring - from the lack of any real drama in the competition, to the lack of differentiation from one hole to the next, to the lack of real risk-reward strategy that was supposed to be the hallmark of the width and difficult green complexes. As far as I could tell the only risk-reward was bogey vs birdie. From the driveable par 4s to the new short par 5 - virtually everyone went for the greens on the driveable 4s and short par 5s. Whatever the risk was, it did not deter going for the reward. Even the commentators remarked that the course had many bogeys, but few doubles or others.

I think the course will play much more as envisioned by Ross this week when the ladies tee it up. I suspect it will be more entertaining, as well.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mike,

You don't know what you're talking about.

He is interested in quality golf.

In case you didn't know it, there's a huge debate on what constitutes quality golf

Craig Disher,

I think we also have to consider that Pinehurst # 2 is hosting another Open Championship this week.
That's a significant factor that many seem to ignore.

Yes, depends on your definition of quality golf Pat.

The debate about Pinehurst is ongoing.
Some very intelligent people share Trump's perspective regarding the visuals presented.
Some prominent people in the golf world have been critical of the presentation last week.
Some on this site.

In general I have very little respect for Trump as all he is interested in is making money and self promotion.

And, you're not interested in making money ?

When it comes to golf, I think you'll find that his interests aren't limited to self promotion and making money.

[Mike Schott]

Pat, don't be trite. I'm not stupid and you are not as smart as you think.

[Jim Lipstate]

I've been fortunate to play #2 multiple times the past three years. I remember not being that impressed after the first round but then gaining a growing appreciation of the courses subtleties with each additional play. Unfortunately, the course doesn't have much eye candy "pop" on television and it is hard for the television viewer to really appreciate the green complexes (emphasis on complex) that are the main defense of the golf course. I think the restoration is great.  Watching clips from past US Opens makes # 2 look like a generic turf fest. I much prefer todays look.

[Bruce Katona]

Frankly I enjoyed watching the telecast 3 of the 4 days...missed Saturday.  I thought the course looked really great and the work done presented itself wondefully.

The best player won.  Now if MK had been at +2 and won, the USGA would have been happier as par was defended, but that is my own very personnel beef and opinion.

Lets see how the Ladies do this week.

I personnaly like the idea of back-to-back championships on the same venue.  The masses can now have a better comparisonb of the men v womens games based on playing the same course under similat championship conditions.