Golf Course Architect and Son Lead Anderson at Winged Foot

[Jay Flemma]

I'll have more of the story later, but Steve Smyers and his First-team college All-American and Div 2 national Champion son Scott fired a blistering 63 on a rain softened West Course today to take a two shot lead at the Anderson memorial at Winged Foot over the Mad Maxes (Buckley and Christie).  3-time defending champ Parker Smith and his two time defending champ partner Dan Crockett are four back, along with Hans Albertsson and Brian Williams of Winged Foot.  I'll have more deets for you after I write them:)

Steve/Scott Smyers (Old Memorial)         67-63=130  -10
Max Christiana/Max Buckley (Westchester CC)  68-64=132  -8
Rob Funk/Dave Bartman (Bear Cr.)         67-66=133  -7
Trevor Randolph/Paul DeRosa (Congressional)  66-67=133  -7
Hans Albertsson/Brian Williams (Winged Foot)  67-67=134  -6
Parker Smith/Dan Crockett (The Golf Club, TN) 70-64=134  -6
Matt Rosen/Jeremy DeFalco (Tucson GC)      70-65=135  -5
Sam Bernstein/Mike Karger (Century CC)      70-65=135  -5
Eoghan O'Connell/Dan O'Callaghan (Fox Club)   66-70=136  -4
Joe Saladino/Dave Boccia (Huntington CC)   66-70=136  -4
Tim Kane/Roger Hoit (Eastward Ho!)      70-66=136  -4

Rain has forced the tournament from its normal weekend match play format to a 54 hole medal play event.

[Sean Leary]

Good to see a GCA ER on the leader board. Play well David.

[David Bartman]

Tough last day, played the tips, pins were in difficult spots, we played it down so there were some "mud balls " but all in all , my partner and I simply putted poorly.  We certainly didn't strike it well enough to win but if we had putted decently we would have finished 3rd or so. 

My first time to Winged Foot, that west course is a beast, it was wet so no roll at all.  First four holes my approaches were 3 iron, 5 iron, 3 wood to a par 3 and 4 iron.

I really enjoyed the East course, a lot more character than the West. 

I was told that the East was going to be the US Open course in 1929, but the greens got burned out and they had to move it to the West. Bobby Jones won and the rest is History with the west course being the shining star.   

How do you win a playoff by 23 shots!!

[Ronald Montesano]

How do you win a playoff by 23 shots!!

Hope your opponent's first four approaches were 3 iron, 5 iron, 3 wood to a par 3 and 4 iron...that's how.

[V. Kmetz]

Congratulations on a fine tournament Dave (and partner)

The soft conditions on Saturday (rain postponed Rd 2) led to those unreal scores. Greens were rolling around 8.8 Stimp. While it was a miracle to be as tournament playable as it was, I have never seen the greens so slow in my 600 rounds at the Foot over the years

In a normal year 140-144 has made the top 16, 141 is a frequent cut number

We were paired with DeFalco and Rosen in that round and they were en fuego on Saturday's front nine...With a bogey, they shot 30 and had a makeable 12 footer for 29 on the 9th...

Their Front Nine card:  5-3-2-3-3-3-3-4-4 = 30

One other thing, in the last week, between the Anderson, the Westchester Amateur (earlier in the week) and Tuesday's Brae Burn Invitational I have never seen distances from amateur players that I have this week...

PW: into quartering wind...163...
9 iron: 177
8 iron: 195
7 iron: 212
6 iron: 220
5 iron: 225
4 iron: 232
3 iron: 241
hybrid 3+: 255
3w: 275 (off tee)
Driver: 340

Not to counter David's account but here were the distances on the West, they were shorter than Open tees by about 275-300 yards...

1: 445 (can play 460)
2: 435 (can play 470)
3. 207 (can play 243+)
4. 450 (can play 460)
5. 512 (can play 515)
6. 318 (can play 321)
7. 156 (can play 165+)
8. 435 (can play 455)
9. 490 (can play 515)

10. 185 (can play 190+)
11. 355 (can play 365)
12. 575 (can play 630)
13. 208 (can play 218+)
14. ? (I know they weren't all the way back) (can play 471)
15. 407 (can play 415)
16. 475 (can play 489)
17  440 (can play 450)
18. 455 (can play 470)

cheers

vk

[jeffwarne]

V Kmetz
With the greens running at lower speeds you mention due to weather, was any attempt made to put the pins in more interesting places?
i.e. more on the slopes.
With the greens at Winged Foot, it seems they had an opportunity to temporarily recapture some long lost pin placements and have some fun, intriguing golf.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jeff,

It's hard NOT to find interesting hole locations on Winged Foot's greens.

I wonder how much of the distance with irons is a product of reduced lofts ?

[David Bartman]

V Kmetz
With the greens running at lower speeds you mention due to weather, was any attempt made to put the pins in more interesting places?
i.e. more on the slopes.
With the greens at Winged Foot, it seems they had an opportunity to temporarily recapture some long lost pin placements and have some fun, intriguing golf.

Jeff,

I hadn't played there before so it would be hard for me to tell if the pins were normal, easy or hard, but I can tell you that the pin on #11 was middle right, just above a bowl and if the greens were 3-4 inches faster it wouldn't have been a legal pin, so I would guess that was one pin in which the committee did take advantage of the conditions that were presented.  ( I confused the East and the West, this was the pin on #11 East, sorry )

  The slow greens that Mr. kmetz mentioned made the course very playable in the second round, as well as virtually all the tees up.  The committee sped the greens up and moved the tees back and played the ball down the last round and the " Real " Winged Foot West reared its challenging head.  


As to the Yardages the last day , I think Mr Kmetz made a mistake on #3 , it was 232 to the pin which I was playing 245.  #12 we were on the back 2/3 of the back tee playing to a back pin so there wasn't any 55 yards to extend that hole.  #14 we were around 455.  #16 we were on the middle of the back tee, maybe 5 yards to extend there.   All in all , it was a great week , even thought the weather didn't cooperate.  I feel fortunate I was able to make the event, play fairly well, and I hope to be able to do it again next year!!

I am looking forward to , If I am fortunate enough, to play best ball match play next year.  

[V. Kmetz]

JW,

Saturday Pins for Anderson 2nd Rd on WFW:

#1 - Middle of the two brows...always tough but fairly standard.
#2 - Mid right center...intimidating approach but not tough to putt around
#3 - Left center...a funnel with correct yardage, a nightmare to be on wrong side of
#4 - Left side, nothing special...front right is the bear there.
#5 - almost middle, a bit right...easy hole overall for this class of player
#6 - way right...tough pin to access, no room to be off more than a couple of yards...when greens fast, this is dangerous.
#7 - front left - the sucker pin and difficult to read, depending on putting angle.
#8 - back right - quite challenging to access or putt
#9 - mid front left center...not especially stringent, but it's a bear of a hole as a Par 4, so...

#10 - little short of center...fairly benign
#11 - left center...an easier spot to approach or putt
#12 - front right - only tough in that it's not often there
#13 - left center, just short of middle...subtle putts.
#14 - left middle...everything on this green and hole is hard from 471, 455, 430 or 410; this is Winged Foots West's hidden heavyweight imo.
#15 - rigth center - funnel over there, but putts are tricky
#16 - back left center - I think this is the hardest pin on that hole, very hard to get near in 3, no less 2, a lot of break before it and past it. 
#17 - almost dead middle, a bit past center...a slopy high point in this wonderful green, very, very hard to read from all directions.
#18 -  almost dead center as fair as it can be

So the answer is, "No." to whether the pins were hidden under such soft conditions. But as Pat said, it's WF and they don't have to do much to provoke high scores.

cheers

vk