We’re one week away from what should be a very interesting U.S. Open. We have a refurbished Donald Ross course that has proven up to the test of the world’s best in the past. It now will do so without the Bermuda rough that served it well in ’99 and ’05.
Rest assured, it has new defenses. Though the fairways are wide, misplayed balls will wind up in waste areas, pine needles, wire grass, and other nasty places. And then there are those wonderful greens. We can’t wait.
So in the interest of getting to next weekend quicker, let’s hit the links.
Hole #1: Crane Technique
Ben Crane was breaking away in the early rounds but had to hold it together on Sunday to claim the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic and his fourth PGA Tour title. Stay golden, Golf Boy. [Link]
Hole #2: A Look Ahead
The new Pinehurst #2 looks a lot different than it did in 2005 when it last hosted the U.S. Open. Gone is the thick Bermuda rough. Back are the waste areas, wire grass, and pine needles that were original features of the Donald Ross design. [Link]
Hole #3: U.S.A, U.S.A.
The U.S. squad won the 2014 Curtis Cup 13-7 over Great Britain and Ireland at St. Louis Country Club. The University of Alabama’s Emma Talley clinched the victory with her 4-and-3 win over Bronte Law of G.B.&I. [Link]
Hole #4: Park Place
Just a week after losing her #1 ranking, Inbee Park won the Manulife Financial Classic in Waterloo, Ontario. Park won by three strokes over Christie Kerr for her first win in 11 months. [Link]
Hole #5: Top of the Rock
The old guys play an “executive course.” Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman combined for a 6-under-par 48 to win the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf by a stroke over Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen. Colbert and Thorpe won the Legends Division. [Link]
Hole #6: Millard DQs Himself
Jason Millard notified the USGA on Saturday that he felt he had grounded a club during his back-to-back 68s that put him into the field of the 2014 U.S. Open. [Link]
Hole #7: Hanging
This was such a cool moment at the Memorial, it deserves another look. It makes Tiger’s “Have you ever…” moment look like “firmly, in the back of the cup.” [Link]
Hole 8: Heed the Air Horn
One person received minor injuries after a tornado struck a Colorado golf course during a tournament and flipped the golf cart he was in. [Link]
Hole 9: Three Free Swings
This is disgusting. Three teens beat an 87 year-old with his own golf clubs. We suggest that perhaps they should be sentenced to a similar beating administered by, let’s say, John Daly. [Link]
Bonus Hole: Thumb a Ride with a Pro
So after a long hot day of following your favorite pros around the golf course, you are making the trek out to the parking lot to retrieve your car when a Lexus pulls up beside you… [Link]