I want to start off this week’s Thrash Talk by congratulating my Oklahoma State Cowboys on winning another national championship in golf. The men’s team outlasted the Florida Gators en route to winning their 10th national championship in the sport. On top of that, redshirt freshman Jonathan Moore won the individual title for the Cowboys. Needless to say, it has been a great weekend for this proud Okie.
Now that my personal pride is out of the way, it’s time to start the U.S. Open talk. The season’s second major championship is a little over a week away, and I’m definitely ready for it. The last time a PGA Tour major was played at Winged Foot, Davis Love III won in memorable fashion. Love’s putt on the 72nd hole is still one of my fondest golf memories of all time.
In my family, the three U.S. majors all marked significant annual observances. The Masters fell around my dad’s birthday and the PGA Championship around mine. And, of course, every year the U.S. Open wound up on Father’s Day.
As always, this week’s Hittin’ The Links is a cornucopia of random links. From outing formats, to Michelle Wie’s Sectional results, to a golf glossary, to my hideous golfers tan, this week’s Hittin’ The Links covers it all.
Tom Pernice gets away with cheating (maybe) and Michelle Wie may need to cheat to qualify for the U.S. Open (maybe). But the big news this week is the furrowed bunkers at The Memorial, so we talk about them. Just what has Jack Nicklaus been smoking, and where can we get some? Also, Royal Precision closes down, Clinton fails to add properly, Daly’s book sells well, and Meena Lee fails to send an email, costing her a spot at the U.S. Women’s Open. This and a whole lot more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.
Since 1976, Jay Haas has been a regular on the PGA Tour. Introduced to golf by his uncle Bob Goalby, the 1968 Masters champion, Haas has played steadily for many years. Perhaps his greatest legacy will not be his trophy case but what he gave to the game and to his competitors in his journey as a professional.
Scotty Cameron’s line of Titleist putters occupies a unique niche in the flatstick universe. After joining forces with Titleist in the mid-1990s, Cameron’s milled product line essentially created the $250-plus premium putter market. Titleist regularly leads the PGA Tour in putters in play, and Cameron’s putters have such a strong reputation – and resale value – that entire businesses are built around buying and selling them.
If you were like me and many other golf fans, you spent Sunday afternoon watching an exciting finish to the Senior PGA Championship. Both Brad Bryant and Jay Haas made nerve wracking birdie putts on the final hole of regulation to send the championship into extra holes.
The PGA Tour is making its traditional stop in Dublin, OH two weeks prior to the U.S. Open. This shady suburb of Columbus is home to Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village Golf Club. This year the PGA Tour will find a few changes at Jack’s place. For the first time, Nicklaus himself has opted not to play in his event, Tiger Woods has decided to prolong his mourning hiatus and begin preparation for the U.S. Open, and perhaps most important to the players in the field, Nicklaus and the PGA Tour have decided to furrow the bunkers in order to penalize players for finding them instead of providing a reprieve from the rough.