Wow, what a finish to the U.S. Open! Webb Simpson comes from behind to steal the trophy away from the crowd of golfers behind him that were gagging their way into the clubhouse. And what was up with Jim Furyk? That drive on 16 was left of Nancy Pelosi! One would believe that with one U.S. Open under your belt already the nerves would hold up, but that certainly wasn’t the case. Anyway congrats to Webb Simpson, even if the leaders did collapse over the final round, the kid shot a pair of 68s in the U.S. Open and that’s pretty good in anyone’s book.
In this U.S. Open edition of Hittin’ the Links we begin with a look at another golfer-guru relationship on the skids, then check out an idiot in a hat, and see what records were broken at the 2012 U.S. Open. Also, we look at a long Hole-In-one, find out who is turning pro, and do a wrap-up of the 2012 U.S. Open Championship. Read on!
The 2012 U.S. Open begins right about now, and though I have no say in the makeup of the USGA’s official pairings, there are some I’d like to see coming down the stretch on Sunday. Whether it’s the old guard of Tiger and Phil, the young guns Rory and Rickie, the veteran Brits Donald and Westwood, the streaking Americans Dufner and Mahan, or the early-season big-tournament winners Watson and Kuchar, this year’s Open is full of solid match-ups.
In the world of golf, there are two major categories when it comes to rangefinders: laser and GPS. Both types of units can be really good but neither is without fault ether. For instance, lasers are deadly accurate and can be used on any course, but if one suffers from shaky hands they can be a pain to use.
This year the U.S. Open comes just up the 280 freeway from me to the Olympic Club Lake Course. After the debacle at the 18th hole in 1998, the Olympic Club redid all 18 greens in order to get the USGA to come back and play the U.S. Open on Johnny Miller’s boyhood course. I went out a few months ago and rolled some balls on the 18th green and it is not nearly as bad as it was in 1998. The greens are actually not the typical poa annua found here on the west coast. This means they will be very fast and not as bumpy as everyone will be expecting.
The new Callaway Hex Black Tour ball hits all the marks to compete with the other premium balls on the market.
Many golfers might be surprised to know that, in terms of dollar market share, Bridgestone Golf has grown to become the number two golf ball in the industry. Bridgestone Golf began manufacturing its first golf balls on U.S. soil in 1990 under the Precept brand, and while it’s only been seven years since the Bridgestone Golf U.S. brand was launched, the company has been producing golf balls since 1935 and they are the number one golf ball producer in Japan.