![\"2007](\"\/b\/imgs\/pga\/2007_us_open_logo_oakmont.gif\"){kind=logo}
I attended the U.S. Open yesterday and sat behind the first green for about five hours. Then I went to the ninth green for about three hours.<\/p>\nI attended the U.S. Open yesterday and sat behind the first green for about five hours. Then I went to the ninth green for about three hours.<\/p>\n
I saw one birdie: a chip-in by Justin Rose at the first. I saw Ian Poulter’s long putt from off the green nearly fall and Shingo Katayama’s chip from the fairway rattle the pin before rolling a few feet away. He would later miss the par putt.<\/p>\n
Friday I sat behind the 18th green. Though the hole was blocked by a large tree, reasonable views of the tenth, twelfth, and fifteenth tees as well as the ninth green (if you’re on the railing). Sitting in the shadows of the trees, and with the wind whipping, the location was less than desirable: walking the course until about noon is advised for those coming on Saturday or Sunday.<\/p>\n
Anyway, here are my observations… Well, it’s disappointing to dream as a kid about winning the U.S. Open and spend all this time getting ready for it and have the course setup, injury, you know? To think that the end of this tournament – you’re trying to win and hit great shots but you’re also trying to not end your career on one shot, which – or at least suspend it for a while. That’s a little disappointing, yeah.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The course cannot be blamed, Phil. Your one-hour-per-green short game preparation sessions can be blamed. The U.S. Open hasn’t injured a rash of players this year (or any other year), and Phil’s comments about ending his career are overly dramatic. Everyone felt bad for Phil this week, they knew he was hurting, but after making those comments, fans and writers I talked to have really seemed to turn the corner from “Oh, poor Phil” to “quit whining, Phil.” In the words of a friend of mine, “If people are giving you excuses, you don’t need to make any for yourself.”<\/p>\n Poorly played, Phil.<\/p>\n Paul Casey’s 66<\/strong> My vantage point on 18 afforded me a view of Casey’s kick-in birdie at the short 14th as well as his somewhat sloppy bogey on the 18th hole. I predicted 66 would be the low score shot this year at the U.S. Open – I did not expect it to come today. I figured it would come on Saturday (someone well back always goes low on Saturday at the U.S. Open).<\/p>\n The Tenth<\/strong> The Wind<\/strong> The Greens<\/strong> The Ninth Green<\/strong> Justin Rose and Aaron Baddeley<\/strong> Richie Ramsey?<\/strong> Richard Lee<\/strong> Eddie Gardino<\/strong> Birdie at the Last<\/strong> Stay Tuned<\/strong> Phil plays the “bang and blame” game, Tiger hacks his way around the easy second hole and makes perhaps the best five I’ve seen in a long time, and Angel Cabrera relies on the Big Break to hold the lead?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[98,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hot_topics","category-pga"],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nPhil’s Whining<\/strong>
\nYou know, lately I’ve been coming around on Phil Mickelson. Maybe he is just a happy-go-lucky guy. Maybe he’s really not as phony as I used to think. I’ve been trying to give Phil the benefit of the doubt – and I never doubted his skill as a player. Until now:<\/p>\n\n
\nThere’s no doubt in my mind that Casey’s 66 today was better than Johnny Miller’s 63 in 1973. I don’t have the 1973 stats handy, but I wouldn’t believe that Miller bettered the scoring average in 1973 by 11 shots as Casey will today. Casey’s round of golf deserves a spot in the annals of the greatest rounds in U.S. Open history, and if it had occurred on Sunday and resulted in a Casey win, would seize the top spot in my opinion.<\/p>\n
\nThe tenth hole is not relenting. The pin position is borderline unfair, in my opinion, and players are happy to keep the ball within a few yards of the green with their approach shots. Everything from drivers to three-irons are being hit from the tee, but there’s no clear winner: people are bogeying from everywhere.<\/p>\n
\nTelevision commentary has been minimal on this issue, but the wind is absolutely whipping at the course today. It’s at least a two- or three-club wind, and the direction is essentially straight down the ninth, across the eighth, and straight into players on the first and tenth.<\/p>\n
\nThe greens are still surprisingly receptive. The pin positions are, overall, rather fair. The greens are still green<\/em> and not burned out – they’re playing appropriately. Players are simply having a hard time finding the fairways. Could the rough be cut a little lower? Perhaps.<\/p>\n
\nPhil Mickelson and Stewart Cink both putted off the green at the ninth. Shingo Katayama left a 50-foot putt at least 20 feet short putting from behind the hole and just onto the practice portion of the large dual-purpose green.<\/p>\n
\nJustin Rose began pooorly and scratched back to shoot a second consecutive 71. Baddeley’s 70 is an incredible round as well, and both players at +2 are well-positioned going into the weekend.<\/p>\n
\nRichie Ramsay’s caddie jersey contains a misspelling: his caddie is walking around this week marked “RAMSEY.” C’mon, USGA – this is the defending U.S. Amateur champ. Spell his name correctly, wouldja?<\/p>\n
\nAccording to the USGA, 16-year-old Richard Lee withdrew due to a leg injury. Word is it was a wrist injury. I saw him walking off the course from the 15th or 16th hole, limp-free. The USGA would later correct the issue.<\/p>\n
\nAngel Cabrera’s caddie is none other than Edoardo Gardino of Big Break IV and VII.<\/p>\n
\nHow about that sand wedge<\/em> Cabrera hit to his last hole of the day, the ninth, and the resulting tap-in that eliminated Phil Mickelson (among others) at +11? Wow. To hit driver on nine, have a sand wedge in, and stuff it. High fives all around after Phil’s earlier comments.<\/p>\n
\nI hope to post updates daily with my observations and notes from the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"