US Open Scoring History

[turtleback]

Jack Nicklaus won his first US Open and first major in 1962.  With the 2011 US Open in the book there have been exactly 50 US Opens, inclusive, from Nicklaus' first to Rory's first.

I took a look back to see how the scoring in this US Open, which seemed pretty low for more than just Rory, compared to the other US Opens in this range.

The most common result was for no one to finish under par.  That happened 14 times, or 28% of the 50

1 person finished under par 7 times, or 14%  (so 42% of the time only 1 player broke par)

2 people finished under par 11 times, or 22%  (so 64% of the time 2 or fewer players broke par)

3 people finished under par 4 times, or 8%  (so 72% of the time 3 or fewer players broke par)

4 people finished under par 3 times, or 6%  (so 78% of the time 4 or fewer players broke par)

5 people finished under par 3 times, or 6%  (so 84% of the time 5 or fewer players broke par)

6 people finished under par 1 times, or 2%  (so 86% of the time 6 or fewer players broke par)

8 people finished under par 1 times, or 2%  (so 88% of the time 8 or fewer players broke par)

9 people finished under par 2 times, or 4%  (so 92% of the time 9 or fewer players broke par)

10 people finished under par 1 times, or 2%  (so 94% of the time 10 or fewer players broke par)

11 people finished under par 1 times, or 2%  (so 96% of the time 11 or fewer players broke par)

20 people finished under par 1 times, or 2%  (so 98% of the time 20 or fewer players broke par)

28 people finished under par 1 times, or 2%  (so 100% of the time 28 or fewer players broke par)

So this year's open had the second most players finish under par in that 50 year period.  In only 2 events, 4% of the 50, did 20 or more players break par.

The most comparable win to Rory's outstanding tournament is not Tiger's 2000 (there really is nothing comparable to that performance in modern golf history), but rather Tony Jacklin's US Open win of 1970 at Hazeltine where he shot -7 and won by 7.  Had Congressional not had the wetness problems it did this is about where we could have expected this event to finish.  Rory would have still won by a lot but everyone's scores would have been higher.  It wasn't just the soft greens, - fairways are easier to hit with big tee shots when balls are not running out.

The year we had 28 guys finish under par was 1990, when the tournament was won in a playoff between Hale Irwin and Mike Donald.  They tied in the 18 hole playoff (ironically, both shooting an over-par 74) and then Hale won it on the first sudden death hole.  This was the memorable event where Hale when running around the green high fiving the fans after sinking a 45 foot putt on the 72nd hole to tie Donald and force the 18 hole playoff the next day.

[Chilli Dipper]

I think the more important number when discussing this topic is an aggregate of 280, taking par out of the equation altogether.

• 28 players broke par at Medinah in 1990, but 280 was the winning score.
• Out of the 20 players who broke par this week, exactly half shot 280 or better.
• Scores were slightly better (using this standard) at the 1993 Open at Baltusrol, where 15 players shot 280 or better.

I thought an aggregate 272 was a standard the USGA would defend to the death on Sunday (Nicklaus set it, Tiger could only match it), but they continued providing a generous course setup, and McIlroy shattered that record by four strokes.

That said, this didn't feel like a US Open, where the course should play extremely tough, but fair. The scores resembled those posted in the three years Congressional hosted the AT&T; National; in other words, it seemed like a normal tour event. A lot of that was the soft conditions, but at the end of the day, I don't think Congressional was a challenging enough course to host the US Open. The championship next year will be played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, where the June climate is mild and dry (much like Pebble Beach, 90 miles to the south). The course will play 500 yards shorter than Congressional, but the course's nature lends itself to a US Open-like test much more:

• Most of the two- and three-shot holes are laid out as broad, arching doglegs, meaning players must work the ball off the tee or play well back.
• Cypress trees line the holes, and overhanging branches threaten and ball that doesn't stay on the centerline of the fairway.
• The grounds are very hilly. It is often said that there isn't a level lie on the entire golf course -- even on the tees.

With all those things in mind, combined with the ease of a coastal California course to play firm and fast in the summer, we'll be back to seeing par as a good score at the 2012 Open.