2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Discussion Thread

[Aguirre]

I'm going Thursday and Saturday and I'll go if there's a Monday playoff with my dad because we did in 94 and it's a fond memory.  And there's a good chance he won't be around the next time the Open hits Oakmont.

iacas, a lot of people prefer Laurel Valley to Oakmont in terms of quality of golf, removing the history.  What do you think?  

[natureboy]

7 hours ago, mvmac said:

Can u find the ball?

Here? I think I see a line.

Not at all easy. I have lost more than a few in my course rough the same way.

 

[Scotsclaff]

Oakmont 2007,top ten

Cabrera +5, Woods,Furyk+6,  Fasth+7,  Toms B.Watson+9,  N.Dougherty,Jerry Kelly,Verplank+10,  Ames,Casey,Rose+11

[Groucho Valentine]

Ugh..the rain and cool overnight temps they're supposed to get over there will make the rough even more lush. Its going to be a chop fest. I hate that. 

[Hardspoon]

On 6/10/2016 at 9:40 PM, iacas said:

The clubhouse was built by that guy, cool! Nifty to know. I thought you were saying the course was designed by that guy. Cuz the Fownes (Henry and his son William IIRC) designed it, I believe.

Yes, sorry, that was unclear.

Neat little article on the history of the club (and clubhouse) from the Tribune this weekend:

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/10521826-74/oakmont-clubhouse-fownes

And a bit more on the course:

http://pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/Oakmont.html

 

[ChrisP]

3 hours ago, Scotsclaff said:

Oakmont 2007,top ten

Cabrera +5, Woods,Furyk+6,  Fasth+7,  Toms B.Watson+9,  N.Dougherty,Jerry Kelly,Verplank+10,  Ames,Casey,Rose+11

That was the perfect storm for high scoring. Rough was insane that year....the rough this year is high but not as thick as '07. They also had very dry weather...absolutely no moisture...and a bit of breeze. I think it's gonna be a little more moist this year. Still think Even will be a good score, depending on the amount of moisture in the air and on the course. We'll see how the forecast changes throughout the week. Still looks yucky on Thursday.

Edited June 13, 2016 by ChrisP

[Braivo]

17 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

Yes, sorry, that was unclear.

Neat little article on the history of the club (and clubhouse) from the Tribune this weekend:

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/10521826-74/oakmont-clubhouse-fownes

And a bit more on the course:

http://pabook2.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/Oakmont.html

 

I love reading about the history of the course like this. Good articles, thanks for sharing. 

[newtogolf]

Looks like whoever can hit it the longest and keep it on the fairway is going to have an advantage given how nasty that rough looks.   Stenson could challenge for the top 5 given the distance he gets with his 3W.  

[saevel25]

1 minute ago, newtogolf said:

Looks like whoever can hit it the longest and keep it on the fairway is going to have an advantage given how nasty that rough looks.   Stenson could challenge for the top 5 given the distance he gets with his 3W.  

https://golfanalytics.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/henrik-stenson-loves-his-3-wood-too-much/

Stenson rarely hits his 3-wood as long as other people hit their drivers. With his length and accuracy with his Driver he's actually in that small area where Rory, Bubba, and Adam Scott sit. You see how much of a weapon that is for them. 

Quote

So if Stenson is hitting a lot of fairway woods because he prioritizes hitting fairways, is he making the right play? In short, no. Using a fairway wood only increases his odds of hitting the fairway by 17%. Multiply that 17% by the 0.08 strokes better he performs on approach shots from the fairway and he gains only 0.01 strokes worth of value per hole from hitting more fairways off of lay-ups. Contrast that with the value he loses because he is hitting fairway wood shorter than driver. He loses 0.07 strokes for each fairway wood he hits, all because he is losing an average of 28 yards of distance when using the shorter club. He hits about four more fairway woods than the average bomber each round, meaning he is losing a quarter of a stroke just because of his club selection.

Stenson, though he thinks is playing to his strength because he's a much better player from the fairway than the rough, It doesn't make up enough strokes gained when compared to the distance he loses between his driver and his 3-wood. 

[Chilli Dipper]

9 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

https://golfanalytics.wordpress.com/2015/05/26/henrik-stenson-loves-his-3-wood-too-much/

Stenson rarely hits his 3-wood as long as other people hit their drivers. With his length and accuracy with his Driver he's actually in that small area where Rory, Bubba, and Adam Scott sit. You see how much of a weapon that is for them. 

Stenson, though he thinks is playing to his strength because he's a much better player from the fairway than the rough, It doesn't make up enough strokes gained when compared to the distance he loses between his driver and his 3-wood. 

Look back at what happened between him and Rickie Fowler at Deutsche Bank last year. Stenson just didn't give himself enough scoring opportunities in that final round, and the main reason for that was because he was hitting 3-woods off the tee, and Rickie was hitting drivers.

[nevets88]

I can't make it to Oakmont this year, but I guess I could go to midtown and play this:

 

[ChrisP]

1 hour ago, newtogolf said:

Looks like whoever can hit it the longest and keep it on the fairway is going to have an advantage given how nasty that rough looks.   Stenson could challenge for the top 5 given the distance he gets with his 3W.  

Stenson is really having problems with his game of late. Not sure I see him contending this week.

I really like both Day and DJ this week. Put a couple bucks on both. The winner is most definitely going to be a guy who is going in with good form. If you don't have good form going into Oakmont, you sure as hell aren't going to find it on this course. If DJ can hit it long and straight like he was at CB last year, he's gonna definitely contend. Everyone points to DJ's putting as a weakness, but he's actually improved a lot. Putted really well on Augusta's slick greens, a place people said he couldn't contend at.

I like Spieth with these greens, but if he can't fix his driving issues, he's gonna have a long week.

Edited June 13, 2016 by ChrisP

[The Recreational Golfer]

I would think a Tour player who was a serious contender going into the tournament would hire an Oakmont caddy for the week, one who knew the greens like the back of his hand, and give his regular caddy the week off. Why isn't this done?

[newtogolf]

4 minutes ago, The Recreational Golfer said:

I would think a Tour player who was a serious contender going into the tournament would hire an Oakmont caddy for the week, one who knew the greens like the back of his hand, and give his regular caddy the week off. Why isn't this done?

I don't know for sure but my guess is because the Oakmont caddie wouldn't know the players strengths and weaknesses, have the ability to keep the player in the right mental state and how to get him to focus on key shots.  

I would think players and caddies unfamiliar with Oakmont will work with experienced caddies during practice rounds to gain some of their insight.  

[saevel25]

22 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I don't know for sure but my guess is because the Oakmont caddie wouldn't know the players strengths and weaknesses, have the ability to keep the player in the right mental state and how to get him to focus on key shots.  

I agree. I wouldn't want to shake up the teamwork. 

 

[Golfingdad]

49 minutes ago, The Recreational Golfer said:

I would think a Tour player who was a serious contender going into the tournament would hire an Oakmont caddy for the week, one who knew the greens like the back of his hand, and give his regular caddy the week off. Why isn't this done?

Who knows, maybe it is done by some.  I would agree with @newtogolf and @saevel25 about why most would prefer to stick with their regular caddies.  I would also agree with @newtogolf that it might make a lot of sense for some of them to hire a local caddy as a consultant in the days or weeks leading up to the tournament.

[GolfLug]

How often does a caddie act as a second eye to a pro's swing or help them stay focussed? Especially when things fall out of place a bit. "Seemed a touch quick there pro...", or stuff like that too heavy for a..err..caddie? I would think long time caddies are part of the arsenal in a way, yeah? Local knowledge worth a ton I suppose but nothing that couldn't be gained by consulting with knowledgeable local/locals before play I would think.  

[Hardspoon]

So, it's unlikely this would happen in 2016?

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/golf/2016/06/02/Former-teenage-Oakmont-caddie-remembers-working-1951-PGA-Championship/stories/201605200052