Wrapping Up The U.S. Open
I think it was really good?
Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes … you write a post about how the professional game is just TOO good for a course even as tough as Oakmont.
Why the U.S. Open Is Great
This week, the U.S. Open is being held at Oakmont, just outside of Pittsburgh. If you in any way would get golf-related content in your social algorithms, you’ve undoubtedly seen numerous videos, reels, etc., showing how deep and brutal the rough is. And how hard the greens are.
Cause…yeah, that turned out not to be the case. Favorites like Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut, while others like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler needed big Sunday rallies to finish with in a respectable position, as well as being well over par for the tournament.
Indeed, only winner J.J. Spaun was under par, courtesy of a 64-foot birdie on the 18th hole to separate from runner-up Robert McIntyre.
To say that the course was tough is an understatement, but I need to clarify that I’m not sure what we ended up seeing on Sunday – especially after a torrid rainstorm that halted play for over an hour – was really “golf” – the absurdly thick rough was even tougher as golf balls plunged even farther into the grass with the wetness. Whether there was standing water on the fairways or not turned out to be a debatable issue (see: Burns, Sam) but it was just SO sloppy that watching guys like Burns and Adam Scott absolutely eject seemed less like a test of golf and just something painful to watch.
I know there are many who love seeing the best golfers in the world absolutely struggle – and I actually agree with that. But there’s struggling and then there’s turning a birdie or par into a double bogey by missing the green by three feet. That’s a challenge for sure, but is it golf?
To some degree, this is all “the rub of the green,” and Spaun was dealing with it as much as everyone else. In fact, he got the worst of it to start – with one of thje most horribly unlucky shots (it hit the flagstick, turning a potential tap-in birdie into a bogey after it rolled back over 50 yards off the green) and making a bogey in five of his first six holes. It was very, very easy to look at Spaun – who was only playing in his second US Open and has been a JAG – Just A Guy – for most of his professional career – and assume he just got overwhelmed by the moment and wasn’t part of the conversation. But while bigger names like Burns, Scott and Viktor Hovland just couldn’t close, Spaun just kept plugging away. He didn’t make a double bogey all tournament, while guys who are “better” golfers than he is made several on Sunday alone.
Indeed, even Spaun noted that the rain delay allowed him to take a deep breath and “just chill” as his coaches told him. Without it, he might have continued to plummet.
It’s the rub of the green. A lot of other golfers could learn from Spaun’s composure (including 2023 US Open winner Wyndham Clark who reportedly trashed the venerable locker room in a literal temper tantrum).
But I’m also not sure this was the most fun to watch - I can’t imagine wanting to rewatch this until maybe the next Oakmont Open in 2033. That’s a feature not just of the weather but the setup. We will see if the USGA and Oakmont thinks this was a rousing success, or if there’s things to work on - but we won’t have to worry about that for eight more years. We’re on to Shinnecock.
What did you think about the US Open? Is this the kind of golf you want to watch on a major Sunday? Let me know.