Welcome to the Tour Blog, where Golfweek
reporters Jeff Babineau, Jeff Rude, Rex Hoggard, Dave Seanor, Alex
Miceli, Alistair Tait and Beth Ann Baldry deliver the latest inside
news and happenings on the PGA Tour, LPGA and European Tour.
Editor's note:
This is the archived material from the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
OAKMONT, Pa. – My three biggest surprises from a great week at Oakmont:
1.
Bubba Watson. I thought the quick-hit triple bogey on No. 9 Saturday
might be the last we’d see of the big left-hander, but he fought back
and played pretty steadily on Sunday, even though he was hurt by a
bogey-bogey finish. His reward for finishing T-5? A starting time at
the Masters next April. Now THAT ought to be fun.
2. Tiger
didn’t close the deal. Two majors in a row Tiger has been in position
to win on Sunday and didn’t get the job done. That’s alarming. He
fought hard Sunday and made some great up and downs to stay near the
top, but when he had opportunities on the back nine to make a birdie to
close the gap (holes 12-13-14 and 17), he didn’t capitalize. In fact,
he made only two birdies on the back nine all week, and one birdie on
Sunday, when those closest to him (Cabrera and Furyk) made five and
four, respectively.
Hey, most guys would be thrilled going
1-1-2-2 in the last four majors. But one guy isn’t very happy with the
latter half of that equation. Carnoustie isn’t going to be any picnic,
and Southern Hills (PGA) doesn’t favor a long hitter all that much.
Hmmmm. Did Rory Sabbatini have a point when he said Woods was more beatable these days?
3.
A “putter” didn’t win at Oakmont. Aaron Baddeley winning would not have
shocked me, nor would Woods, or Furyk, or Toms or Stricker. Very good
putters all. But Cabrera is a power player not known for any real
prowess on the greens. Maybe the difficult, undulating greens of
Oakmont did something to neutralize the putting for the week. In other
words, it was hard for anybody to make anything longer than 10 feet.
That’s
not any kind of dig at Cabrera. Of Oakmont’s eight sub-par rounds on
the week, he owned two of them, including one on Sunday, and the guy
riding out of Pittsburgh with the Open trophy was the most deserving.
He's going to have one heck of a party!
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 17, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – The first half of his first Father’s Day as a father was much
better than what transpired during the second half. But then,
fatherhood has taught Zach Johnson that while a newborn may complicate
things outside the ropes, the perspective a child brings makes things
much simpler between the tee markers.
Despite a final-round 74
at the U.S. Open that left him adrift in the bottom half of the field
on Sunday, Johnson’s face lit up when asked if he’d received a Father’s
Day gift.
“Got a nice little heirloom. A little pocket watch
that I’ll never use with his name and birth date on it,” Johnson
smiled. “Pretty nice.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 17, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Third-round U.S. Open leader Aaron Baddeley is a much improved
player than the one who finished no better than 52nd place in 10
previous major championship. He has fixed his swing since turning to
instructors Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett two years ago, has undergone
a spiritual maturation on his way to his current age 26 and still has
one of the sweetest putting strokes around.
You can see the
climb in his results. He won the Verizon Heritage last spring and the
FBR Open early this year. And he’s far more consistent now. He has five
top-10 finishes in just the first half of this year, almost half of the
11 he produced in 120 previous starts the first seven years this decade.
That
said, his mettle and swing and stroke will be tested like never before
on Sunday for a couple of reasons. Not only is it the final round of
the U.S. Open, he will be playing in the final group with world No. 1
Tiger Woods. He’ll take a two-stroke lead over Woods to the tee and
he’ll find out in one afternoon just how far he has improved as a
player.
He’ll find out whether he has it or doesn’t now. No one will have to tell him. The results will.
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 16, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – I believe Tiger Woods hit the ball better Saturday than he has at
any time during his three-plus years working with Hank Haney. Woods hit
the first 17 greens in regulation, came a whisker on 18 from posting
the U.S. Open’s only bogey-free round and shot the day’s second best
score, 69.
Most important, he moved from a tie for 13th and five
strokes back to second alone and two behind. So now he’s the favorite
at the three-quarters pole.
He not only can win his 13th major
at age 31, he can knock down a few trends. He can win his first major
when trailing after 54 holes, for he’s 0-for-28. He can improve upon
his 1-for-16 record in par-70 majors. He can knock down Johnny Miller’s
contention that Woods and the U.S. Open don’t fit each other well.
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 16, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – Frankly, at this
point I don’t see many guys on the leaderboard who can beat Tiger Woods
on Sunday. Aaron Baddeley is one, because he putts so well. Paul Casey
is another, because he can get crazy hot. Stephen Ames is another,
because he showed at the 2006 Players Championship that he can win on a
tight, difficult course. Jim Furyk is another, because he’s a bulldog
who has already won an Open. Justin Rose is another, for he’s showing
he’s learning how to perform in the majors.
Zach Johnson showed at the Masters that Goliath-slaying can be done in golf.
But
I think Woods will win. He looked so calm, so under control Saturday.
He knows how to do this, for he has won four of the last nine majors.
And I feel more strongly about his winning when I look at the list of
past champions at Oakmont. Bobby Jones, Tommy Armour, Ben Hogan, Sam
Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Larry Nelson and Ernie Els have
won here. The first seven are in the Hall of Fame, and Els will be.
Adding Woods to that list makes sense. Oakmont serves up stars.
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 16, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – Overheard in the Port-A-John (where some of our best material comes from):
“We’re
running out of green,” a volunteer, who must have been assigned to one
of the on-course scoreboards, said to another guy who was performing
the same job.
He was referring, of course, to the green numbers that signify bogeys or worse.
“Yeah, I’ve got tons of reds and plenty of blacks,” replied his buddy. “They need to get us a whole bunch more greens."
– Dave Seanor
Posted June 16, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Pittsburgh is home to the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center, which has one of the nation’s preeminent sports medicine
programs. One of its specialties is golf, which led to an alliance
between UPMC and the David Leadbetter Academy in Orlando.
The
scuttlebutt here is that a specialist from UPMC examined Michelle Wie’s
ailing wrist in early January in Orlando, and advised her not to play
in the Sony Open.
Team Wie rejected the advice, and everyone knows the rest of the story.
– Dave Seanor
Posted June 16, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Mathew Goggin has this Oakmont thing figured out. The best way to
deal with golf rejection at the highest level is to get it over with as
quickly as possible. Remove the Band Aid rapidly and grit your teeth.
Goggin, who teed off first Saturday at 10:05 a.m. (EST) and played by himself, rounded the par-70 layout in 2 hours, 57 minutes.
“You
have to slow down to be normal,” said Goggin, who shot a 4-over 74 for
a 224 total. “I play too quick anyway. I need a couple of caddies to
keep up with me. I need one in front and one behind because it’s tough.”
Seems rational, faced with danger man’s natural reaction is to flee, not fight.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 16, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – It’s official, the last of the under-par scores disappeared from
the U.S. Open leaderboard at precisely 2:49 p.m. (EST).
England’s
Nick Dougherty slipped out of the red with a bogey-double bogey run
through the 14th and 15th holes early Friday afternoon.
Dougherty,
Ben Curtis and Niclas Fasth were all at even, but as the wind continues
to pick up and greens keep cooking there’s a better chance of domestic
harmony in the John Daly household than another player getting under
par at Oakmont.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 15, 2007
ALWOODLEY, England – Just cause I’m not at the U.S. Open doesn’t mean I can’t contribute, right?
Don’t think Nick Dougherty doesn’t deserve his nice guy tag. He does.
There
are times when professional golfers are labelled as nice guys thanks to
the PR machine that comes with their management group. IMG, which
manages Dougherty, never have had to massage his image.
Here’s a few examples of the down to earth Dougherty:
•
He was the leading qualifier at the 2001 British Amateur Championship
at Prestwick but lost in the first round. Did he stomp off and head for
home in a strop? No he didn’t. He stood and patiently answered every
question directed at him, even wished his first round opponent well.
• Before Dougherty turned professional he sought out Bill Merideth, long time amateur golf writer for
The Telegraph, and thanked him for all the coverage he had given him over the years.
•
I covered Dougherty when he gained his card at the European Tour School
at San Roque Golf Club in Spain. Unfortunately I caught up with him
just as he was making a double bogey. I walked to the next tee – a par
3 – and waited to watch his tee shot.
Usually when tour players
mess up a hole, they won’t make eye contact with people they know, let
alone talk to them. Not Dougherty.
“How’s it going?” he said to me when he arrived at the tee.
“Pretty well,” I said. “You?”
“Fine. Just fine,” he replied, as if he’d just made birdie.
• I walked a few holes with him during a practice round for last year’s British Open at Royal Lytham.
“I’d love for you to join me,” he said when I asked if he minded me tagging along.
“How’s the game?” I asked.
Honest as ever, he replied: “Awful. Just awful.”
At
the moment a lady in the crowd shouted out that she was thinking of
putting some money on him to win. The fact that Dougherty even
responded summed him up perfectly. Most players would have ignored the
question.
“Don’t waste your money,” he said. “I have no chance, absolutely no chance.”
Hopefully
that lady saved her money for this major, for the Englishman tops the
nice guy table. And as we know, nice guys don’t always win.
– Alistair Tait
Posted June 15, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – Who says U.S. Golf Association blue jackets types don’t do fun?
We
were greeted with a cheery statement Friday morning that outlined the
second-round course setup. Among the highlights: officials utilized the
back tee at the par-3 eighth hole, which stretches the longest
three-shoter in major championship history to 281 yards, and moved up
the tee at the par-4 17th, which shortens the hole to 308 yards.
“Tee
markers (at No. 17) were moved up to the penultimate teeing ground
today in hopes of seeing more players attempt to drive the green,” the
USGA’s statement read.
Let’s watch the fun.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 15, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – There's a flooring company here in Pittsburgh running ads on
television that if you come in and buy flooring this month AND a
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher throws a no-hitter, you'll be eligible for a
$1 million drawing.
Right.
A five-pack of we
Golfweek
guys saw the Pirates play the Texas Rangers the other night at PNC Park
(you know, for an official strategy meeting). The ballfield is
absolutely gorgeous. I've been to Fenway and Wrigley and several
others, but this park is right up there with the very best. Clean,
manicured and featuring terrific vistas. I'd visit again in a heartbeat.
But
back to the possibility of a Pirates pitcher throwing a no-no . . .
C'mon. This is a low-budget Triple-A team masquerading its way in the
bigs.
A Pirates' no-hitter? I think not.
As long as we're going out on limbs, I'll offer my house and youngest born (and my spot in the
Golfweek column rotation) to the first golfer to shoot 59 at Oakmont this week. Employees of
Golfweek are not eligible for this promotion ...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 15, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Phil Mickelson used one hand to beat a lot of good players with
two. The wounded one hung tough thanks to a brilliant short game, shot
74 and walked off figuring he can par in to win the tournament by at
least a couple of shots.
“I’m excited to still be in it,” he said on a day when only two players broke Oakmont’s par of 70.
A
74 from Mickelson looked like a long shot when he finished 10 holes. He
was four over par then and was hitting some shots with one hand and
occasionally could be seen holding and rubbing his bad left wrist. All
told, he left go of the club four times with that left hand, three
times from the rough and once while teeing off with a driver.
“The
first couple of times the lies weren’t good and I didn’t want to jar
it,” said Mickelson, his practice rounds this week limited to nine
holes Tuesday and nine Wednesday. So he was, in his words, “rusty.”
He hit four drivers, two right, two left. For “balance,” he joked.
He
usually teed off with a hybrid club to take strain off the wrist and
try to keep the ball in play. As for the wrist, he talked as if he
plans to go the distance of 72 holes.
“It’s aggravating,” said
Mickelson, who last Friday couldn’t even hit balls when he visited
instructor Butch Harmon. “It’s not painful like at the Memorial. I
believe I’ll get better as the week goes on. I need one good round
(Friday) to get me in it for the weekend.”
It was Mickelson’s
first 18-hole round in more than two weeks. And it came on an Oakmont
course so vaunted that Mickelson called it the “USGA’s wet dream.”
You might say his terminology was more surprising than his stop-the-bleeding eight holes down the stretch.
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 14, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Standing around No. 8, where groups had to cool their heels for
20 to 25 minutes late in the afternoon, someone asked, “What’s the
holdup?”
Simple answer: It’s U.S. Open Thursday, when 5-hour rounds are considered brisk.
Phil
Mickelson killed time by stretching behind the tee. Everyone likes to
make fun of Lefty’s physique, but if you think he’s not athletic, think
again. You can’t contort yourself the way he does unless you work at
it.
Rich Beem, on the other hand, took the spot Mickelson
vacated and simply kicked back for 20 minutes, using his golf bag as a
head-rest.
– Dave Seanor
Posted June 14, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Speaking of Mickelson, Butch Harmon told another member of the
swing guru fraternity that the biggest surprise when he began to work
with Lefty was his work ethic. Harmon said Mickelson puts far more time
and effort into his practice routine than anyone gives him credit for –
and certainly more than Harmon was led to believe.
– Dave Seanor
Posted June 14, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Steve Elkington shot 84. Maybe that explains why the past PGA
Champion is logo-less, except for the little Elk on his cap. He gets
style points, though, for changing his unadorned golf bag each day so
it matches his outfit.
– Dave Seanor
Posted June 14, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – Watched brash Anthony Kim
nearly drive the downwind No. 14 (his fifth hole) early in the
afternoon. The ball came to rest about a yard shy of the putting
surface, and Kim inexplicably opted to hit a lob shot from there. The
result was an 18-foot birdie attempt, which Kim missed.
In Kim’s gallery was his 2005 Walker Cup captain, Bob Lewis, who questioned the play even before the ball got airborne.
“He outthinks himself sometimes,” Lewis said.
– Dave Seanor
Posted June 14, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – The U.S. Open isn’t known
for being fun. That especially is the case for players, unless they
like pain. About the only fun element around the Open, as it pertains
to the USGA, happens in a Far Hills office several days before the
tournament starts.
That’s where they make pairings. And they have fun doing them.
One of my favorites was the Paella Pairing: Spaniards Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and newly minted pro Pablo Martin.
Then
there was the Language Barrier Pairing: Boo Weekley and Bubba Watson,
who speak a rural Florida Panhandle dialect, and Nobuhiro Masuda, who
speaks Japanese.
There was the I Always Mix Those Guys Up Pairing, featuring Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby.
The
2-3-4 Pairing was popular: Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Adam Scott,
the three guys right behind No. 1 Tiger Woods in the world ranking.
You
could get a glimpse of the near future in the Baby Face Skinny Young
Guns Who Have Taken Lessons From David Leadbetter group of Justin Rose,
Sean O’Hair and Charles Howell III.
But none of those are my
favorite. I’m partial to the Headgear Threesome: Shingo Katayama
(cowboy hat), Ryan Moore (newsboy cap) and Ian Poulter (wild streaky
hair protruding through a colorful visor).
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 14, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa – How good was Bubba Watson’s
even-par 70 in Round 1? The hard-swinging Floridian pured his tee shot
at the daunting par-3 eighth hole and holed a 45 footer for a rare
birdie.
“We (Watson and playing partner Boo Weekley) hit it
right at that tower, behind the green, and actually pulled (the shot)
off,” Watson said.
The shot was good, but not as good as the pink-shafted lefty is when you put a microphone in his face.
When
asked about Milton (Fla.) High School – a.k.a. Tour Pro U. which counts
Watson, Weekley and Heath Slocum among its card-carrying alum – Watson
deadpanned: “It was tough . . . up hill, both ways.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 14,2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – Stephen King doesn’t do spooky imagery this well.
Late
Wednesday afternoon a violent thunder storm darkened the skies at
Oakmont and cut short a conversation with defending champion Geoff
Ogilvy’s swing coach, Dale Lynch.
“Got to get inside and get away from this,” Lynch said as he ducked into Oakmont’s clubhouse.
Just
guessing here, but Woody Austin – winner of last week’s Stanford St.
Jude Championship – was probably thinking the same thing after just two
holes Thursday. Austin started his day double bogey-bogey and didn’t
need storm clouds to know it was going to be a long walk.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 14, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – It didn't take long for the carnage to start. The first threesome
off the 10th tee – Michael Putnam, Rhys Davies and Lee Williams – were
a combined 4 over par through their first hole. While on the other
side, Ken Duke made the first birdie of the championship with Sam
Walker and Johnson Wagner parring the first hole. With the wet
conditions from Wednesday afternoon, it is unclear how the course will
react, so we are all looking at the start for some clues.
– Alex Miceli
June 14, 2007
The
greens are fast, the rough is very high, scoring will be extremely
difficult ... Oakmont is brutal. So, let’s just turn to the numbers on
who is hot heading into the 107th U.S. Open. The Golfweek/Sagarin
Performance Index narrowed the window from 52 weeks to the last six
months to create a “Heat Index” and below is what we have! Good luck to
all!
1. Tiger Woods
2. Vijay Singh
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Henrik Stenson
5. Justin Rose
6. Zach Johnson
7. Ernie Els
8. David Toms
9. Adam Scott
10. Padraig Harrington
– Lance Ringler
June 14, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Lots of adjectives being tossed about to described this Steel
City gem. This morning a handful of U.S. Golf Association types used
the words hard, difficult and fair to describe treeless Oakmont.
On Tuesday, players were using other words, like: scary, mean and toughest.
There’s
also been a lot of talk about the driveable par 4s (Nos. 2, 14 and 17)
as well as the driveable par 3 (No. 8), the game’s quintessential 3
1/2-shoter that can be stretched to 302 yards. Or, as one player mused,
it’s the only hole where you can have a long-drive competition and a
closest-to-the-hole contest on the same hole.
Of course, green
speeds in the 13-14 stimpmeter range only add to the collective concern
swirling on the eve of the year’s second major. Only one thing is
certain: “3” promises to be the loneliest number this week – on pin
sheets and scorecards.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted June 13, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Today was my first time back in Pittsburgh in 13 years. Memories
came rushing back, and they started upon driving through the Fort Pitt
Tunnel and coming into downtown Pittsburgh.
I used to work at a
newspaper downtown, and after work we’d sometimes go down to Jimmy’s
Post Tavern. Which brings us to Pittsburgh Memory #1.
One night
around midnight, a few newspaper types were talking outside Jimmy’s
when a deer galloped down the Boulevard of the Allies (in the right
lane) and made a left turn (staying in the right lane) as if it had
traveled that road 100 times with a perfect driving record.
A
deer in downtown Pittsburgh, running a main street, making a clean
turn, staying in the lanes probably better than some of us who drove
home from Jimmy’s.
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 12, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – I’m a big omens guy. So
when I got into Pittsburgh on Sunday, it put a smile on my face as I
passed an exit to Weirton (Pa.).
Mike Weir? I think not.
I
spent the night in Cranberry Woods, which of course, is always an
omnipresent omen at a major. How do you go wrong with the Tiger?
But
today, as I headed down No. 9, walked across the bridge and laid eyes
on the biggest monster at Oakmont – the storied, 288-yard, par-3 eighth
hole – the very first ball I saw struck was off the 3-wood of Trevor
Immelman, who stared the shot down intently as it rolled up on the
green and tumbled right into the cup.
Ace.
Trevor Immelman? U.S. Open champion? Hmmmmmmmm.
Now there’s a guy trying to make my All-Omen Team.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 12, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – Quote of the day came out
of Phil Mickelson. He was asked, as the father of three, if he had any
advice to offer Tiger Woods about becoming a father.
“Yeah, me
giving Tiger advice doesn’t really feel right, about anything," he said
as a room full of golf writers broke into laughter.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 12, 2007
JUST
DOWN THE ROAD FROM OAKMONT, Pa. – A couple of thoughts on Woody Austin,
who may have posted the best round of the season on Sunday, shooting a
sweet little 62 on a difficult golf course to win in Memphis:
•
I covered the Q-School at Grenelefe Resort in Haines City, Fla., in the
mid-1990s when Austin was medalist. I still can picture him sitting
there in a plastic lawn chair, all these years later, telling his story
about tearing up his knee in baseball and turning to golf, playing at
the University of Miami (which no longer has a men’s team), then
packing it all in to take a credit union job behind a counter in Tampa.
Better security.
Sunday he pocketed $1.08 million. That’s pretty good security.
Sir, how would you like that, in small bills, perhaps?
• Rex Hoggard did a terrific piece on ballstriking in this week’s
Golfweek
(June 16 cover date), but it struck me as I combed through that list
last week that Woody Austin wasn’t on it. (Honest.) He’s just one of
those guys you watch on the range who seems to hit lasers all the time
with his irons. On the greens, it sometimes looks as if he’s got a
jackhammer in his hands. Four-footers are substitutes for mini-root
canals. And Woody always looks like what he does is such a “job.” Hard
labor.
Work.
Does he forget he was employed in a credit union?
Smile, Woody.
•
I can’t tell you this is absolutely true or not, but a fraternity
brother of mine from college promises me he once played with Woody in a
South Florida junior event when Woody punched himself so hard in the
face on the course that he practically knocked himself out.
Seeing how hard Woody can be on himself at times, I vote “true.” Is it possible to get a restraining order against oneself?
Nice playing, Woodman.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted June 11, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – It's 1:30 and I decided to take a littlle trip down to the
merchandise tent. The tent and U.S. Open village is located at the back
of the second green/third tee, completely on the other side of the
property.
Walking down the first fairway, I ended up following
Tiger Woods, with Steve Williams and Hank Haney in tow. Woods hit two
shots into the first green, both missing the green short and left of
the hole, one in the first cut and the other just on the fairway. In
Tiger fashion, he chipped in the first ball from about 30 yards. Not a
bad omen.
Oakmont is split in two by the Pennsylvania Turnpike,
so golfers have to cross a bridge to get to Nos. 2-8. No. 8 – the long
par three – is at the end of the bridge. Everyone I saw was taking
copious notes on different aspects of the greens. It is clear that the
championship will be won or lost on those tricky greens.
I
finally reached the U.S. Open village, which had much more space than
the one at Winged Foot. The 36,000-square foot tent was fully stocked
with the usual U.S. Open fare.
I saw Charles Howell III hit two
tee shots off the first tee. We exchanged pleasantries, and I told him
that the second shot was much better than the first. Without a breath,
Howell said even he’s entitled to the occassional mulligan.
Until Thursday, at least.
– Alex Miceli
Posted June 10, 2007
OAKMONT,
Pa. – Well they finally got around to cutting the rough. According to
Mike Davis of the U.S. Golf Association, the first cut will be 2 3/4
inches and the primary will be 5 inches. This is less rough than
players encountered at Winged Foot, but the rough does seem much
thicker.
Oakmont does not stimp its greens, but the USGA does
and they are running between 13.5 to 15. Davis said they will try to
get them more uniform and will keep a close eye on them so they don't
get overly fast.
One of the unique parts of this year’s setup
will be the switching of the back tee at the 10th and 12th. The USGA
will actually use the tee each day, one day for the 10th hole and the
other day for the 12th hole. When they use the back tee on No. 12, it
will make the par 5 play 667 yards, the longest hole in U.S. Open
history. There could be some traffic issues since the 10th/12th back
tee is just 10 yards from the edge of the 18th green.
If
you’re counting, the longest hole prior to this year was the No.5 at
Southern Hills, which measured 642 yards. Southern Hills hosted the
2001 U.S. Open, won by Retief Goosen.
– Alex Miceli
Posted June 10, 2007
OAKMONT, Pa. – There is still a little tweaking going on, but for the most part Oakmont is ready for the U.S. Open.
Yesterday,
I saw Phil Mickelson walking the course with his caddie, Jim Mackay,
and Dave Pelz, the short game guru. Curiously, Mackay had only two
wedges and a putter.
Registration opened at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Twenty players had registered by 11:30, including Padraig Harrington,
who was first to register, along with Masters champion Zach Johnson and
Rory Sabbatini.
The registration area is in a room just off the
men's locker room. When a player registers, he is given keys to his
courtesy car, tickets for the event, his player badge and a bag of
goodies from local merchants, including wine, a blanket, a U.S. Open
hat, some fudge and a day spa pass. I would guess that is for the wives.
Mickelson and Woods are rumored to be making appearances on Sunday, so stay tuned.
– Alex Miceli
Posted June 10, 2007
Posted: 6/26/2007
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