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5 Things We Learned from Day 2 at the U.S. Open

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Those two (rain) barrels from Mother Nature’s Thursday blunderbuss continued to impact the 2016 U.S. Open on Friday. Half of the field won’t tee off in the second round until Saturday morning. Players continue to hole out shots from all over Oakmont, but no single golfer can do it repeatedly to separate themselves from the field.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned today.

63 isn’t out there

At least not for 18 holes. Maybe 16 or 17, but not 18. Johnny Miller’s magic number won’t be matched in 2016. Through two rounds of soft greens, there are way more high numbers than low ones. Midway through Round 2, Daniel Summerhays’ 65 is low by one (Andrew Landry opened with 66), and one of the 13 scores under par. On the opposite end… well, let’s not talk about that world of pain.

Putting IS the key statistic

Despite the new math and the moneyball stats of the Twenty-Teens, putting is where the dough is. Driving distance, driving accuracy and greens in regulation all have aberrant leaders in the tournament, but they don’t come close to the putting leaders. If you average under 1.5 putts per hole this week, you will finish in the top-10. Guys who roll the rock well are soaring up the leaderboard.

Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood will break our hearts this week

Well, hopefully just one of them. Talk about two of our personal favorites. Westy has always had that everyman quality to him, a guy you could have a pint with, a guy who loses weight, gains it back, gets divorced, keeps Tweeting, a bloke. Dustin is our Achilles, a guy born with so many athletic gifts (and the ability to grow a sweet beard), yet cursed by the heel that didn’t quite make it into the Intercoastal Waterway (his version of the Styx.) If one of them wins, it will take away the pain from the other’s loss. As of this moment, DJ is leading, Westwood is one back, and we are gathering tissue boxes by our sofa.

There is no Bear Trap or Amen Corner at Oakmont

The entire course is difficult! No stretch makes you fret and sweat, other than 1-18. Three holes (Nos. 4, 14 and 17) are playing under par, and that’s by fractions, like 0.04, 0.02 and 0.01. At the top of the torment scale are Nos. 1, 9, and 15; each averages nearly a half-stroke over par. Another seven holes average between one-quarter and two-fifths of a stroke over par. The common denominator? These holes are spread all over the course. Our advice: lock in, hope the weather holds, sign your card five hours later and pray for the best.

European guys like the U.S. Open

In addition to Westwood, seven more from the continent are inside the top-25. That means that one-third of the guys in the mix are from countries like France, Ireland, Spain, England and Scotland. Considering that two of the last three (Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer) are U.S. Open champions, and four of the past six (add Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell to the list) hail from the EEC, the Union, or whatever you like to call it, there’s a two-thirds chance in my mind that the USGA will send its championship trophy overseas in 2016.

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Ronald Montesano

    Jun 18, 2016 at 9:04 am

    Sometimes confirmation is as important/same as learning. Yesterday was a “back on track” day for the USGA. After the dissolution of round one on Thursday, Friday was critical to move the event back toward a Sunday finish (not necessary, but certainly desirable.)

    I don’t know, tP, that Euros are better suited/more familiar with, these types of set-ups. They tend to have fast and firm, less rough on their courses, although BSGs like the one I just made are neither valid nor optimal.

    We had two “Henry Cottons” yesterday, from Summerhays and Oosthuizen. I like the chances of the latter more than those of the former, given that LO has won and nearly won majors, and understands the Sunday pressure of the final grouping.

  2. ND Hickman

    Jun 18, 2016 at 6:26 am

    I’d love to see Westwood or Garcia break through in a major.

  3. tP

    Jun 18, 2016 at 3:54 am

    The Euros are more familiar with courses that have thick rough like this as they play these types of set-ups more often than the bomb&gouge set-ups we see on the PGA Tour

  4. Philip

    Jun 17, 2016 at 11:56 pm

    Is putting the key statistic or how close one stuffs the approach?

    • Ronald Montesano

      Jun 17, 2016 at 11:59 pm

      Excellent point, Philip. Answer is, yes to both. Even if you stuff the approach, you still must make the putt. If you don’t stuff the approaches, the putts will be more challenging to make.

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