Opinion & Analysis
Z. Johnson says Merion is “manipulated”
The terms “fair” and “unfair” are often voiced during the U.S. Open, as questions circle about the fine line between the two.
Zach Johnson used harsher terms.
“I would describe the whole golf course as manipulated,” said Johnson. “It just enhances my disdain for the USGA and how it manipulates golf courses.”
Johnson continued, “Not when luck is required. I think Merion is a great golf course, if you let Merion be, but that is not the agenda.”
His comments came after a 77 in Round 2, leaving him in a tie for 105th place at 11-over par. Johnson will have an MC (missed cut) next to his name after the completion of the second round tomorrow, giving him plenty of incentive for negative commentary.
Lee Westwood serves as testimony to Johnson’s accusations. During his first round, Westwood’s approach shot into No. 12’s green hit the wicker basket, ricocheting backward off the green. A good shot was penalized due to misfortune, leading to a double bogey.
Westwood, who is now hovering on the cutline at 7-over, sarcastically tweeted after the first round:
So much tradition at merion to talk about……like those delightful wicker baskets !
— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) June 14, 2013
Johnson projected earlier in the week that the wicker baskets could affect play.
“I’m not a big fan of them because it’s not consistent with what we normally use,” he said. “I’m not anti-Merion, but we are used to seeing flags. They could be a factor.”
He may not be “anti-Merion,” but he surely doesn’t fancy the USGA.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 PGA Championship betting preview: Rising star ready to join the immortals at Valhalla
The second major of the 2024 season is upon us as the world’s best players will tee it up this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky to compete for the Wanamaker Trophy.
The last time we saw Valhalla host a major championship, Rory McIlroy fended off Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler and the creeping darkness that was descending upon the golf course. The Northern Irishman had the golf world in the palm of his hand, joining only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as players who’d won four major championships by the time they were 25 years old.
Valhalla is named after the great hall described in Norse mythology where the souls of Vikings feasted and celebrated with the Gods. The course is a Jack Nicklaus-design that has ranked among Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Courses” for three decades.
Valhalla Golf Club is a par-71 measuring 7,542 yards with Zoysia fairways and Bentgrass greens. The course has rolling hills and dangerous streams scattered throughout and the signature 13th hole is picturesque with limestone and unique bunkering protecting the green. The 2024 PGA Championship will mark the fourth time Valhalla has hosted the event.
The field this week will consist of 156 players, including 16 PGA Champions and 33 Major Champions.
Past Winners of the PGA Championship
- 2023: Brooks Koepka (-9) Oak Hill
- 2022: Justin Thomas (-5) Southern Hills
- 2021: Phil Mickelson (-6) Kiawah Island
- 2020: Collin Morikawa (-13) TPC Harding Park
- 2019: Brooks Koepka (-8) Bethpage Black
- 2018: Brooks Koepka (-16) Bellerive
- 2017: Justin Thomas (-8) Quail Hollow
- 2016: Jimmy Walker (-14) Baltusrol
- 2015: Jason Day (-20) Whistling Straits
- 2014: Rory McIlroy (-16) Valhalla
In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).
Key Stats For Valhalla
Let’s take a look at five key metrics for Oak Hill to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.
1. Strokes Gained: Approach
Valhalla will play as a true all-around test of golf for the world’s best. Of course, it will take strong approach play to win a major championship.
Strokes Gained: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Shane Lowry (+1.25)
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.09)
- Jordan Smith (+1.05)
- Tom Hoge (+.96)
- Corey Conners (+.94)
2. Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Valhalla will play long and the rough will be penal. Players who are incredibly short off the tee and/or have a hard time hitting fairways will be all but eliminated from contention this week at the PGA Championship.
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Bryson DeChambeau (+1.47)
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.11)
- Keith Mitchell (+.90)
- Alejandro Tosti (+.89)
- Ludvig Aberg (+.82)
Strokes Gained: Total on Nickalus Designs
Valhalla is a classic Nicklaus Design. Players who play well at Nicklaus designs should have an advantage coming into this major championship.
Strokes Gained: Total on Nicklaus Designs over past 36 rounds:
- Jon Rahm (+2.56)
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.48)
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.35)
- Collin Morikawa (+1.79)
- Shane Lowry (+1.57)
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green on Very Long Courses
Valhalla is going to play extremely long this week. Players who have had success playing very long golf courses should be better equipped to handle the conditions of this major championship.
Strokes Gained: Total on Very Long Courses Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.44)
- Rory McIlroy (+2.24)
- Will Zalatoris (+1.78)
- Viktor Hovland (+1.69)
- Xander Schauffele (+1.60)
Strokes Gained: Total in Major Championships
One factor that tends to play a large role in deciding major championships is which players have played well in previous majors leading up to the event.
Strokes Gained: Total in Major Championships over past 20 rounds:
- Scottie Scheffler (+3.14)
- Will Zalatoris (+2.64)
- Rory McIlroy (+2.49)
- Xander Schauffele (+2.48)
- Tommy Fleetwood (2.09)
Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass Greens
Valhalla features pure Bentgrass putting surfaces. Players who are comfortable putting on this surface will have an advantage on the greens.
Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass Greens over Past 24 Rounds:
- Ludvig Aberg (+1.12)
- Denny McCarthy (+1.08)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (+0.99)
- Justin Rose (+0.93)
- J.T. Poston (0.87)
Strokes Gained: Total on Zoysia Fairways
Valhalla features Zoysia fairways. Players who are comfortable playing on this surface will have an advantage on the field.
Strokes Gained: Total on Zoysia Fairways over past 36 rounds:
- Justin Thomas (+1.53)
- Will Zalatoris (+1.47)
- Xander Schauffele (+1.40)
- Brooks Koepka (+1.35)
- Rory McIlroy (+1.23)
2024 PGA Championship Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (25%), SG: Off the Tee (22%), SG: T2G on Very Long Courses (12%), SG: Putting on Bentgrass (+12%), SG: Total on Nicklaus Designs (12%). SG: Total on Zoysia Fairways (8%), and SG: Total in Major Championships (8%).
- Brooks Koepka
- Xander Schauffele
- Rory McIlroy
- Scottie Scheffler
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Shane Lowry
- Alex Noren
- Will Zalatoris
- Cameron Young
- Keith Mitchell
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Billy Horschel
- Patrick Cantlay
- Viktor Hovland
- Adam Schenk
- Chris Kirk
- Sahith Theegala
- Min Woo Lee
- Joaquin Niemann
- Justin Thomas
2024 PGA Championship Picks
Ludvig Aberg +1800 (BetMGM)
At The Masters, Ludvig Aberg announced to the golf world that he’s no longer an “up and coming” player. He’s one of the best players in the game of golf, regardless of experience.
Augusta National gave Aberg some necessary scar tissue and showed him what being in contention at a major championship felt like down the stretch. Unsurprisingly, he made a costly mistake, hitting it in the water left of the 11th hole, but showed his resilience by immediately bouncing back. He went on to birdie two of his next three holes and finished in solo second by three shots. With the type of demeanor that remains cool in pressure situations, I believe Ludvig has the right mental game to win a major at this point in his career.
Aberg has not finished outside of the top-25 in his past eight starts, which includes two runner-up finishes at both a “Signature Event” and a major championship. The 24-year-old is absolutely dominant with his driver, which will give him a major advantage this week. In the field he ranks, in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, and has gained strokes in the category in each of his past ten starts. Aberg is already one of the best drivers of the golf ball on the planet.
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the great hall where the souls of Vikings feasted and celebrated with the Gods. The Swedes, who are of Old Norse origin, were the last of the three Scandinavian Kingdoms to abandon the Old Norse Gods. A Swede played a major role in the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, and I believe another, Ludvig Aberg, will be the one to conquer Valhalla in 2024.
Bryson DeChambeau +2800 (BetMGM)
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the few players in the world that I believe has the game to go blow-for-blow with Scottie Scheffler. Although he isn’t as consistent as Scheffler, when he’s at his best, Bryson has the talent to beat him.
At The Masters, DeChambeau put forth a valiant effort at a golf course that simply does not suit his game. Valhalla, on the other hand, is a course that should be perfect for the 30-year-old. His ability to overpower a golf course with his driver will be a serious weapon this week.
Bryson has had some success at Jack Nicklaus designs throughout his career as he won the Memorial at Muirfield Village back in 2018. He’s also had incredible results on Bentgrass greens for the entirety of his professional career. Of his 10 wins, nine of them have come on Bentgrass greens, with the only exception being the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. He also has second place finishes at Medinah and TPC Summerlin, which feature Bentgrass greens.
Love him or hate him, it’s impossible to argue that Bryson isn’t one of the most exciting and important players in the game of golf. He’s also one of the best players in the world. A second major is coming soon for DeChambeau, and I believe he should be amongst the favorites to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy this week.
Patrick Cantlay +4000 (FanDuel)
There’s no way of getting around it: Patrick Cantlay has been dissapointing in major championships throughout his professional career. He’s been one of the top players on Tour for a handful of years and has yet to truly contend at a major championship, with the arguable exception of the 2019 Masters.
Despite not winning majors, Cantlay has won some big events. The 32-year-old has won two BMW Championships, two Memorial Tournaments as well as a Tour Championship. His victories at Memorial indicate how much Cantlay loves Nicklaus designs, where he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total over his past 36 rounds behind only Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm.
Cantlay also loves Bentgrass greens. Six of Cantlay’s seven individual wins on the PGA Tour have come on Bentgrass greens and he also was one of the best putters at the 2023 Ryder cup at Marco Simone (also Bentgrass). At Caves Valley (2021 BMW Championship), he gained over 12 strokes putting to outduel another Bentgrass specialist, Bryson DeChambeau.
Cantlay finished 22nd in The Masters, which was a solid result considering how many elite players struggled that week. He also has two top-ten finishes in his past five PGA Championships. He’s undeniably one of the best players in the field, therefore, it comes down to believing Cantlay has the mental fortitude to win a major, which I do.
Joaquin Niemann +4000 (BetMGM)
I believe Joaquin Niemann is one of the best players in the world. He has three worldwide wins since December and has continued to improve over the course of his impressive career thus far. Still only 25, the Chilean has all the tools to be a serious contender in major championships for years to come.
Niemann has been the best player on LIV this season. Plenty will argue with the format or source of the money on LIV, but no one can argue that beating players such as Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith is an unremarkable achievement. Niemann is an elite driver of the golf ball who hits it farther than just about anyone in the field not named Bryson DeChambeau or (arguably) Rory McIlroy.
Niemann is another player who has been fantastic throughout his career on Bentgrass greens. Prior to leaving the PGA Tour, Bentgrass was the only green surface in which Joaco was a positive putter. It’s clearly a surface that he is very comfortable putting on and should fare around and on the greens this week.
Niemann is a perfect fit for Valhalla. His low and penetrating ball flight will get him plenty of runout this week on the fairways and he should have shorter shots into the green complexes than his competitors. To this point in his career, the former top ranked amateur in the world (2018) has been underwhelming in major championships, but I don’t believe that will last much longer. Joaquin Niemann is a major championship caliber player and has a real chance to contend this week at Valhalla.
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In my last post, I explained the basic performance dynamics of “smash factor” and “gear effect” as they apply to your wedges and your wedge play success. If you missed that post, you can read it here.
At the end of that post, I promised “part 2” of this discussion of what makes a wedge work the way it does. So, let’s dive into the other two components of any wedge – the shaft and the grip.
It’s long been said that the shaft is “the engine of the golf club.” The shaft (and grip) are your only connection to all the technologies that are packed into the head of any golf club, whether it be a driver, fairway, hybrid, iron, wedge or even putter.
And you cannot ignore those two components of your wedges if your goal is optimizing your performance.
I’ve long been an advocate of what I call a “seamless transition” from your irons into your wedges, so that the feel and performance do not disconnect when you choose a gap wedge, for example, instead of your iron-set-matching “P-club.” In today’s golf equipment marketplace, more and more golfers are making the investment of time and money to experience an iron fitting, going through trial and error and launch monitor measuring to get just the right shaft in their irons.
But then so many of those same golfers just go into a store and choose wedges off the retail display, with no similar science involved at all. And that’s why I see so many golfers with a huge disconnect between their custom-fitted irons, often with lighter and/or softer graphite or light steel shafts . . . and their off-the-rack wedges with the stock stiff steel ‘wedge flex’ shaft common to those stock offerings.
If your wedge shafts are significantly heavier and stiffer than the shafts in your irons, it is physically impossible for you to make the same swing. Period.
To quickly improve your wedge play, one of the first things you can do is have your wedges re-shafted with the same or similar shaft that is in your irons.
There’s another side of that shaft weight equation; if you don’t have the forearm and hand strength of a PGA Tour professional, you simply cannot “handle” the same weight shaft that those guys play to master the myriad of ‘touch shots’ around the greens.
Now, let’s move on to the third and other key component of your wedges – the grips. If those are not similar in shape and feel to the grips on your irons, you have another disconnect. Have your grips checked by a qualified golf club professionals to make sure you are in sync there.
The one caveat to that advice is that I am a proponent of a reduced taper in your wedge grips – putting two to four more layers of tape under the lower hand, or selecting one of the many reduced taper grips on the market. That accomplishes two goals for your scoring.
First, it helps reduce overactive hands in your full and near-full wedge swings. Quiet hands are key to good wedge shots.
And secondly, it provides a more consistent feel of the wedge in your hands as you grip down for those shorter and more delicate shots around the greens. And you should always grip down as you get into those touch shots. I call it “getting closer to your work.”
So, if you will spend as much time selecting the shafts and grips for your wedges as you do choosing the brand, model, and loft of them, your scoring range performance will get better.
More from the Wedge Guy
- The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1
- The Wedge Guy: The easiest-to-learn golf basic
- The Wedge Guy: Golf mastery begins with your wedge game
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 Wells Fargo Championship betting preview: Tommy Fleetwood ready to finally land maiden PGA Tour title
The PGA Tour season ramps back up this week for another “signature event,” as golf fans look forward to the year’s second major championship next week.
After two weaker-field events in the Zurich Classic and the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, most of the best players in the world will head to historic Quail Hollow for one of the best non-major tournaments of the year.
Last season, Wyndham Clark won the event by four shots.
Quail Hollow is a par-71 measuring 7,521 yards that features Bermudagrass greens. The tree-lined, parkland style course can play quite difficult and features one of the most difficult three-hole stretches in golf known as “The Green Mile,” which makes up holes 16-18: two mammoth par 4s and a 221-yard par 3. All three holes have an average score over par, and water is in play in each of the last five holes on the course.
The field is excellent this week with 68 golfers teeing it up without a cut. All of the golfers who’ve qualified are set to tee it up, with the exception of Scottie Scheffler, who is expecting the birth of his first child.
Past Winners at Quail Hollow
- 2023: Wyndham Clark (-19)
- 2022: Max Homa (-8)
- 2021: Rory McIlroy (-10)
- 2019: Max Homa (-15)
- 2018: Jason Day (-12)
- 2017: Justin Thomas (-8) (PGA Championship)
- 2016: James Hahn (-9)
- 2015: Rory McIlroy (-21)
Key Stats For Quail Hollow
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes gained: Approach will be extremely important this week as second shots at Quail Hollow can be very difficult.
Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Akshay Bhatia (+1.16)
- Tom Hoge (+1.12)
- Corey Conners (+1.01)
- Shane Lowry (+0.93)
- Austin Eckroat (+0.82)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Quail Hollow is a long course on which it is important to play from the fairway. Both distance and accuracy are important, as shorter tee shots will result in approach shots from 200 or more yards. With most of the holes heavily tree lined, errant drives will create some real trouble for the players.
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee Past 24 Rounds:
- Ludvig Aberg (+0.73)
- Rory McIlroy (+0.69)
- Xander Schauffele (+0.62)
- Viktor Hovland (+0.58)
- Chris Kirk (+0.52)
Proximity: 175-200
The 175-200 range is key at Quail Hollow. Players who can hit their long irons well will rise to the top of the leaderboard.
Proximity: 175-200+ over past 24 rounds:
- Cameron Young (28’2″)
- Akshay Bhatia (29’6″)
- Ludvig Aberg (+30’6″)
- Sam Burns (+30’6″)
- Collin Morikawa (+30’9″)
SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs
Players who thrive on Tom Fazio designs get a bump for me at Quail Hollow this week.
SG: Total on Tom Fazio Designs over past 36 rounds:
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.10)
- Rory McIlroy (+1.95)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1.68)
- Austin Eckroat (+1.60)
- Will Zalatoris (+1.57)
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass)
Strokes Gained: Putting has historically graded out as the most important statistic at Quail Hollow. While it isn’t always predictable, I do want to have it in the model to bump up golfers who prefer to putt on Bermudagrass.
Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass) Over Past 24 Rounds:
- Taylor Moore (+0.82)
- Nick Dunlap (+.76)
- Wyndham Clark (+.69)
- Emiliano Grillo (+.64)
- Cam Davis (+.61)
Course History
This stat will incorporate players that have played well in the past at Quail Hollow.
Course History over past 36 rounds (per round):
- Rory McIlroy (+2.50)
- Justin Thomas (+1.96)
- Jason Day (+1.92)
- Rickie Fowler (+1.83)
- Viktor Hovland (+1.78)
Wells Fargo Championship Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (27%), SG: Off the Tee (23%), SG: Total on Fazio designs (12%), Proximity: 175-200 (12%), SG: Putting Bermuda grass (12%), and Course History (14%).
- Wyndham Clark
- Rory McIlroy
- Xander Schauffele
- Shane Lowry
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Viktor Hovland
- Cameron Young
- Austin Eckroat
- Byeong Hun An
- Justin Thomas
2024 Wells Fargo Championship Picks
Tommy Fleetwood +2500 (DraftKings)
I know many out there have Tommy fatigue when it comes to betting, which is completely understandable given his lack of ability to win on the PGA Tour thus far in his career. However, history has shown us that players with Fleetwood’s talent eventually break though, and I believe for Tommy, it’s just a matter of time.
Fleetwood has been excellent on Tom Fazio designs. Over his past 36 rounds, he ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on Fazio tracks. He’s also been incredibly reliable off the tee this season. He’s gained strokes in the category in eight of his past nine starts, including at The Masters, the PLAYERS and the three “signature events” of the season. Tommy is a golfer built for tougher courses and can grind it out in difficult conditions.
Last year, Fleetwood was the first-round leader at this event, firing a Thursday 65. He finished the event in a tie for 5th place.
For those worried about Fleetwood’s disappointing start his last time out at Harbour Town, he’s bounced back nicely after plenty of poor outings this season. His T7 at the Valero Texas Open was after a MC and T35 in his prior two starts and his win at the Dubai Invitational came after a T47 at the Sentry.
I expect Tommy to bounce back this week and contend at Quail Hollow.
Justin Thomas +3000 (DraftKings)
It’s been a rough couple of years for Justin Thomas, but I don’t believe things are quite as bad as they seem for JT. He got caught in the bad side of the draw at Augusta for last month’s Masters and has gained strokes on approach in seven of his nine starts in 2024.
Thomas may have found something in his most recent start at the RBC Heritage. He finished T5 at a course that he isn’t the best fit for on paper. He also finally got the putter working and ranked 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week.
The two-time PGA champion captured the first of his two major championships at Quail Hollow back in 2017, and some good vibes from the course may be enough to get JT out of his slump.
Thomas hasn’t won an event in just about two years. However, I still believe that will change soon as he’s been one of the most prolific winners throughout his PGA Tour career. Since 2015, he has 15 PGA Tour wins.
Course history is pretty sticky at Quail Hollow, with players who like the course playing well there on a regular basis. In addition to JT’s PGA Championship win in 2017, he went 4-1 at the 2022 Presidents Cup and finished T14 at the event last year despite being in poor form. Thomas can return as one of the top players on the PGA Tour with a win at a “signature event” this week.
Cameron Young +3500 (DraftKings)
For many golf bettors, it’s been frustrating backing Cam Young this season. His talent is undeniable, and one of the best and most consistent performers on the PGA Tour. He just hasn’t broken through with a victory yet. Quail Hollow has been a great place for elite players to get their first victory. Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim, Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark all notched their first PGA Tour win at Quail.
Throughout Cam Young’s career, he has thrived at tougher courses with strong fields. This season, he finished T16 at Riviera and T9 at Augusta National, demonstrating his preference of a tough test. His ability to hit the ball long and straight off the tee make him an ideal fit for Quail Hollow, despite playing pretty poorly his first time out in 2023 (T59). Young should be comfortable playing in the region as he played his college golf at Wake Forest, which is about an hour’s drive from Quail Hollow.
The 26-year-old has played well at Tom Fazio designs in the past and ranks 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Total on those courses in his last 36 rounds. Perhaps most importantly, this season, Young is the best player on the PGA Tour in terms of proximity from 175-200 in the fairway, which is where a plurality and many crucial shots will come from this week.
Young is an elite talent and Quail Hollow has been kind to players of his ilk who’ve yet to win on Tour.
Byeong Hun An +5000 (FanDuel)
Byeong Hun An missed some opportunities last weekend at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. He finished T4 and played some outstanding golf, but a couple of missed short putts prevented him from getting to the winning score of -23. Despite not getting the win, it’s hard to view An’s performance as anything other than an overwhelming success. It was An’s fourth top-ten finish of the season.
Last week, An gained 6.5 strokes ball striking, which was 7th in the field. He also ranked 12th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th for Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. The South Korean has been hitting the ball so well from tee to green all season long and he now heads to a golf course that should reward his precision.
An’s driver and long irons are absolute weapons. At Quail Hollow, players will see plenty of approach shots from the 175-200 range as well as some from 200+. In his past 24 rounds, Ben ranks 3rd in the field in proximity from 175-200 and 12th in proximity from 200+. Playing in an event that will not end up being a “birdie” fest should help An, who can separate from the field with his strong tee to green play. The putter may not always cooperate but getting to -15 is much easier than getting to -23 for elite ball strikers who tend to struggle on the greens.
Winning a “signature event” feels like a tall task for An this week with so many elite players in the field. However, he’s finished T16 at the Genesis Invitational, T16 at The Masters and T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 32-year-old’s game has improved drastically this season and I believe he’s ready to get the biggest win of his career.
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Marty
Jul 14, 2013 at 2:30 am
Quad-Cities TPC is manipulated! Zack Jonson is a baby who cries.
Jtriscott
Jul 9, 2013 at 11:48 am
I wonder what Justin Rose thinks of Merion.
Chris
Jun 25, 2013 at 11:45 am
Wah! You do, what others can only do recreationally (at great personal expense) for a living. I don’t cry when my job gets difficult. take your lumps and add them to the life experience column. Everyone suffers “manipulated” moments life. Golf is a prime example of that.
Dave
Jun 20, 2013 at 7:08 pm
These pros should try some of the courses that the masses play, like the local muni. Try taking one of those perfect pancake divots where i play and you will either break your club or your wrist. On the rare occasion that I get to play an expensive well manicured course it takes at least 5 strokes off my score.
Chris
Jun 25, 2013 at 11:45 am
Touche
Tom
Jun 19, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Never really cared much about par. As the old saying goes “it’s not how, it’s how many” Whomever ends up with the lowest number wins, how they get there is all the fun. Don’t get me wrong the big scores are fun to watch too.
kc
Jun 19, 2013 at 1:49 pm
6″ rough hah! It was worse @winged foot & bethpage.
Bethpage was just under knee & hip high. Winged was 12″ and higher stimp
Merion stimp was in high 11s & was cited by several announcers & usga.
naflack
Jun 19, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Wicker baskets were silly and gimmicky.
curt
Jun 19, 2013 at 11:32 am
The whole thing was a farce! Look at a scorecard from Merion — it’s a par 72 layout!!! Just because they want you to believe it’s so tough, they use a false par — subtract 8 shots to par from each of the scores and you get the truth! You can make any course unplayable if you water and fertilize the rough and grow it to 6 or 8 inches, leave weeds 3-feet tall all over the place (even in some of the bunkers), narrow the fairways to 20 yards, and double-cut and double roll the greens! Play ANY course at 7000 yards with that setup and you’ll embarrass even the pros! That’s why we end up with winners like Lee Jantzen, Scott Simpson, Andy North, etc… way too much luck with those kinds of conditions! It was great tv drama, but it was by no means great golf — except to those people who enjoy watching train wrecks!
naflack
Jun 19, 2013 at 12:26 pm
+1
Desmond
Jul 4, 2013 at 1:15 pm
The manner in which the old greens are designed make no putt a gimme. You saw plenty of missed putts; a bomb was a rarity over the 4 days.
You can adjust the course without manipulating it. But once again, the USGA went overboard and redesigned a course that only needed adjustment.
Better planning and input from the pros, even some touring pros playing the course beforehand for more input, would eliminate most of the manipulation and USGA paranoia.
yo!
Jun 18, 2013 at 2:43 am
another boring u.s. open … painful to watch … like watching the guys in my foursome play … thank goodness it’s only once a year … maybe the pga tour will stick it to the usga (who doesn’t work for anyone but themselves) by not adopting the belly putter ban … stop sending me those cheap usga notepads trying to get me to pony up $ to join the usga … but the us open offers big $$$$ (corporate sponsors) for the tournament so top players are going to show up and try to collect
Reyes
Jun 17, 2013 at 6:41 pm
These guys play precision golf even off the tee. When the USGA decides to slope fairways into six inches of rough, that’s manipulation. When they decide to create a 270 yard par 3 into the wind, that’s manipulation. These guys want to protect par. That’s fine and you can do this by varying pin placements and creating inconsistent stimp meter speeds on the green. The winning score at Augusta the past few years has been about six under. They don’t have six inch rough and it’s enjoyable. To have someone land an 8 iron ten feet from the pin only to see it roll into the rough is not golf. That’s just silly and stupid. I don’t mind seeing guys punished for horrible shots. I do mind seeing fairways and greens manipulated so that the balls don’t stay on. Again, for emphasis, that’s not golf. It’s dumb and not entertaining.
Flip4000
Jun 17, 2013 at 5:57 pm
I love watching pros struggle around a tough golf course like many of us amateurs do
Brockohol
Jun 17, 2013 at 10:05 am
As my grandpa always said when I complained about a bad lie, “well, you shouldn’t have hit it there dummie.”
I honestly didnt see anything that was too ridiculous out there. Guys have a point at past opens when they literally couldnt get the ball to stop unless it went into the cup. But Merion just required a tee shot in the fairway and then a very specific strategy with your approach shot whether it be a 215yd 5 iron or a 70yd Lob Wedge. I didnt see many of those “perfect shots” that then rolled off the green.
nick
Jun 17, 2013 at 2:06 am
I agree with his statement. If you need to rake the rough to make it harder that’s rediculous. Its artificially altering the playing characteristics of the course to make it play harder and differently than nature intended. Making par 3’s 245 + yards??? Is that really needed? I didnt find it that interesting watching. You usually hope the person pulling off nice shots will win not the person who played it so safe I wanted to go to sleep. Doesnt make for exciting golf.
Anthony
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:49 pm
To be fair the courses were alot shorter and the greens were slower in the persimmon and balata days. playing them side by side for score on today’s courses isnt fair
David
Jun 16, 2013 at 8:12 pm
People who care what Zach Johnson thinks about any course:
0.0
Fu#&ing hair lip.
Desmond
Jul 4, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Mature comment … not.
Brian
Jun 16, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Then don’t cash your check, hair lip.
KCCO
Jun 16, 2013 at 12:52 pm
I don’t believe it’s a test to show who is truly the “best” or most skilled golfer, its more like who can survive merion…..
Desmond
Jun 16, 2013 at 1:13 pm
On Sunday, it’s mostly mental and luck – if one can keep their focus and energy level, the ball can break their way.
J
Jun 16, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Conditions are equal for all. Course is the same test for each golfer.
I do agree the USGA can take a hike however, for a plethora of reason.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 12:56 pm
They certainly can if for no other reason than letting the equipment get so far out of hand.
More from the Snedeker article:
On the first nine holes using the persimmon driver and the older ball, Snedeker could find the fairway just two of nine times. Each of his drives were low-flying projectiles that snapped to the left and went 200-220 yards — into high rough and behind trees.
On the first hole, he had 188 yards to the pin after his drive with the wood ended near a tree. With his contemporary TaylorMade r7 driver, he had 128 yards from the middle of the fairway to the pin.
On the par-4, 445-yard ninth, he had 200 yards to the pin after his drive with the wood ended up in rough; he had 144 yards from the middle of the fairway after using his modern driver.
“I’m seeing parts of this golf course I’ve never seen before,” Snedeker said on the 12th hole. “I’m trying everything to keep the old driver on this planet.”
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:49 am
Brandt Snedeker:
“I truly appreciate growing up in the generation that I did,” Snedeker says, “because I don’t think I would have grown up to be a pro golfer if I had to have played with the old stuff. It is so much different, so much tougher.”
“It makes me really appreciate the guys that came before me,” Snedeker says of hitting the old clubs. “The way Bobby Jones played golf, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller. Those guys were phenomenal.
“They had to be unbelievable ball strikers to hit the ball straight and as solid as they did.”
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2007-07-12-oldclubs_N.htm?imw=Y
Desmond
Jun 16, 2013 at 8:31 am
Think about this course before you post and scream “crybabies.”
That’s rubbish.
I don’t care that Phil is not carrying a driver. He has the deep 3 wood. But when guys are keeping 3 wood in the bag to hit hybrids, when they are 50 yards behind Hogan’s 1 iron marker on their tee shot just so they can remain in the fairway with accuracy and not much run, when Luke Donald says I don’t need a 6i,7i, or 8i on this course, that screams that something is wrong … with the course.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:23 am
Considering how far the modern ball goes when hit with the modern clubs they need to be 50 yards behind Hogan to compare apples to apples. I saw an article recently where Luke Donald took out a set of persimmon woods and titleist tour balatas and compared them to his new style Flintstone driver and pro v1. He said the new combo was at least 60 yards longer than the classic stuff. Also Snediker played Torrey Pines with persimmons and blades and could do no better than 80.
Desmond
Jul 4, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Seriously?
Give the guys a month or tow to grow accustomed to the new “old” sticks and you’d see better scores. C’mon.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:34 am
btw, Lee Westwood, clearly it’s not the wicker that is preventing you from winning a major, considering your record! God what a bunch of spoiled, rich, unappreciative crybabies.
Jamie
Jun 16, 2013 at 6:53 am
Lee Westwood’s record in majors is exemplary! 15 top tens in majors, including 7 top three finishes. And with almost 40 worldwide wins and countless runner ups and top 5s – I think most of the golfing community have him down as a real contender heading into every major championship. He may not have gotten over the line yet but its hard to argue against a record like that, he really steps up in the big championships. I’m sure he’ll have at least one major before he’s done.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:11 am
His “win” recode is certanly not exemplary, and plenty of people had Montgomery penciled in for a major too.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:17 am
Typical spoiled rich prima donna whiner, and not a great player by PGA standards! Zack is lucky he is playing in the modern era, if he wants to see Merion like it was meant to be played, he can get out the persimmon and balatas and shoot 90! What a bitter turd!
Desmond
Jun 16, 2013 at 2:38 am
Well, Zach is correct in his comments. After this “restored” Merion is through with the Open, they are closing it to “restore” it back.
The Commentators also noted how the USGA had manipulated the fairways and bunkers, taking away from the original design. Sure, grow the rough … but change the fairways and bunkers?
That is MANIPULATION.
Blanco
Jun 16, 2013 at 2:06 am
Jeezy Creezy! At least he didn’t use HIS name in vain.
Marty
Jun 16, 2013 at 1:59 am
He whines and is a crier.
Marty
Jun 16, 2013 at 1:59 am
Yes. Zach Johnson is a cry baby. This needs to be said more.
Jeff
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Come on this just proves as many have said Zach Johnson is a cry baby. If you have that much hate for the USGA, then do not play no one is twisting your arm to play, or needs you to play.
Joe
Jun 15, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Every year someone has a comment about it being unfair. Last time I checked everyone plays the same course. Obviously we all know how this game can mess with your head when you don’t have your best stuff. Probably the case with Zach. If he has so much disdain for the USGA then just skip it, won’t be the first player to do it.
The US Open puts a premium on accuracy and course management. As of Saturday afternoon a handful players are under par and at least surviving. Hogan won at Merion in 1950 with a score of +7.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:24 am
+1 If Sergio had made that comment, the golf channel would have gone into to CNN-style 24 hour coverage.
Chopper
Jun 15, 2013 at 5:41 pm
I think this is the best test of pro golfing all year…Sick of 20 under scores Test these guys to the limit they are the best let them prove it .USGA should (manipulate )every course then we would see who IS THE BEST!!!
MFB
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Totally agree with Zac and he is dead on about the USGA.
The last few years the USGA has done a reasonable job with the set up at the US Open.
It is the USAG’s tournament and they can set it up any way they like.
But this year they went back to tricking up the course because these guys would tear Merion up if they did not.
Questionable pin placements from the start and the greens were never designed to be running at 13 or above on the stimp are just a few ways it has been tricked up to keep the scores from being double digits under par.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:32 am
They would not tear it up with the older equipment. Half they guys on tour would have to get a day job if they went back to pre 1990 spec gear.
Ray
Jun 15, 2013 at 11:39 am
Weak, so weak. It’s the wicker basket’s fault. Isn’t the US Open supposed to be a manipulated course? Members wouldn’t play somewhere that hard on a regular basis. It is supposed to be made harder to bring out the best player that week.
Michael
Jun 15, 2013 at 11:37 am
I am so tired of watching driver – wedge tournaments. It is such a pleasure to watch the US open, because the so called pros have to play tough golf courses. Golf is not supposed to be easy. Same goes for lift clean and cheat. The PGA should get back to setting up courses that are difficult to play. These guys are supposed to be Pros so make the courses more difficult like the US open is every year.
Lee
Jun 15, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Completely agree with you!… Except for lift, clean, and place. This is completely fare, it’s done so they can actually play the course, when otherwise they would be punished for hitting the fairway.
Lee
Jun 15, 2013 at 11:36 am
Think Zach is just mad his ball striking is sub-par to be a candidate for winning the US Open.
Greg
Jun 15, 2013 at 10:32 am
Nice to see these guys struggle with conditions and have to hit shots for a change. They are spoiled by perfectly manicured courses on a weekly basis and then get upset when they don’t shoot 20 under for the week.
Tough life, guys.
Nathan
Jun 15, 2013 at 10:24 am
The problem is whenever the USGA tries to make these courses harder to hold the US Open, they do so in a way that is not consistent with the way these courses are meant to be played. The architects didn’t design these courses to be played this way so the players end up having to play the holes in ways they weren’t designed to be played.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:22 am
Merion (and all of the classic courses) were designed to be played with the older equipment/balls, so we will never again get to see how they were meant to be played. Btw, the USGA has been manipulating course for years, so what? Zack and others seem to take all of this a bit too seriously… it’s entertainment, nothing more. Zack can choose not to play and simply move on; I doubt anyone would care or notice but his immediate family… maybe.
Dalton
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:46 am
I think the manipulation comment was meant about the usga’s greens keeping. They destroy the courses. The greens at merion are turning brown which only happens when you cut wet grass too short. They are doing everything to make it extremely difficult, all while destroying the course.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:27 am
You are right of course. What the USGA should do is bring back the balata ball and persimmon drivers/fairways, and force players to play the same equipment the Hogan. Snead, Nicklaus, and Norman used. There would be no need to trick up the courses to see Zack ( and many others) shoot a high number.
Dennis
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:16 am
Merion is a great way to neutralize the equipment gains that have taken place and pushed playing the game to course management and between the ears. It gives today’s golfers a unique chance to revisit history and walk in the shoes of the old-timers. It also illustrates how good those old-timers really were.
nccrilly
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:10 am
I don’t understand why all of these pros think this event should be like any other PGA tour event. This is the national championship of golf, owned and operated by the USGA, and it is their prerogative to make it whatever they see fit. Nobody is begging these pros to show up and play. There are thousands of amateurs that attempt to qualify every year without exemption just for a chance to compete. That is the beauty of this game and this open event. There is absolutely no reason the USGA should feel compelled to consider the “feelings” of touring professionals when setting up a course for the best championship in golf. Who cares if its 10 under or 10 over par that wins it! It’s you against the field and everyone plays the same course.
Jamie
Jun 16, 2013 at 6:09 am
Agree with most of what you say – everyone plays the same course, so its the golfer against the rest of the field and still who can handle the course the best. They all face the same challenge – they just have to tough it out! I can appreciate that mentally this championship must be very draining on the players at times and that its an advantage to be the kind of guy who is able to roll with the punches, and just accept what the golf course gives them and not dwell on frustrations and perceived misfortune and just keep grinding away. I can understand some of the frustrations the players might feel though, some of the lies for missing a fairway or green by a couple of inches is ridiculous at times – but as mentioned previously everyone faces the same challenge. However I don’t agree with the US Open being ‘the best championship in golf’…. bring on the British Open, the oldest and most prestigious major.
Randall
Jun 15, 2013 at 7:50 am
These guys are supposed to be the best players in the world. They can’t hit thirty yard wide fairways with an iron off the tee. The rough is only hit and thick if you hit it in it. Hit the fairway?
Lee
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:08 am
Lol welcome, guy who just started playing golf.
Chris
Jun 15, 2013 at 7:31 am
I personally love to see the players struggle. only a few times a year do I see them struggle to hit greens, make putts, or even hit fairways. To win the US Open does not just take good golf skills it takes great golf course management.
danny
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:09 am
I agree. It’s boring to watch them shoot -15 -20 under par.
When par is a good score, that means that doubles or triples are in play which means it’s anyones game.
There is probably a reason nobody gives a crap about the tournaments Zach Johnson wins, nobody plays in them and the final score is always 20 something under par…. boooooooooring.
Poop Squirrel
Jun 15, 2013 at 8:40 pm
He’s a Masters Champion…Hmmmmm……
bravesgolf
Jun 15, 2013 at 5:53 am
Stop whinging Zach Johnson. Don’t play the US Open if you dislike the course set ups and the USGA so much. Let someone else play who will appreciate it as an honour and an oppotunity instead of whinging and taking it for granted. You clearly have no idea how lucky you are to play this terrific game for a living. Very poor attitude from a PGA Tour and Major winner.
G
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:50 am
The counter argument is, Zach, that the majority of the PGA Tour courses are also “manipulated” for easy scoring with no rough, wide fairways, perfectly manicured easy-out bunker sand, and flat greens. It shouldn’t be that the total score at the end of the week can reach 25 under or whatever ridiculous number so easily. If the courses on the PGA Tour were set up properly, they would have minimum 3 inch rough consistently from course to course, more OBs instead of free drops and lateral hazards on the boundaries (including the areas up and around the clubhouse and such) and the pins wouldn’t be placed in such easy-scoring positions.
Andrew Tursky
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:38 am
Just to clarify, Zach Johnson’s statement about the USGA was a grievance with course set up, saying luck is required. Westwood’s shot was wildly unlucky, which was the reason for the example. It’s unfortunate to hear players complain about “luck” and “wicker baskets” when competition and tradition should be at the forefront of discussion.
troy
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:15 am
That’s easy for you to say when you’re livelihood or score isn’t dependant on luck of the lie 6 inches of the fairway with a perfectly placed tee shot. Or hitting a basket instead of a flag on a perfectly hit iron shot.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:44 am
There is always a certain amount of luck involved when playing golf. How about Payne Stewart hitting a perfect tee shot into a divot at the 98 US Open? That probably cost him the tournament! Also, this livelihood stuff used to mean something years ago when discussed in the context of professional sports, but draws a little less sympathy these days.
jk
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:29 am
Yes the usga makes fairways tighter and rough more penalizing…its what they do every year and I’m glad they didn’t do different cuts off the fairway. If the best 100 golfers can’t hit the fairway with an iron off the tee then they should be penalized. Poor you zj poor you
gibby626
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:20 am
Ah jeez. The wicker baskets ain’t what we’re used to? Just take all the pins out of holes then. You guys have the hole location sheets anyway. More than I can say for my weekend hackfest.
Eric
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:57 pm
Mike, I don’t think it was Zach making those comments regarding the baskets, that was Lee Westwood off his own twitter. Zach is talking about how the USGA always spends millions turning the U.S. Open venues into the some of the hardest courses to ever play. It was a slight against the USGA for being too involved with the tournament.
nbr334
Jun 15, 2013 at 3:37 am
exactly
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:31 am
The USGA is too involved? It’s their tournament! Zack and anyone else can choose to sit out if they don’t like it.
Mike
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:39 pm
What a whiner! I’m disappointed. I didn’t see Tiger complaining about those wicked flag sticks at Augusta. So Zach Johnson is used to flags instead of wicker baskets? Too bad. I’m used to 75 and sunny. But guess what, when it’s 100 and humid I deal. When it’s 55 and rainy, I deal. It’s part of being a golfer. Maybe he’s being quoted out of context, but right now he’s coming off as a prima donna.
Asitlies
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Hitting the basket is now the fault of the USGA??!! Stop. Horrendous example. Hitting the basket is “rub of the green”, not course manipulation. I think he was referring to the rough, or the greens, or the course setup, not the baskets. Was it the fault if the Masters folks when Tiger Woods hit the pin on 15 and it shot back into the water? No, that’s the way the ball bounces…
jtopher
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Yep, or when Sergio hit the pin at Carnoustie. He sounds like a guy that just got his butt kicked by the golf course. Don’t let the gate hit you on the way out.
Mike
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:39 pm
Agreed
troy
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:08 am
Dissagree.. if there was a flag instead of a big fat basket the ball would have either hit the pin, hit the flag, or hit nothing. With the last 2 meaning a putt for birdie. There is a reason no one else uses baskets on their pins. But that’s besides the point. When you have deep rough that you have to gouge out of 6 inches from a sloped fairway and thats when you are at the mercy of whatever Lie you end up with. Yes, everyone deals with the same conditions, but everyone doesn’t get the same result from the inconsistencies
Michael
Jun 22, 2013 at 10:54 am
Actually, I just played the Seaside course at Sea Island this week and they had wicker baskets. Seemed to be a nice touch. Fair is a subjective term it seems. I’d always figured if everyone is playing by the same rules on the same course, then hard or not, it’s fair. Zach needs to quit whining when the chips don’t go his way. The course may have been “manipulated”, but it was set up the same for everyone who handed him his hat on the way out.
Jon
Jun 16, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Actually hitting the basket is the fault of USGA, if it were a flag there would be no discussion. Rub of the green, please.