by Gary Williams | Jul 16, 2024 | Blog
Feelings are not facts. But we consume sports at a time that “takes” and what used to simply be called opinions are flooding our collective zones of consciousness. Engagement farming is an insult to every farmer, living and dead. It’s certainly real and it’s certainly sad and even golf has become susceptible to dime store trolling for “likes” and attention. Rory McIlroy is a generational performer with one of the great lists of accomplishments in the history of the sport. Pre-LIV he was not perceived as a polarizing figure but his dogged pro PGA tour position upon the creation of LIV, which has subsequently cooled, coupled with his insistence to simultaneously and agonizingly contend at many of the major championships over that same time have made him golf’s every week needle mover. While Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler have won majors in 2024, Rory makes the most people sit forward when he jumps on the screen. Which gets us to right now.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Rory’s sprint to three of the four major championships before the age of twenty-five not only got him a chair at a small table with Jack and Tiger, it naturally and not hyperbolically, ear marked him for eight majors ten years on from his last in August of 2014. Then golf happened. Not the same golf that happened to Tiger after June of 2008, or Arnie after April of 1964, or Greg Norman just whenever. Presumption in golf is more precarious than flop shots from tight lies after a night of transfusions. It seems unfathomable that ten years next month Rory punted Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson off the 18th green at Valhalla and appeared to usher in his own era, complete with the career grand slam at his doorstep at the entry of Magnolia Lane starting in 2015. It would be easier to explain if his major drought was a result of career crippling putter yips or full swings yips let alone a debilitating injury. On the contrary, he’s missed one major since his last major win, the 2015 Open, and he’s been the most consistent performer without a win in that time, racking up 21 Top Ten’s in 38 major starts. Additionally, he’s finished in the Top 5 11 times, and been runner up on four occasions. That last occasion was met with the Rory reflex to flee the scene at Pinehurst. It was fight and then it was flight. He’s incurred some deep cuts while also enjoying one of the most decorated careers of the past 50 years. Which makes Rory a riddle.
Who seems to have it all but leaves you wanting? Who has done so much yet it seems so incomplete? Who has been argued as the best at his best for a decade but hasn’t been the best even ONCE in a major in ten years? Rory. His current place historically is way outside the curve of all players who won at least five majors in his career in regard to how long it took them to click the odometer from four to five. Tiger went from four to five in one month, Gene Sarazen one month, Arnold Palmer nine months, Tom Watson nine months, Ben Hogan ten months and Jack Nicklaus one year. It took Sam Snead, Lee Trevino and Nick Faldo an unfathomable two years to go from four to five, Gary Player, Byron Nelson and Phil Mickelson an excruciating three years. Seve Ballesteros and Brooks Koepka went an unimaginable four years to cross from four to five major victories. Only Peter Thompson who won five Open Championships went longer than five years and that’s only because he chose to play in only three United States based majors between 1958 and 1965. Rory is trying to cross the widest Rubicon amplified by a psychological riptide never navigated by a historic player in his prime. Ernie Els and Raymond Floyd’s fourth major wins were curtain pulling encores. And here’s the kicker, he’s exceedingly normal. Which for all the swing breakdowns and lamenting of a poorly timed tepid putter the dime store psycho analysis of who he is might be why he finds himself in this weird historical space.
Rory reads. He’s affected and effected. As much as he tries to avoid indulging the content creators and ink-stained scribes, only a few left, he just can’t help himself. Being exceedingly normal also means you are prone to petulance, stubbornness, doubt and most importantly vulnerability. You think years and close calls when you know you are the top of the class does not harden those emotions and behaviors? You watch and follow sports long enough you start to feel things as they are happening. Momentum is an extraordinary phenomenon. I followed Rory every day of the U.S. Open and he was as close to complete for those four days as I’ve seen him under the most demanding conditions until he wasn’t. It was not the tee shot on 15 that was flighted too low for most analysts liking or the alarming short miss on 16. After grabbing a two-shot lead on 13 with back-to-back birdies he did something he had not done all week. His tee shot on 14 was quick and low left and I sensed something getting quickly weird. From that moment his decision making and execution got disorienting, and just flat off. Being self-conscious is also another very normal feeling. Some historic players have had a major or three kicked their way and maybe Rory will require a massive break to cross the line again but this pursuit which has included, to his great credit, a handful of heart wrenching results is not just in the recesses of his mind it’s at the forefront of everybody’s mind. Like I said, you get feelings. Patrick Mahomes felt completely inevitable last year and for the foreseeable future. Michael and Tiger were inevitable. Rory has felt on the wrong side of that equation and getting gutted wickedly seems to reinforce that feeling.
This week its neither the home of golf nor the home of American golf. Both being sites of recent Rory sudden morosity. The history of men’s major championship golf is marked by resounding triumph after heartbreaking defeats. Phil Mickelson got off the mat after the Merion U.S. Open and his multiple errant wedge shots to soar to victory at Muirfield a month later. Adam Scott was lifeless after his slow burn to defeat at St. George’s in 2012 only to be fitted for a green jacket in the next major the following spring at Augusta National. Rory is four rounds away from going into his 11th year between major victories. Oddly, his hero, Tiger Woods was facing that dynamic when he won the Masters in 2019. Tiger was rolling the odometer from 14 to 15, Rory is trying to progress from four to five. McIlroy is as complete a player as he’s been in his mind, and I agree with him. It’s not simply Bob Rotella self-talk, his arsenal of shots is robust. He also possesses something exceedingly valuable in any walk of life, gratitude. He’s not jaded or bitter, albeit in the moments after Bryson brushed in the winning putt at Pinehurst, he simply wasn’t prepared to process the loss publicly. He loves what he does, and it doesn’t guarantee results, but it makes for a healthier head space. Picking winners of golf tournaments is fun and frivolous. At times players are pricklier and more temperamental than 3-year old getting into the gate at Churchill Downs, but the human condition makes them more reliable. The vagaries of the draw, the funkiness and fantastic nature of links golf can make things appear more random, which is also why its beautiful. It’s always darkest before the dawn, Rory is going to win the Open. Remember what I told you about feelings.
by Gary Williams | Jun 16, 2024 | Blog
We all have moments in our lives that we point to as to why we made choices, took certain directions and plotted our own courses in life. As time passes those moments take on a significance that can make you wonder what life may have been like had they never occurred. I never interpreted the moments as forks in the road but more like bends that encouraged me to lean into people, places and things. I hit my first golf ball in the mountains of North Carolina at Boone Golf Club under the watchful eye of my dad. Forty years later April 11, 2011, my dad witnessed me hitting a golf ball for the last time on the 6th hole at Pinehurst No. 2. His life was rapidly and alarmingly coming to an end at the hands of something as hideous as it sounds, transitional renal pelvic cancer. Of all places our last experience together on a golf course would be at a place that means so much to me and meant so much to both of us.
I possessed the dexterity to do most everything as a kid and that was genetic. Dad was an elite collegiate baseball player at the University of Florida, and I got a healthy dose of what he was given. I liked all the sports, and the team competitions were to my liking, but golf gave me something the others didn’t. The game gave me him, uninterrupted, for hours on end and sometimes for days. It was our space and sharing the game and all it provides took us everywhere, together. We won a father son golf tournament at Pebble Beach in 1993, we got paired in the final round of another father-son in Ireland in the spring of 2001 with a dad and his son, who was the 199th pick in the NFL draft the previous year. The son would quarterback the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl the following season and the two fathers and sons would arrange golf in the ensuing years following Super Bowl parades. My first rounds at the Old Course, Pine Valley, Royal County Down, San Francisco Golf Club, and Pinehurst No. 2 were with dad.
I loved Pinehurst as a kid and attended Pinehurst golf camp when a very young Hank Haney was an instructor on the staff. July 4, 1983, I returned to my room in the Carolina Inn after a glorious day of instruction before embarking on some twilight golf to turn on the television in the infancy of ESPN to learn from Bob Ley that Dave Righetti had tossed a no hitter for the Yankees against the Red Sox. I proceeded to run up and down the hallway of Pinehurst’s historic hotel. When dad retired, my parents moved to Chapel Hill from northern New Jersey and playing No. 2 with dad on Christmas Eve became our new tradition. The drive from Chapel Hill on highway 15-501 was filled with conversations that covered the gamut. The sand hills at the holidays are particularly charming and sleepy especially on Christmas Eve. Seeing dad’s silhouette across the rugged terrain of No. 2 against the softer light of a late December day is indelible. After all the years, all the holes, all the rounds these days remained what they were from the outset, precious. No. 2 was our #1 at a time in my life when I was making real decisions about career and marriage. Two days before my wedding in Chapel Hill a group of us ran down to No. 2 and Peter Kiernan, a lifelong friend, made an albatross on the 10th hole. He lived in Manhattan, and I wanted to alert the New York Times of the deuce but Peter said no way since he was taking an extra day off from work just to play No. 2.
When I spoke the night before my wedding as I tried to explain the impact of experiencing love as an adult, I spoke about a day dad and I shared at Muirfield in September of 1994. The 36-hole extravaganza that one can experience at Muirfield is punctuated by the brisk alternate shot round in the afternoon. I was hitting our second shot on the 8th hole and as I looked back at the sight of my father set against the backdrop of the Firth of Forth, I experienced a sense of love and gratitude that was foreign to me as a 28-year-old man. Why then and why there? I’m certain that I was finding purpose and casting aside the numbed-up aspects of early adulthood. The game and that man had given me so much already in life that the confluence penetrated me beyond any prior experience, and it was the game that gave me him so significantly.
When I was asked to play with Ben Crenshaw in April of 2011 for the grand re-opening of No. 2 after the provocative restoration of the course by Bill Coore and Ben I was humbled. I aspired to cover sports for the performances not so much for the people. I have never professed to really know any of the athletes I have ever covered and it’s not that I know Ben particularly well, but he was the ONE. The only golfer, let alone athlete, that I lived and died with starting when I was seven years old. His major championship anguish was mine, his affinity for places like Crystal Downs and Palmetto Golf Club fueled mine. That April day in 2011 was too much for me. My dad had been diagnosed only three months earlier with stage 4 transitional renal pelvic cancer and his right kidney had been removed just four weeks earlier. He was terminal and a car ride to Pinehurst to see me play No. 2 with Ben Crenshaw was not reasonable, it was a borderline impossibility. But he did what he did for me, and my sisters are entire lives, he was there. The night before we had dinner in the Ryder Cup bar and he ordered a margarita and told the waiter, “Lets test out this one kidney”. He sat on a bench next to the 5th tee talking to Ben about mutual friends and the image overwhelmed me. My advocate and guiding light next to the only athlete I truly invested in emotionally in my life. A hole later dad was on his way back to Chapel Hill, the pain too extreme and three months to the day later he was gone. His last words on earth being, “I love you” to my mom, my sisters and me.
I am blessed to have great friends and many of those friends had a relationship with my dad. He possessed an extraordinary ability to identify the things that tickled people and he carved out very special relationships with my friend group. One of those friends in the last chapter of my dad’s life was Sean McDonough. Sean is one of the elite sports broadcasters of all time and he is also wickedly quick witted. Dad had great affection for Sean and when dad passed Sean was all too familiar with the loss having experienced his own father’s death, the legendary Will McDonough, a few years earlier. Sean said something to me upon my dad’s passing that in its delivery appeared harsh and unnecessary. He said, “Gary, it will never get easier”. Sean was preparing me for the agonizing reality that had become his own. It may have been the most truthful thing I’ve ever learned to understand. After all these years, 13 in July, it’s still right there. I don’t live life in sadness, on the contrary, I celebrate my dad’s life regularly, but his loss while living deep inside me is right under the surface. It blew a hole in me I will never fill and that is the cost of love. It’s simply the most profound loss in the human condition.
I never wanted to be my dad, I simply wanted to possess and exhibit so many of his qualities. My dad was not a public figure, but he was famous for his ability to allow people to feel their total worth. He was an only child but left the world with countless brothers and sisters because he found touch points that fostered deep relationships with people of all ages. He saw the game of golf as a beautiful metaphor for a good life, competition amongst friends. He loved a little action. Super Bowl weekend in Vegas, a triple crown horse race, The Masters Tournament, Dad loved to be in the mix because people were his oxygen. The last chapter of his life he was an admissions director at the Kenan Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina. The interview process for young professionals trying to gain admission into an elite MBA program can be stressful and dad’s interview style was unorthodox. His research was on the person. He knew the academic record was exemplary otherwise they wouldn’t be sitting there. Who are you and what do you love? How often are you ever asked two of the most important things? He knew one candidate had a baseball background and he started that interview by pulling a baseball from his desk and having the young man show him how he gripped the ball to throw his two seam, four seam, slider and curveball. That young man received his MBA for the University of North Carolina. Dad studied the stock market and charted countless trends, and I received cut out articles from the Wall Street journal almost every day in the mail regarding companies I worked for in my career like CBS, SiriusXM, and Comcast. But he made his biggest investment in other people to help them reach their greatest potential. I was not trying to satisfy him although any son wants their dad to be proud of them. I was seeking and pursuing achievement because he instilled in me an unwavering belief in myself. What a gift to bestow on others.
In July of 2019 I returned to Pinehurst for a few days to experience many of the new things that have been added since the last U.S. Open in 2014. The new dining experiences, the Cradle, the redone Pinehurst No. 4 and I stayed in Donald Ross’ home, the Dornoch cottage. I played with fathers and sons, fathers, grandfathers and grandsons. I took walks at sundown and at sunrise absorbing all of it with dad firmly in the center of my thoughts. I did not have envy or jealousy of any of the dads with their sons but rather a melancholy appreciation of what they were sharing. The game gave me the gift of time and it was bestowing the same on so many others, younger and some older than me. The U.S. Open has found a semi-permanent home at Pinehurst, and it will conclude on Father’s Day as it traditionally does. My first U.S Open was with dad in 1980 at Baltusrol. We saw Tom Weiskopf, newly enshrined in this year’s hall of fame class, shoot 63. Jack Nicklaus shot 63 several groups behind him. I saw Ben Crenshaw and Seve Ballesteros for the first time in person. We saw Tom Watson make a hole in one on the 4th hole on the lower course at Baltusrol. I was turned on to the game that week in a way that fueled my passion to make it a part of my life. All of it, however, was only memorable because I shared it with him. I still do.
Happy Fathers Day.
by Gary Williams | Jun 15, 2024 | Blog
It was a great tone setter for the day to meet up with Michael Campbell, the 2005 champion at Pinehurst. It was the first time back at Pinehurst since winning 19 years ago and he was dumbstruck by how different the golf course looked and the overall infrastructure of the championship. Campbell shared with me the details of his qualifying, which was the first year the USGA offered an international site. Michael lived 45 minutes from Walton Heath and even the convenience of being that close was almost not enough to get him there that day. The final hole of the 36-hole qualifier came down to a 10 foot birdie putt and his fellow competitor was just outside of his mark and Michael had to move his coin. Getting the read before he moved his coin back was the difference according to Michael and the closing birdie got him into the 2005 U.S. Open. Michael currently lives in Spain, loves his life and is loving being back at Pinehurst.
Following Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler first thing in the morning there were two things that were clear from their first hole, the par 5 10th. The greens were a foot faster, and Scottie Scheffler was playing from the fairway. Scheffler’s problem was the putter Friday where Thursday was about his inability to play from the fairway.
The experiment of putting the top 3 players in the world rankings together for the first two days has been met with mixed results of the players in the group. I’m a fan of the concept because this is an entertainment product and while you take the chance that they may not perform well together that’s a chance that applies to every group. Every grandstand starting on the 11th hole at 8 AM and all the way through their opening 9 was packed and the holes were lined three to five deep. Schauffele squandered a great scrambling round with the double bogey on the par 5 fifth hole. His demeanor is tremendous for major championship golf. Stay level and fight on every shot.
Rory McIlroy only made one birdie in his second round and gave back two shots to par but his 3 under that he posted by lunchtime gives him one of the final times on Saturday. The ball striking wasn’t as sharp as Thursday and he didn’t have the number of chances he had on day 1 but he accomplished what he needed to, a late tee time in round 3.
Bryson DeChambeau is flipping the script on his personal narrative. One, people are warming up to him, not everyone, but some people are changing their tune. Secondly, he scrambled his way to his second round 69. Not something many thought he could do at Pinehurst No. 2. It’s simple, he makes the big events more interesting. Bryson late on a Saturday at a baked-out U.S. Open site, sign me up.
Phil Mickelson got off to a horrendous start and labored his way to two dreadful rounds. The expectations of a man ready to celebrate his 54th birthday should be and are very modest but his place in the game right now is weird and him walking around Pinehurst 25 years after he contended for the first time in the U.S. Open wasn’t supposed to look and feel like this week did.
Thomas Detry is a really fine player, and this is not a surprise to me, and I mentioned him as guy who could contend on our U.S. Open preview show. He’s found his footing on the PGA Tour and Valhalla was a big step for him.
Ludvig Aberg would have been more of a favorite had he not been dealing with the lingering effects of a knee injury. His ability to adapt to new stages and big environments is only part of it. The severity and exacting nature of Augusta National and Pinehurst No. 2 only amplifies how good Ludvig is through the bag.
The evil pins on Friday were 1, 5, 10, and 15 and by the end of the day anything getting past 9 was going 30 yards down the hill beyond the green.
The golf course is in the total control of the USGA and they can soften it to what ever degree they want. My expectation is that they will provide a golf course with some modest opportunity tomorrow. I’m not a fan of them potentially moving the tee up on 13 and making it potentially drivable. I would like to see the two par 5’s be accessible with two great full shots and although there are not any real funneling pin locations on No. 2 they can be somewhat lenient. The ball is really flying in the hot temperatures and the ground is making this championship far more intriguing.
This is set up for a fascinating weekend.
by Gary Williams | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog
The grandiosity of the U.S. Open was on display on Thursday. Big crowds ringing many of the holes at Pinehurst, in particular the 1st when the top three players in the world teed off, made it look and feel significant. I’ve not heard of any shuttle nightmares or logistical issues yet, but the presentation of the championship and the physical footprint is very impressive.
Tiger Woods was off early, and his day began quite well with an opening birdie on the par 5, 10th hole. He also added a few nice par saves before a rash of bogeys on five of seven holes in the middle of his round. His 74 will put him likely on the cut line as he begins his round tomorrow afternoon.
Brooks Koepka got off to a very nice start and was at -3 through 10 holes and tied for the lead. He gave those three shots back on the inward 9 but his opening round of 70 puts him in the mix with an afternoon time tomorrow. I want a good round on Friday just to see if he’ll talk to the media.
Patrick Cantlay’s opening round of 65 is not surprising at all. What is surprising is his major record being so modest in contending. He simply hasn’t and he’s too good. He and Rory McIlroy are on the opposite sides of the draw but a Saturday pairing with those two is delicious. Friction is sports is a great ingredient and those two have friction.
Rory’s 65 was very impressive. He didn’t make a truckload of putts which speaks to the quality of the ball striking. He displayed a wonderful array of shots from different heights and shapes. He executed his plan exceptionally well and Friday morning gives him an opportunity to lay down a weekend marker for a very late Saturday tee time.
Bryson DeChambeau was not a favorite because of the chipping requirements and the penal nature of the native areas. He put on a very stout ball striking round and the likelihood of him contending in back-to-back majors just got ramped up. He’s off early Friday as well and can set himself up with a another good one in round two.
Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele labored all day, but they managed 71 and 70 respectively. Great players salvage things and don’t waste things. We live on the spectacular but winning relies on the mundane and the minimizing of mistakes. They did it day 1 but they need better on day 2.
Sergio Garcia and Tyrell Hatton getting in the mix would be spicy and so appetizing with the possibility of petulance. Keep it up boys.
Justin Thomas was just out of sorts and his inability to save pars from reasonable distances likely ended his week before lunchtime on Thursday.
The U.S. Open radio team can be heard on the course with the earpieces. They should be available at the big events. You stay connected and the broadcast is tremendous.
Pins I liked on Thursday. Holes 4-7-11-13-18. Pins I didn’t love for a Thursday 2-6-15-16. It’s not about them being poor pins, although 6 was dicey, it’s that I would like to see a few of them later in the week.
For a golf course that has so many beefy par fours the truth is that the closing hole is actually very gettable. Keep that in mind as we head to the weekend.
1-2-3 in the world are going to set the tone for a cut down Friday. Onward.
by Gary Williams | Jun 13, 2024 | Blog
When you conduct the U.S. Open in Pinehurst you are in an environment where the players, dignitaries, administrators and sponsors are self-contained in a small village. Dinners, breakfasts and simply walking around you are likely to bump into tons of people who play or used to play. Wednesday morning, I met some friends for breakfast at the Carolina Inn the historic hotel that sits ½ mile from the resort and the first tee at Pinehurst No. 2. I said good morning to Matt Kuchar in the coffee shop and he expressed utter delight at the hotel and the village. He couldn’t believe how charming everything was from the shops to the history of the hotel.
I had a nice chat with three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin who was an invited guest for the hall of fame ceremony as an enshrined member and who was doing what you do when you win the championship three times, you monetize it, even 34 years after the last win. I also had a brief chat with the 2014 champion Martin Kaymer who returns as a guy people struggle to remember won the last time the event was here.
The USGA press conference was thorough and reflective of an organization that has made a massive commitment to Pinehurst, not only for the U.S. Open, but so many of their championships. Mike Whan knows how to talk and say something which is not a guarantee. The organization is in good hands with a pragmatic CEO and a golf lifer in John Bodenhamer who focuses on setting up the championship venues.
I talked to Randy Smith, Scottie Scheffler’s long time swing coach, and Randy embodies the Scheffler team. Straight forward and focused on the golf and only the golf. Scottie was playfully messing with Tom Kim’s golf bag and this is the fourth time in the last month I watched Scottie and Tom mess with each other. Kim has surrounded himself with the right people at the top of the game with Scheffler and Jordan Spieth in his adopted hometown of Dallas.
Standing on the top side of the Thistle Dhu putting course this afternoon it showcased why Pinehurst is so well positioned to host the biggest championship of the USGA. The massive putting green, the short game area and the Cradle, which is being used as the range is the greatest practice footprint in golf. The scope and scale amplifies what is needed now to host the biggest events in golf and with fans surrounding the entire perimeter of the area it is a majestic site.
At 2 pm I was standing on the first tee when Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy began their nine-hole two-ball practice round. Both players played irons off the first tee, and I saddled up to walk close by as they put the finishing touches on their U.S. Open prep. Rory hit driver on 2, 4, 5 and 8. He hit iron off the tee on 7 but hit a second ball with driver to take on the dogleg. He pulled it slightly into the left native area. Iron off the tee left him a short iron for his second. The crowds for a Wednesday afternoon were massive and when Rory and Kaymer played the second hole the gallery extended a few people deep from tee to green.
Having played No. 2 almost 75 times in my life I still marvel at a few features. The 2nd green is so unorthodox it’s hard to explain. Effectively the green 2000 square feet of useful area and the runoffs are menacing. I walked completely around the 5th green, and the runoff front left is sinister. You have to hit the ball nine steps into the green to avoid it running back off and into the native area 15 yards short and below the green. The native areas and crude bunkering that guard the right-hand side of the 7th fairway is art. That hole summarizes what Coore/Crenshaw executed when they restored the golf course in 2011.
Leaving the property at 5 pm the golf course is so prepared to star. The dry conditions since Sunday night have the golf course completely in the hands of the USGA. I never push back on another’s likes or dislikes regarding golf courses, so I know there are folks who are not totally smitten with No. 2, but I am for many reasons. Its nuanced, it’s not all aerial, there are options and the whole place is golfy. I think this is going to be special and I think the door is open for a few players down the marquee who will shine.
Some names I like to have good weeks. Thomas Detry, Tom Hoge, Russell Henley, Aaron Rai and Akshay Bhatia.
You can make reasonable cases for 8 to 10 players and I expect Collin Morikawa, Cam Smith, Xander Schauffele and Rory to contend but this comes down to the best player not having to be his best but be better than everyone else and I expect Scottie Scheffler to thrive under the conditions and pressure.
Scheffler wins. Enjoy Day 1.
by Gary Williams | Jun 12, 2024 | Blog
Tuesday was a dry, warm day and the rain that fell at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday night was a temporary respite for the field of 156 players who would love to see the golf course softened some before the gun goes off on Thursday morning. Temperatures are expected to continue rising as the week progresses and the golf course has a dry firmness that will allow No. 2 to play at its most interesting.
Tuesday is always a big press conference day and the mid-morning saw a flurry of top players make their way into the interview room. In a 45-minute window Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Tiger Woods met the assembled media and as is customary, Tiger spoke to a packed house. With each passing major championship press conference Tiger is asked less and less about his approach to winning and more about the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and this week with his son Charlie in tow Tiger shared his feelings about Charlie’s understanding of his golf swing. He also reflected on his career in USGA championships on the day he will receive the Bob Jones award in a ceremony on Tuesday night.
Hovland is quickly becoming a very good listen in the press room. He’s curious, reflective and his sudden pivot back into contention at the PGA with his reunion with instructor Joe Mayo have made him a necessary pre-championship presser.
Jon Rahm walked in with a sandal on his ailing left foot and got temporarily defensive as he did at the Masters and PGA when questioned about his performance in 2024. Jon continued to show his dedication to having historical context about what has transpired at Pinehurst in past U.S. Opens but after a media session, and consulting with multiple doctors Rahm withdrew before 5 pm. His major championship season is one event away, The Open Championship, from being an abject failure.
Bryson DeChambeau explained how he is a completely different person than he was five years ago as he pursues another U.S. Open title. He shared how he wants to complete the career grand slam and took it deep explaining his “run out’ numbers on the increasingly fast Pinehurst fairways.
Sitting in the interview for the session with 2014 winner Martin Kaymer was a little odd. There were four media members present, me included, and it felt like an intimate conversation as opposed to a press conference. Martin has always been a delightful guy and gave great perspective on seeking a level of play anywhere close to where he was 10 years ago.
Rory McIlroy was a late arrival on the property. He entered the press building in sweats from head to toe having just arrived at the nearby Moore county airport. Having not played the golf course yet his session focused more on state of game and 2014 reflections as opposed to his gameplan. He shared how the only real goal he has, big picture, is to be considered the greatest European player of all time but that he is very proud of his body of work.
PGA champion Xander Schauffele has moved on from his victory at Valhalla and was emphatic that he’s focused on now and spent little time basking in the biggest win of his career. I conducted a one-on-one interview with him after his press conference for SiriusXM and he gave a great explanation on the challenges of missing greens at No. 2 and that the greater challenge is not only where to miss but the value of having the right angle into the greens.
World #1 Scottie Scheffler walked into the interview room at 4 pm after playing the back nine. He will play the front on Wednesday to complete his prep. I also interviewed him one on one and asked him if he had seen “Bull Durham” and of course he had not. I shared with him the line from Crash Davis, “A player on a streak needs to respect the streak but they don’t happen very often.” He attributed the streak in part to a stat I shared with him about him leading the tour in “bounce back” birdies. He simply won’t look back and does not project ahead. He is determined to be where his feet are. He laughed and said, “ask me about a movie that was made after I was born”. Fair point.
It was interesting to observe Brad Faxon, who will be a co-lead analyst on the TV broadcast, working with Vanderbilt all-American Gordon Sargent on the practice putting green. Sargent is a freakish ball hitter with extraordinary speed, but his putter is his weak link and with Mark Blackburn in place as his full swing coach and now Faxon being a part of the team Sargent is locked in with elite instruction.
I spent 20 minutes talking with legendary club professional Bob Ford. Ford is the first tee announcer for the U.S. Open and is also a past Bob Jones award recipient. Ford shared with me that his former club, Oakmont, the host of the 2025 U.S. Open is looking spectacular after restorative and renovated work under the direction of Gil Hanse.
I walked across the entire footprint of the property on Tuesday, and I think the USGA has nailed it. Maniac Hill, the driving range at the resort, has been converted into a hospitality village. Huge big screens, countless food vendors, a mini merchandise building provide a massive area to eat and drink and watch golf in the heart of the property just to the left of the 18th hole.
I caught up with executive producer of the television broadcast, Tommy Roy of NBC, and got his thoughts on the presentation of the golf course. Tommy is a golf nut, and he will ensure that every single player in the field will be seen hitting a shot over the course of the first two days. He believes if you make into the U.S. Open you deserve to be seen on the broadcast.
The scale of the build out on 18 will give the closing hole a grand look. The multi-level structure running up the left side of the hole that wraps into the clubhouse in the rear is the kind of stage that is appropriate after last year’s 18th hole at Los Angeles Country Club that didn’t allow for a massive structure on the 18th hole because of the proximity to the 1st hole at LACC.
Tee times released Tuesday revealed that world number 1, 2, and 3 Scheffler, Schauffle and McIlroy will play the first two rounds together. In the late/early wave.
The final day of prep awaits which will include the USGA press conference from Mike Whan and John Bodenhamer and expect them to be asked about exemptions, world rankings, LIV golfers and the anchor sites.
A day closer to the 124th US Open.
Page 2 of 8«12345...»Last »
