Live at the US Open - Erin Hills - Final Thoughts

Erin Hills – final thoughts.  Congratulations again to Brooks Koepka!

It was a blast!  It is a beautiful course and hope to play it one day – next year if we can swing it.  Erin Hills offered volunteers half off to play in 2016 or 2018.  Cool!

It was also enormous.  To put it in perspective, Chambers Bay is 250 acres and next year’s Shinnecock is 240 acres.  Erin Hills is 640!  Granted there is a large area that is not part of play that I believe they are counting but take that away and it is still gigantic.  Erin Hills is the first course I have ever seen where they put the player, his caddy and bag in a cart to get from green to tee because it is so far.  During the first two rounds players going from 18 to 1 probably had a 200 yard walk.  We were very tired by Sunday evening.  I cannot even imagine how tired the players and caddies were.

It is hard to critique an event that went so well – except for the 18 green situation on Sunday previously discussed.  Every time I think about the week the first thing that comes to my mind is this:  it did not feel like a US Open.  And I cannot tell you why but here are a few reasons that might contribute.

The size of the course.  Everything was so spread out one did feel part of the entire course and what was going on was lost.  There was so much space between holes in some places you felt like it was a three-hole course.  If there were roars they were certainly not felt or heard around the course.  The excitement for a great shot or eagle was contained and did not radiate.  The thought – wow!  I can’t wait to find out what just happened and with whom – was a rare occurrence.

The shape of the course.  It was in perfect condition but Mother Nature did not cooperate in that it rained.  A lot.  So it was wet and receptive.  The prevailing winds that give Erin Hills its teeth were unfortunately on hiatus.  That combined with the widest fairways known to man contributed mightily to the 16 under winning score.

I wonder if the USGA isn’t caving to pressure in that players cannot stand Even par winning any tournament.  This, to my mind, was always the best part of the Open.  It tested everyone and we fans enjoyed watching pros have to work at par.  At least I always have.  Welcome to our world.   The pros need to stop being babies and man-up to what has always been the best week of golf the sport has to offer.

I am not attempting to take anything away from the brilliant round Brooks Koepka put together on Sunday or the play of Brian Harmon, Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Thomas.  But the fact that Jordan, Watson, Reed were not part of the picture on the weekend did not help.  Rickie Fowler set everyone afire on Thursday, faded on Saturday and tempted us for a few holes on Sunday.  But he couldn’t quite get there – again.  And don't you love Xander Schauffele.
And then the trunk slammers – DJ, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose – seriously?  Nos 1, 2, 3 and 11 in the world?  What on earth is that about?  DJ just had a baby (well, Paulina did) so he was tired.  Day has had a very emotional year and hasn’t played well since DJ went on a tear last year.  Rory and his ribs/back and being a newlywed perhaps.  What in the world is going on?  I don’t have time to research their collective play up until the Open but if memory serves it hasn’t been stellar except for DJ until the Masters.
All that said about the best golfers in the game today it goes to show how incredibly hard it is to stay on top.  Great play and great runs come and then go.  Unless you are….

Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson.  The last 25 years have spoiled us with those two.  And it really isn’t because of the ‘rivalry’ because I am not sure I think there was one.  There were not many times they went head-to-head to win the biggies.  It was because they were bigger than life.  Golf life anyway.  Phil with his popularity, his go-for-broke play and ever-present smile made any tournament in which he played.  Tiger with his persona, that temper, that smile, 74 wins and 18 majors is likely someone we will never see again in the sport.

When Tiger and Phil played Opens as fans poured through the gates you could hear the same two questions over and over.  Where’s Tiger?  Where’s Phil?  What hole is Tiger on?  Did not hear either of those this year.   I know we will hear Where’s Phil again.  Not so sure about Where’s Tiger but I truly hope so.

We might have heard a few Where’s Jordans had he been in the mix.  Where’s DJ?  Where’s Rory? If they had been there.  But they weren’t.   We love the game.  We love to watch it.  But we love to watch our favorites.  We love to root for them.  It’s like that in all sports.  If Tom Brady isn’t playing it isn’t so exciting.  When Magic Johnson retired there was a void unlike any other.   We need our guys to be there even if they don’t win.

Phil.  His not playing was one of the strangest happenings in my mind.  I believe he did the right thing putting his daughter first.  But, why did the very small private school his kids have attended for years not realize the graduation was the first day of the US Open.  Graduation can be any day.  For some reason Phil did not seem overly troubled to miss the one tournament he’d give anything to win.  He never even bothered to go to Erin Hills to play it.  Not once.  He sent Bones.  Just odd.  But then so is the 25-year relationship between the two ending.  Not a clue.

Tiger.  Not much to be said about his sad story.  He brought so much to the game.  It’s hard to think about what he would have done in the nine years since Torrey Pines had he been a wiser man.   I would venture he thinks about it every day.  Maybe the golf gods will shine on him and give him a few more good years.  Unlikely at best but miracles do happen.

I am thrilled I have witnessed a great tournament.  Koepka is almost a household name.  The big boys will rebound for sure. Steve Stricker made the cut, played so very well and received thunderous cheers on every hole especially on Sunday.  That was very special.  The WI people say he is even a better, nicer guy than he is portrayed and that is saying a lot. 

Next year is Shinnecock on Long Island.  The Open is going back to the narrow fairways of an old, traditional course.  It will be a night and day experience.  We will skip next year and set our sights on returning to Pebble Beach in 2019.  Kind of a bummer but there are other places to go in June.

As always thanks to Jeff putting up with my passion and going with me.  He takes the pictures, reads the blogs for errors and omissions and has learned to enjoy it as much as I.  He’s been a trouper over these 10 years.  I can’t believe I started this journey in 2007.  I look forward to continuing in 2019.

Thanks to you for caring about my observations and thoughts and putting up with my occasional soapbox.  Until next time…keep your head still.

MK

The best for last...the USGA honored Arnold Palmer.  Each attendee on Sunday received this commemorative pin.  Very nice.