Golfing News & Blog Articles

Despite years of planning and the USGA’s extensive data on distance, it appears Bryson DeChambeau’s U.S. Open driving range work will force a Tuesday evening change to Winged Foot’s temporary fencing.

I'm told the USGA plans to move the netting back on the temporary range set up on the East Course. Bryson was bombing balls over it in the direction of parked cars. Send him out there with the scissors and add it to the list pic.twitter.com/1ritnMO25H

I’ve independently confirmed from two sources the veracity of Brendan Porath’s Tuesday Tweet based on an email to members.

The temporary range was not deep enough for today’s triathletes who’ve been armed with launch monitors, plant-based diets and conforming non-conforming equipment. And now the fence must move.

If you know anything about the USGA, you’re aware of the planning, refinement and expense that goes into a U.S. Open site preparation. Rarely does something like this happen. They’ve done this before.

We have a lot going on in American sports. It’s an unprecedented situation and sports ratings have been all over the map. But golf has retained its audience and even shown increases while most sports are seeing declines.

Then there was last week.

The final round of the LPGA’s second major and the 2020 Safeway Classic aired up against NBA and NHL playoffs, the first NFL Sunday, U.S. Open tennis finals, and major league baseball. Then there is cordcutting. And a pandemic. Still, not even at The Villages, where Golf Channel reigns with the non-coveted demo Americans, were many watching last weekend.

Golf Channel’s airing of the ANA and season-opening Safeway were lightly watched in the way Korn Ferry and Tin Cup reairings of reairings are watched.

The numbers from Showbuzzdaily.com are embedded above, with the previous week’s Tour Championship-Monday finish omitted (but covered here).

Lee Wybranski’s logo edition print.

The groupings are out and even with the field reduced to 144, it’s hard not to notice the size of those tee time windows. Times start about 12 minutes after sunrise and barring a shockingly fast pace of play, the last groups out will be playing well past sunset. Friday’s cloudy forecast suggests a Saturday morning finish is possible.

But hey, they’re playing a U.S. “Open” at Winged Foot, so what’s not to love?

Here is the field “by the numbers” for those wondering how many former U.S. Open Champions and how man Pub Links runner-ups made it.

Some themes are discernable but nothing like years past.

Of course, without fans I’m not sure why I’m even highlighting groups worth singling out to watch!

Adam Schupak at Golfweek asks all the right questions in part one of this chat with Johnny Miller, who, frankly is missed as analysts increasingly cheer-lead and coddle.

There was this on calling a crappy shot a crappy shot:

GOLFWEEK: Have you become softer and less critical when you watch the PGA Tour now that you’re no longer in the broadcast booth?

JM: I don’t know if the word is critical. I see things that the other guys don’t see. When I see those things, I want to share them with the public. If it’s a crappy shot, it’s a crappy shot, it’s nothing personal. If I say it is a great shot, I want people to think, dang, Johnny, thought that was a great shot.

Like in the 2006 U.S. Open, we saw Phil (Mickelson) make two mental errors. You don’t have to play it like you’re on a white horse prancing up to the green. Poop it up there with a 3-iron, hit a 4-iron somewhere around the green, up and in or worst-case scenario you’re in a playoff. That was the biggest fall apart in that U.S. Open on the last hole in history. Harrington bogeyed the last three holes to lose by two. Furyk bogeyed the last hole. Mickelson made double bogey. Montgomerie got hosed, I thought. He had to wait for like 5 minutes. I thought he got such a bad break there. Then he chili-dipped it short of the green and didn’t get it up and in. Never has the last hole had so many scenarios. It was just incredible. That course is tough. Oakmont and Winged Foot must be the two toughest courses in tournament golf.

Ah…let’s get Johnny on Zoom this week! Or Comcast Business Solutions. Or whatever it takes!

GW: What did you think of NBC reacquiring the U.S. Open broadcast rights?

JM: If I had known that, I might have gone another year. It wasn’t like I had to retire.

I realize the branding folks have taken over so the chance John Bodenhamer issued these exact words is slim. But when a player withdraws from the 2020 U.S. Open due to a positive coronavirus test, is it really necessary to highlight his good USGA stock?

Hopefully Scottie Scheffler and Sam Horsfield never experience symptoms. The condolence quotes on their WD’s announced Sunday and Monday, respectively.

“We are sorry to lose a member of the USGA family in this year’s U.S. Open field,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “Scottie has had a phenomenal rookie season and we look forward to welcoming him back to the U.S. Open Championship for many years to come.” 

Eh….”sorry”, “losing” and “family” member in 2020 just not a great ring to it.

“Sam has had an excellent year on the European Tour, winning the UK series to earn a spot in this year’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot, and we are disappointed to lose a player of his caliber from the field,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “Sam has a wonderful USGA pedigree and we look forward to watching him play in future U.S. Open Championships.”

Suspiciously predictably, Dustin Johnson was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year by his peers.

Vote totals were not available as of this posting, or ever.

Last week the PGA of America’s point system had Johnson a distant fifth in losing Player of the Year to Justin Thomas. 

For Immediate Release:

FedExCup Champion Dustin Johnson voted 
2020 PGA TOUR Player of the Year 

Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger filed a long list of thoughts and memories of Winged Foot. Contributions are shared from Davis Love, Jim Nantz, Dan Hicks, Dave Marr, Sandy Tatum and Dave Anderson, among others, with cameos by Al Espinosa Jackie Pung and Tommy Armour.

From the piece, filed while waiting for his COVID-19 test.

Dave was a peach. Years later, by dint of alphabetical seating in different press boxes, we sat near one another. Dave, who died in 2018 and wrote some mega bestsellers, loved Winged Foot, wrote about it often and would have been just the kind of Winged Foot member Butch was talking about. But Dave was happy playing on his side of the Hudson River, at Knickerbocker, a Donald Ross course in Tenafly, N.J. As a reporter, Dave got stuff nobody else did. In 2006, the last time the U.S. Open was at Winged Foot, Dave captured this little exchange between Tiger Woods and Mike Davis for the benefit of his readers. This is how he wrote it and it’s perfect:

“When are you going to get the greens faster?” Woods said.

Davis wasn’t sure if Woods was serious or joking, but it didn’t matter.

“What you have,” Davis said, “is what you’re going to get.”

I am nearly certain Tiger was joking. That’s how his sense of humor runs. Also, the Winged Foot greens have so much slope. They’re always fast. There are many stories about four-putt greens in events major and minor there. Likely some five-putt greens, too.

Stretched to 504 yards in anticipation of modern agronomy make drives go longer, Winged Foot West’s 17th bends in the opposite direction of the preceding par-4.

In the NBC conference call, lead announcer and member Dan Hicks tapped this as one of the holes he’s most interested in seeing.

But there's a new tee at 17 which is joined along the same teeing ground as 13 East. It’s brand new. It was put into play when they did the restoration on both the East and the West Course, and it plays over 500 yards from back there. 17's a gorgeous hole. That big Christmas tree that sits short right of it off the tee, which used to kind of protect the golfers that were coming up the other way from 12, is gone. So you see the entire hole, the slight dogleg to the right just kind of out in front of you, it's a gorgeous hole. They put some new bunkering down the right side, they added a couple bunkers down there that are going to test the guys from trying to bomb it over that. So that hole sticks out.

The green shape is another beauty and I hope the front right is pinable:

No. 17 at Winged Foot is a 504-yard par 4 with a green that was expanded in the 2016 course restoration by Gil Hanse. In the final round of the 2006 U.S. Open, Geoff Ogilvy chipped in to save par en route to his victory.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/8NQYhGD32P

Yahoo Finance’s Melody Hahm shares all sorts of amazing data on the upsurge in golf participation, lessons and sales.

It seems, again, that extra time and the safety of outdoor exercise in a beautiful setting is driving the boom and not any of golf’s PSA-fueled initiatives or the PGA Tour Commissioner’s claim of playing a part. Maybe that data is coming.

In the meantime, Hahm writes:

According to research from the National Golf Foundation, there have been notable increases in participation among juniors and beginners, along with returners, as golf has positioned itself as a healthy way to pass time during this crisis.

“The number of junior golfers (ages 6-17) could increase by as much as 20% this year, a potential COVID-related bump of a half million golfers by year’s end. During a time when many other activities were on hold, including youth sports in many instances, we’ve also seen increases in the number of beginning and returning golfers of about 20% during the first half of 2020,” NGF editorial director Erik Matuszewski told Yahoo Finance.

And this…

Super work by Mike Dougherty tracking down Hale Irwin’s 16-year-old caddie from the 1974 U.S. Open for this Westchester Journal News profile.

Peter McGarey is 62 now and traveling from Scottsdale with his son to volunteer at the 2020 U.S. Open.

McGarey randomly drew Irwin and got the experience of a lifetime watching the eventual three-time winner prevail in the “massacre.”

But they did have one early week issue.

“Hale was very nice, very strict,” McGarey said. “He was disciplined and expected the same from me. There was a set of expectations. I’m sure it was on Monday, I wanted to see Arnold Palmer. You wore those blue jump suits and Hale’s name was pinned to my back. Palmer was coming up to nine green so I was waiting. I had the bag with me and Hale grabbed the back of my jumper. He was not very happy.”

Irwin laughs about it now.

“Who wouldn’t want to watch Arnold Palmer?” he said. “We all did. I got to know Arnie better and better over the years. He was a great man and I don’t blame Peter one bit.”

The Southern Pines Pilot’s editorial board is excited about the USGA-Pinehurst-North Carolina deal announced last week amid a global pandemic that moves a few jobs, a visitor’s center and equipment testing to the region. Then again, they also wrote this:

The USGA is the arbiter, trend setter and final authority of golf in the United States.

Moving right along…

Economic and golf officials believe the USGA’s operations in Pinehurst can serve as a magnet for other golf-industry employers. Just as the club grip manufacturer Golf Pride built a new headquarters and testing facility out at Pinehurst No. 8, it’s not a stretch to think that other equipment manufacturers might cluster similar operations here, just as they do now in central California.

Well, it’s southern California actually. And yes, it’s a stretch unless the USGA is shifting its focus from protecting the game to growing the golf business.

Carolina Coastal Online’s editorial was less kind, saying the deal “smacks of cronyism” and could not have come at a worse time as the hospitality industry craters without government assistance.

We knew trouble was looming early in the week and to no one’s suprise, the artificial wall replacing the seemingly artificial corporate chalet proved instrumental in Mirim Lee’s first major win. Or, to put it another way, likely cost Jessica Korda the ANA Inspiration.

Lead host/announcer Golf Channel’s Terry Gannon took the strongest stance against the wall—dubbed the Great Wall of Dinah by Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols. And Judy Rankin explained the purpose of the wall to maintain the 18th green tradition which helped for context but didn’t help us grasp how history would view the moment. She later added this on Twitter:

Just one more thought. Today’s players are so talented that they would find a way to deal with an island green. Do not need an assist! Only one persons opinion. Thanks so much to ANA for making golf possible this week! Great Championship! Congrats to Mirim Lee.

Alan Shipnuck at Golf.com was on site at the ANA Inspiration and explained the ultimate impact of the wall.

The Covid-induced move of Dinah Shore’s old tournament from April to September brought higher temperatures and a springier strain of Bermuda on the firm greens, meaning that any player who went for it on the watery, do-or-die par-5 18th had a good chance of going long.

But instead of the players’ balls trickling into the water behind the island green, the wall served as a discordant backstop, taking all the risk out of what could have been a thrilling risk-reward hole. (It’s true that in the past there has been a grandstand set about four paces further back than the wall, but with fans barred from the grounds this year there was no reason to have any clutter behind the green.) 

Lee was the first to arrive at 18, two shots behind Korda, who was in the process of making an outrageously clutch 10-footer to save par on the 17th hole. After a good tee shot Lee had 215 yards left, leaving her between clubs; 4-iron might not get there but 5-wood would come in too hot. Going with more club was a no-brainer. “Our play was to hit it into the middle of the green, let it run into the blue thing and get a free drop,” said caddie Matt Glczis. “Without that being there we probably have to lay up because none of your long clubs are going to hold the green — it’s too firm.”

I’m guessing this is the least favorite hole at Winged Foot West for many because of its difficulty and whiff of awkwardness. Over-draw your tee shot and trouble awaits a second in the form of a 110-foot(!) tree. But a right-to-left play is needed to a point because the outside of the dogleg offers a better second shot view.

Unlike so many West Course holes, the approach to the green isn’t particularly inviting for any kind of run-up and the bunker foreshadowing the approach could best be described as, really round. The overhanging tree is also a bit much and hopefully won’t play an outsized role in this year’s tournament.

That said, another beautiful green complex awaits featuring a center ridge coming off of the right hand bunker face.

No. 16 at Winged Foot is a 498-yard, sharp dogleg-left par 4 that requires a tee shot past the corner for a view of the narrow green. The right side of the fairway provides the best angle of approach.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/k2dHjt7MqG

History, architecture and an epic clubhouse design awaits at Winged Foot for this week’s rescheduled 2020 U.S. Open.

At USOpen.com, Bradley Klein looks at Clifford Wendehack’s design, the many others he created and why he is the dean of golf clubhouse architects.

Ran Morrissett’s West Course review features plenty of details, critiques and some notes on characteristics might appeal to certain shot shapes.

For podcast listeners, Andy Johnson talks to Winged Foot historian Neil Regan who will teach you so much about the lore and design. A must listen!

They’ve had amazing finishes and thankfully the USGA has whittled down the drama into this 7-minute YouTube posting:

If you have more free time, this USGA film “Hale And Travail” has some incredible footage and moments from the 1974 broadcast.

If you were unaware of Saturday’s (mostly) social media goings on, a quick recap…

The PGA Tour reported no positive tests this week at the Safeway. That wonderful news tempered a bit by Mark Calcavecchia revealing on September 6th he tested positive and Tweeting Saturday that he is struggling with COVID-19.

Update from Covid-19 Ville. This shit is very real! And it sucks. I’ve never had so many symptoms hit me all at the same time. I keep moving around the house trying to escape it. Please be safe and wear ur mask. I thought I was but with this evil shit you never know 🤬🤬🤬🤬

The former Open Champion is the second known full-time Champions Tour player to have tested positive for COVID-19 and he deserves plenty of kudos for his disclosure despite still suffering from serious side effects.

Hang in there Calc and wife/caddie Brenda.

Barring a strong headwind, the 15th calls for a lay-up short of the creek, with more risk beyond 240 yards in the form of slope and trouble left. (A carry of 325 or so will get you over the creek, Bryson and fellow protein shake drinkers).

I know I’m beating this point home, but hit pause when the flyover reaches the green. The contours are somewhat apparent—a scary notion in midday light when seen from a drone—but it’s the shape of the green that is so fascinating from a modern design point of view. With USGA greens construction, capturing these nuances or even the upslope in the back left, is no easy task. The overall effect restores the green to a huge size but that extra square footage is offset by the difficulty of new hole locations restored and the intimidation factor lost when a green becomes more crowned instead of protected by rough.

These are factors to note the next time you hear a critic insisting green enlargement will make a course easier.

Anyway, on we go in advance of the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, courtesy of the USGA and Deloitte:

Winged Foot’s 15th hole is a 426-yard par 4 with a downward sloping fairway toward the creek. The closer a tee shot lands to the water, the more blind the second shot becomes, putting a premium on strategic play.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/w0L6ZWONys

Monday’s final round of the Tour Championship on NBC drew a 2.4 rating, essentially the same as the previous week’s BMW (2.23). However, that event finished later in the day and on a Sunday. It also featured arguably the most spectacular late dramatics since Tiger’s 2019 Masters win.

But the Tour Championship is also supposed to be the culmination of the PLAYOFFS(C) and now features an easier-to-follow, if flawed, format. Drawing a number consistent with other “Return to Golf” events might be disappointing to the event backers.

Also, TV folks say Labor Day Monday is generally tougher for ratings in normal times. Yet with fewer people traveling, not as many kids returning to school and absolutely no significant sports competition that day, this year’s edition seemed primed for a large audience.

The rating could be seen as a positive given that a fan-free East Lake was even more mojo-free than normal and the event lacked certain ratings draws.

Ratings positives courtesy of NBC and Golf Channel:

Heard someone place 45k on me to win the open at 75-1 (pays 3.3 mil)
Hoping for both of us I have a 3 shot lead on 18 tee.

You have to love Lefty’s sense of humor as the U.S. Open returns to Winged Foot where he had a strong chance to win in 2006, on of six (!) runner-up finishes in the national championship.

He replied to the news that someone has faith in his abilities next week, as reported by William Hill where the wager was placed.

Whoa! Someone dropped $45k Thursday on Phil to win @usopengolf at #WingedFoot for a potential return of $3.375 million with @WilliamHillUS in Vegas.

Guy may or may not have been wearing aviators and lost a lot of weight recently.

With the 14th, the mid-back nine closing stretch is where Winged Foot West gets a little less memorable in my view. While this 452-yarder features a beautiful uphill, obstructed view tee shot. I’ll be curious to see if the tight, bending fairway contour forces 3-woods off the tee. Even then it’ll still be a short iron in for today’s jocks.

That said, the 14th is a hole to keep an eye on. The green sets up for a right-to-left bending shot but lacks a greenside bunker that players from 2006 will not see. Instead, deceptive cross bunkers are its main defense in addition to the usual Tillinghast contours.

Dan Hicks, NBC’s lead voice on the broadcast and a Winged Foot member, shared this about the 14th when talking about the course this week:

But there are so many that are, they're all good and I think probably the hole that probably looks, it will look the most different from all of them is 14. It's got that little cloverleaf bunker over the teeing area as you go out to the fairway. They brought a bunker in that's going to, that could cause some problems on the approach. But the biggest difference is the tree removal. That 14th green looks totally different from the fairway because as you look up it has this infinity look to it, it's absolutely gorgeous. They took away that bunker short left of the green, so I think that hole will look the most different of all of them.

Here’s the flyover in advance of next week’s tournament courtesy of the USGA and Deloitte:

In golf architecture we have seen Mother Nature’s natural features accepted no matter how annoying. While design elements created by humans are typically met with derision.

Then we have unnatural objects accepted as part of a tournament setup: grandstands, temporary boundaries and other infrastructure. In recent years, grandstanding has become a thing at recent PGA Tour stops in Austin and Detroit, where players intentionally using unnatural objects to get a good bounce or drop.

And now, the ultimate backstopping at this week’s ANA Inspiration. The reachable par-5 18th, normally backed by a small stand for humans, features a blue tarp wall with sponsors promoted. However without fans, such an option was unnecessary and is not only stopping balls from entering the water long, but getting used as a backboard by those mulling a go at the green in two.

Ryan Lavner reports for GolfChannel.com on the player’s “surprise” at seeing the blue wall.

“I was actually thinking about what 18 would be like without the bleachers, because visually, that is just a protector for most of us,” said Madelene Sagstrom, who shot 67. “I know there’s water behind it, and I don’t think that would visually be a very nice shot to go for in two. I don’t really know the reasoning for the thing, but I’m kind of happy it’s there if I want to go for it in two, to be honest.”

First-round leader Nelly Korda said that fellow competitor Megan Khang threw a ball underneath the structure and it still rolled into the water behind the green.

“Honestly, I wish they didn’t have that wall there, because I think it would play really cool as an island green,” Korda said. “It’s, like, really close to the green this year. Usually the palm trees, you have to play around them or they come into play, but this year it’s very close to the green.”