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Originally Posted by Riverman
What were your general impressions of Merion?
Do you think it was a fair test?
What would we be most surprised by that we wouldn't be able to pick up on TV?
Hardest course you've ever played, and what else is in the running?
I thought it would be a fun course to play when not setup for a US Open. I liked the contrast of very short and very long holes, that in my opinion is better than a bunch of 460-490 par 4s for 4-6 holes straight. I think the course was completely fair. The greens were not that firm compared to what I expected, mainly due to the rain. Most surprising thing I would say is that you can only see your ball land on 7 of 14 holes off the tee. Sight lines are extremely important which they emphasized, but its not on just a few holes, but at least half of them.
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Originally Posted by mstram
Congrats on making the cut ! ... and on making 10 birds in a U.S. Open !
Obv q: How tough was the course - all time toughest you've ever played ?
How much tougher than the U.S. Am?
Where did you lose strokes ? (missing fw's .. grs?)
Did you have your "A/B/C" game ?
Definitely the toughest I have played. In college I have seen rough close to what we saw this week twice, but the fairways were probably twice as wide. And I have played courses with fairways of similar width in college, but with far less rough. As far as green firmness and speed it was not mind blowing...if anything slower and softer than I expected, partly due to the weather. It played much different than Cherry Hills, that course played firm and fast. The greens were much firmer there throughout the week and just as fast. The rough around the greens mihgt have been close to similar length but off the fairways it was much more playable in most parts.
I lost strokes around the greens (chipping/bunkers). I felt that I hit it OK throughout the week and at times that cost me, but the weakest part of my game this week would be short game I would say.
As far as ranking, hard to summarize all the parts together, but I would say driving B-, irons B, wedges B-, putting A-, shortgame C. I didn't play the Par 5s well (mainly 4) and that was due to poor driving or poor layup shots, sometimes both that didn't put me in good position to have good birdie chances. I also didn't play the middle stretch of the course that great (7-13) as a whole.
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Originally Posted by ClarkNasty
Great job.
Players were audibly complaining about the pins being unfair/on ridges on Friday, and about the 274yd par 3 being ridiculous today. Thoughts?
Comparison between this and Augusta in terms of being a test of your game?
Friday was hard cause the wind blew, I never thought anything was unfair, just some were crazy hard pins, like on 5 today...there was a very small area to stop the ball if you were putting or if you were chipping from short where most balls collected to keep it from rolling off the front left corner. I saw quite a few guys hit driver on 3 today which I don't think should happen on a par 3, when 7 holes later I would be hitting less club into a par 4.
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Originally Posted by homanga
Would you describe the US Open as a fair test of golf?
Best advice you heard from fellow competitor prior to or during tournament?
Story from 'cut watching' knowing it would be somewhat close…
Best/Worst shot of the tournament?
Yes its fair. I can't think of specific advice, more of what I learned came from watching the guys I played with how they played a course where you needed to control your spin/distance well into soft conditions.
Best shot: 2nd round, hole 17. Hit 5 iron from 206 to 4 feet to the front right pin.
Worst shot: 1st round, holed 17. Hit 4 iron into the grandstands a la Rickie Fowler today...fortunately they were empty.
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Originally Posted by Fountain City Kid
Compare the time schedule between the USO and The Masters. Did you feel more "rushed" (not the right word maybe) being shuttled around the USO? More pampared at the Masters? I guess how big of a difference did the other ~60 runners make? Were the AM's bettor received at either place or treated equally well?
The logistics weren't really an issue, it worked that way all week so I got used to warming up then hoping into the van to go play. You are definitely more pampered at the Masters, partly because of the number of players but also the mindset I perceive both tournaments to have. US Open is a great experience and they took great care of us, but Masters just rolls out the red carpet and will do anything you need to make sure you have an unforgettable experience. Amateurs were better received at the Masters mainly because members are much more involved at Augusta and they really appreciate the history of amateurs at Augusta and recognize amateur participation as a significant part of the tournament.
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Originally Posted by Zimmer4141
Where did you stay during the week?
Was the 3rd today over the top or did you think it was a proper hole for a tournament setting?
Anything specific you learned about playing on a US Open setup that you can apply to the next time?
I stayed at one of the tournament hotels. Most players seemed to be doing this. There were very few homes available for rent around the course because the USGA went in and rented out lots of the homes for merchandise, hospitality and corporate areas in the surrounding area.
Hole 3 was just really long, we played it like that in the practice round so it wasnt a surprise, and today was not a really difficult pin, you were just hitting to a narrow target from an effective yardage of 271. As far as playing the course, I know what to expect as far as difficulty, but course setup varies every year with the venue.
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Originally Posted by chucksim
Congrats on the showing this week!!!
Specific to one hole, was #5 as ridiculous and borderline unfair as it appeared? I was there on Wednesday and we sat watching about 5 groups come through. It was entertaining viewing (were I there for a competition round I'd have sat there all day) but I can imagine it being one of the most frustrating holes you could ever play (though it looks like you handled it like a champ getting through with only one bogey). Thoughts?
There just werent many hole locations even possible given the speed of the greens and the severe slope. You just had to hit good shots and sometimes that may not even be enough cause the margin for error was pretty small with such a severe green.
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Originally Posted by the_scalp
Could you talk about the mental effects of playing that tough a set up? Does having to be completely on for 72 holes to avoid big numbers wear on you in a way that a setup that gives you an occasional break doesn't?
If that is a huge factor, do you think that it's something that you, as a player, could grow in? How?
It puts more pressure on your game on every shot, especially off the tee. You know that if you miss the fairway then par will always be a good score and it could be very difficult to make par cause you could end up having no chance of reaching the GIR. Playing easier courses is definitely less demanding mentally because you have some leeway usually off the tee or around the greens where you know that you don't have to be extremely precise or pay the price.