Quote:
Originally Posted by pepper50000
how hard was controlling the ball out of the rough? I saw a lot of shots that the guys struggled with but were still going to the green between 150-180 and not just chunking out 60-100 yards. Is that how you would describe playing out of that rough? Thick but fair and playable?
Toughest hole? Easiest hole apart from 13?
So did this week tell you anything about your game? You must have a lot of confidence about your game and prospects making the cut at the US open. That is an amazing achievement. I bet your family is uber happy for you.
For the rough it depended how far you were off the fairway. They didnt do graduated rough, but within 5 yards or so of the fairway it was usually downgrain so you would get lies you could move it pretty good out of. If you were further off then it could be a crap shoot.
Hardest hole is 18, easiest besides 13 is 8.
There are some things that I want to work on after this week that I saw others doing well. Mainly short game and also better control of distance/spin. Usually my distance control is good but it wasn't as sharp this week maybe due to nerves. I have always spun it a lot so soft conditions didt make it a whole lots easier for me. I would have preferred it a little firmer I suppose.
Quote:
Originally Posted by POKEROMGLOL
A few questions:
-I'm a 5.3 handicap, just shot a 78 today on a 74.7/143. What would I have shot today at Merion, in your opinion?
-On TV at least, I was okay with the driver par 4. That green was pretty huge looking and driver receptive if you hit a good one. You could hear Mahan audibly say "hit a f*cking driver on a par 3"....but then I didn't hear any complaints on the sand wedge par 3 or the 3 wood par 4. Agree with that? Also, don't understand how pros constantly hit "4 iron from 246" and then from 270 they have to hit driver.
-Johnny Miller question: How nervous do you get? It seems like going from college/am golf to the Masters/US Open would have to have an effect?
-Now that you've made the cut at a major, what's next on the agenda? Club Championship? Member/Member best ball? You should turn pro. Seems like a totally wise decision.
Oh by the way, Tiger only beat you by one today.
95 would be a great round. My buddy and I figured that after round 1 at Augusta if he played very well he would shoot 85 and I would say he is a 3-5 handicap. Augusta is not nearly as difficult as Merion for the average golfer because its forgiving off the tee and the majority of the difficulty is green side. At Merion the entire course is unforgiving and greens are very difficult to chip and putt so I think you would shoot significantly higher on a normal day.
Guys hit 4 iron 246 because the tee shot on 9 plays 13 yards downhill and the pin was 35ish yards onto the green. Most probably were aiming right of it to the center where it is a shorter carry. The hole was also downwind
It isn't possible to describe how nervous I get. I was more calm at the open than I was at the masters. That experience definitely helped me.
I have a year left of eligibility and am close to graduating, I won't turn pro until I graduate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00cooler00
Congrats dude, making the cut at the freakin' US Open is ridiculous.
Similar to the above, what do you think the 5-10 handicap would shoot on Sunday? I know in the past I've seen on NBC celebs/randoms try to break 100. Possible here?
Also, I might have missed it but plans for the future? Do you have exemptions? Plans on playing the next tourney?
Making the cut at a major gets me exempt into second stage of q school this year if I chose to enter, but other than that I didn't gain any other exemptions. Playing the open gets you into the US Am, but I am already exempt. I have a tournament this Wednesday-Saturday, the Northeast Amateur, one of the biggest tournaments of the summer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UCBananaboy
Great work stads. I'm sure my wife got pretty tired of hearing me point out your name or face anytime you made it on TV coverage.
A few questions:
- How much impact did having the wicker baskets, in lieu of flags, have on the ability to gauge wind / direction when hitting approaches?
- Had Merion not had the rain leading up to the event, what do you think the winning score would have been?
- Any fun stories or encounters with pros that we might like to hear and you'd be willing to share?
- If you were the Tournament Director and could change one thing about how it was setup - what would it be and why?
- Best perk as a participant in the event?
Wicker baskets didnt make much difference to me really. I thought it was a lot of hype. There were flags all over the course. Every grandstand had 6-10 usga flags on top of it, there was a big American flag by 18, there was the blimp flying over head which typically was into the wind, and some of the cranes they put cameras on had flags on top. Also the yardage books have a compass oriented in the direction of the tee shot and approach on every hole, so checking the weather gives you a good feel. As well.
Hard to say what the score would have been. I think the setup would have been different if it was dry as far as hole locations and how much water then put on the course.
On Monday morning my teammate saw Phil and he told him that what we did as a team was incredible this year and we had a lot to be proud of, I'm paraphrasing but something along those lines. I ran into McIlroy and his dad early in the week and they said the same thing to me.