U.S. Open: Greens and Wind Won, Most Players Lost in First Round
A combination of wild winds, brutal greens and some downright confusing play combined forces to wreak havoc on some of golf’s best players in the U.S. Open’s first round.
Avert your eyes. The U.S. Open is producing some ugliness on the golf course. Part has to do with the greens. Part is the wind. And nobody knows what causes the rest of it.
How can Justin Thomas pitch over a green? Then hit up to that same green and have the ball come back to his feet? Because it’s the 10th hole at Shinnecock which the USGA manages to make unhittable and unholdable for U.S. Opens. That’s how.
Despite the lumpy, bumpy surface, and near gale wind gusts, a couple of players managed to score close to par, including Justin Rose who was 1-over for his round.
“Today is about eliminating a bad round,” he said to media after he finished playing.
He explained that flags were flying straight out when he arrived early in the morning.
"“I thought whoa, what’s going on?” he added. “Holes like 18, you could almost hit 3-wood today, but I hit driver and ended up going with gap wedge, so it made second shots much easier.”"
He also hit driver on No. 3 , and he was pleased to note that he hit 13 of 14 fairways, which he felt made the course playable.
"“If you drive the ball poorly, you’re in trouble for a start,” he said. “If you play really good golf, you’re still a bit on the defensive side.”"
He said he was trying not to leave any four-footers for comebacks on the greens.
“You can be putting uphill all the way to the hole, but two or three feet after the hole, it goes up and over and away. So, very tough to judge the speed,” he added.
Ian Poulter, who also played in the morning, said he typically didn’t enjoy U.S. Opens.
"“They’re difficult. They’re hot. They’re stressful. Feels like you’re pulling teeth every single hole you play. How I’ve got any left, I don’t really know,” he said to media after his round. “This week, I’ve changed my mindset. I’m here to enjoy my golf this week, to play freely, to go out and just say—you know, just go play golf.”SOUTHAMPTON, NY – JUNE 14: Ian Poulter of England waits on the 18th green during the first round of the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 14, 2018 in Southampton, New York. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)"
It worked. He played the 7th and 11th, two of the par threes, 2-under.
“I think to play those par threes in four shots was a big help to, obviously, posting 1-under par,” he said.
While he admitted that in every U.S. Open he has played, he’s been very frustrated and angry, this week Poulter was determined to embrace it.
“I enjoyed everything about the round,” he said. “I thought the set up was brilliant. It’s not often I’ve said that about a U.S. Open.”
He noted that the greens were soft in the morning.
"“We had a lot of moisture yesterday, which softened the greens, and the greens were a lot quicker to putt on today than yesterday,” he explained. “You’re going to find a pin position on a 3.5-plus percent gradient, which is extremely steep. You don’t normally see above 3, and here you have to.”"
The U.S. Open’s secret weapon: the grass at Shinnecock Hills
I confess, I don’t know what the greens at Shinnecock look like close up because most media members are not allowed to get very near the putting surfaces. But when I saw one of Jordan Spieth’s putts track toward the hole, hit something invisible on the green and take a jog left of the cup, I knew nobody was going to be happy with conditions this week. Basically, it’s the poa annua. They say it’s like putting on broccoli tops, and from the looks of it, it’s spring-loaded broccoli tops that knock balls off line on contact.
More from Pro Golf Now
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament
Poa annua is a strain of grass used a lot on the west coast in places everybody has heard of like Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach. But those who are not used to it can be driven a little crazy trying to putt on it because it’s bumpy. Poa is so annoying that Bayer, of aspiring and Claritin fame, also make a weed killer for it. In fact, the Bayer website calls it “the world’s worst turfgrass weed.”
That doesn’t stop golf courses from using it., and Shinnecock Hills is just one of many famous tracks with greens that confuse, confound and befuddle golfers, no matter what their skill level. When combined with a wind that stiffens flags so hard they practically salute, it’s a recipe for golfing indigestion.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson grew up playing on poa annua, so in theory, they should be used to it, but Mickelson shot a 77, and Woods was 8-over with holes to play.
Spieth shot 78. McIlroy shot 80. Those scores should give everybody some idea of how hard the golf course was on Thursday. The bad thing is the conditions are only going to get tougher as the week goes on.
Next: Father's Day 2018 Golf Gift Guide: Part Two
So, it’s definite. The USGA has returned to car crash golf. It’s so bad you don’t want to look, but sometimes you can’t take your eyes off of it because it’s so amazingly horrible.