U.S. Open Recap: How the USGA almost ruined another major

The U.S. Open is settling into the rear-view mirror, but the issues the USGA brought upon themselves are not. There are some much-needed changes that the organization must consider going forward.

The 2018 U.S. Open brought plenty of drama out of Shinnecock Hills. And while the lasting imagery, to me at least, will be that of Brooks Koepka winning his second straight national title, that won’t be the same for everyone. For many, the long-term memory will be the way the USGA almost ruined its premier event.

The key word in that phrase, of course, is “almost”. While there are plenty of vocal critics who believe that this U.S. Open was an abject failure, I disagree. The USGA did plenty of things wrong, but the good news is, they can fix it all fairly easily going forward. Here’s how they can do it.

First, the organization absolutely must lose its single-minded focus with “protecting par”. Several players in this year’s field – and even some who weren’t – were abnormally vocal about the punitive setup and pin placements this year at Shinnecock.

Call them whiners if you must. All players had to play the same course – in theory, at least. The USGA, led by Mike Davis, admitted that the course had gotten away from them to a degree. Davis issued a statement on Saturday evening stating that the course conditions deteriorated late in the day due to “higher winds than we anticipated”.

I’m just not buying it. I didn’t then, and I’m not now.

Weather wasn’t the problem. Putting pins in places where a golf ball can’t physically stop was. And that was all done – you guessed it – to “protect par”.

I’m all for challenging the world’s best players, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. I don’t believe that every tournament needs to be a birdie bonanza, like many are. I just don’t think there’s anything wrong with great shots being rewarded with birdies, either.

U.S. Open needs more consistent leadership at the USGA level

There may not be a concrete solution for making the USGA less birdie-averse than they are today. It’s easy for me to suggest that they adjust pin positions or keep courses softer, but that doesn’t translate to every course.

What does? Consistent leadership and rules enforcement from the USGA.

More from Pro Golf Now

The biggest controversy of the week at the U.S. Open was Phil Mickelson’s decision to play his ball while it was still in motion on Saturday. It’s been written about everywhere (including two of us on this site), but believe it or not, the problem wasn’t Phil.

The problem was the USGA’s outdated, convoluted Rules of Golf. Mike Davis was 100% correct when he noted that Mickelson’s violation was related to Rule 14-5, with its mandatory two-stroke penalty.

However, it’s also clear that Mickelson violated at least the spirit of Rule 1-2, if not the letter. Those calling for his disqualification were incorrect, but why was this even a discussion?

That ruling didn’t have any effect on the outcome of the championship, but it’s symptomatic of a much larger issue. If the sport’s rules are too difficult for even it’s highest-level pros to understand completely, what are the rest of us supposed to do?

The U.S. Open specifically deserves better, and if the USGA does that, it will inherently trickle down to the rest of the golf world.

Next: 3M Open brings long-overdue PGA TOUR event back to Minnesota

Again, this year’s U.S. Open wasn’t terrible, not by a long shot. But it was on the brink of disaster after Saturday’s debacle, and it was saved by some great play on Sunday. If it weren’t for the heroics of Tommy Fleetwood and Brooks Koepka, things could have gone significantly worse.

Here’s hoping that the USGA learns from what happened at Shinnecock Hills, and makes a few simple changes to keep the U.S. Open as one of golf’s best events.

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