U.S. Open 2019: Bold predictions for the week at Pebble Beach

There will be no war over course setup between the USGA and the players

This one seems like such a dead giveaway it’s almost not fair, but it’s come to be something of a routine over the past couple of years. The USGA comes into a course, new or old, and in their mission to “protect par”, or whatever they’re saying these days, they make it so unrecognizable that neither the locals, the players or even the fans watching on TV like it.

We used to like the U.S. Open for being the “toughest test in golf”, but perhaps we should have been calling it the “fairest test in golf” all those years. The governing body got so caught up in its own hype that they felt a need to trick everything up and punish players for having the audacity to think about making birdies.

News flash to the USGA: these guys are the best players in the world. We like seeing them struggle, but not to the point that we might as well be watching Saw. I don’t care if everybody in the field shoots 10-under for the week, as long as they’re dealing with a reasonable-yet-difficult standard.

While I don’t think we’ll see the USGA really ever pull in the reins on their desire to keep par a moral victory, I do believe they’ve finally seen at least some of the error in their recent ways. And if they were to somehow find a way to ruin Pebble…well, that might be the straw that breaks the camel’s proverbial back.

Justin Thomas was the guy who became the central focus of “Players v. USGA”, and even though he says the relationship between he and the Association has gotten significantly better, other players have been emboldened in their own desire to voice concerns.

With Mike Davis ceding setup duties to John Bodenhamer, and the appointment of Jason Gore as “senior director of player relations”, it’s clear that nobody wants this war to continue. A smooth, fair and challenging U.S. Open – with zero drama off (or about) the course – will go a long way toward making things better for the future.