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US Open: Winged Foot ended up being exactly what was needed

By Christopher O'Day

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 20: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States reacts on the 11th green during the final round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 20, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MAMARONECK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 20: Bryson DeChambeau of the United States reacts on the 11th green during the final round of the 120th U.S. Open Championship on September 20, 2020 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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After an opening-round that seemed at odds with what you would expect at the US Open, Winged Foot turned it around and became exactly what we needed from this week’s major.

The first round of the US Open was supposed to be a jumping-off point to the start of a long, rough, backbreaking weekend for the pros. Instead, it ended up being one of the easiest rounds Winged Foot has ever seen.

That all changed Friday. From that point on, the course looked more like what we thought it was going to be. A punishing, rough, tough course, harassing the players constantly. Whether it was Bubba Watson trying to putt up a hill and watching his ball finish further away, and with a worse angle, than where he started.

Maybe it was Jason Kokrak sitting in a divot, and ending up behind where he started as well.

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The US Open was a tail-kicker, and it is exactly what we needed.

There were more times than you could list of players hitting, what looked like at least, good shots, only to have them finish in a terrible position. Sometimes, it was a player just reading something completely incorrect, like the putt that Rory Sabbatini hit that had no break at all, leaving him further away than when he started.

Even when players got close, nothing was guaranteed. Just ask Danny Lee, who six-putted from four and a half feet. Yeah, you read that right.

Winged Foot reminded everyone exactly what a course that is set up and designed to dominate the pros can do. After seeing 21 players shoot under par on the first day, we saw just three on day two, seven on day three, and Beefy Bryson as the only player, not just to shoot under par on the final day, but to finish under par as well.

It’s not just that players struggled to break par. It’s that many of them had rounds where they fell apart. Hideki Matsuyama shot a final round 78. If he shoots even, he finishes in a T-2nd. Matthew Wolff opened with a two-shot lead and lost by six after shooting a 75. There were plenty of guys to shoot 75 in the final round that still finished in the top 20, including Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.

Rafa Cabrera Bello… 78. Billy Horschel… 80. Lanto Griffin… 79. Thomas Detry… 81. Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Sebastian Munoz… 82. All of these golfers are fantastic players, and just completely fell apart to finish the US Open.

Next. U.S. Open: Bryson DeChambeau proves doubters wrong. dark

The US Open was tough. Brutal. Humbling. It’s also exactly what we needed to remind ourselves how great these players truly are.

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