Koepka ‘W’ &
GETTY
Perhaps if Brooks Koepka goes on to become a big name in his sport, which golf people have been forecasting as a possibility for the last few years, we’ll all remember this as the U.S. Open at which a star was born. And certainly the 27-year-old played like one when it counted most, birdieing three straight holes — Nos. 14, 15, and 16 — to give himself a stress-free finish for his first major.
But I have to say, at least in presenttime, Koepka’s impressive game wasn’t enough to make this U.S. Open particularly memorable. In truth, it was pretty disappointing for the average golf fan.
After all, it’s the one tournament all year where you’re practically guaranteed to see the best players in the world struggle like the rest of us hackers at times. That’s a big part of the appeal, so the last thing you want to see is a John Deere Classic break out, at least in terms of scoring.
Basically, in fact, I sit down to watch the U.S. Open on Sunday hoping it delivers in three ways: 1. Star power. 2. Drama. 3. Misery. Unfortunately, the first-ever Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin gave us little-tonone of the above.
For starters, the golf course played far easier than the USGA anticipated, and for a governing body that is often accused of inflicting cruel and unusual punishment at the U.S. Open, it had to be painful watching birdies rule the week — all the way to Koepka’s 16-under par tying the lowest score in tournament history.
To think the week began with players whining about the penal nature of the knee-high fescue, to the point where the USGA responded by trimming the length of it on some holes.
Never mind that the fairways were 50 to 60 yards wide, the widest ever at a U.S. Open, which allowed bombers like Koepka to blast away with driver with little fear.
Problem was the USGA set up those wide fairways expecting wind to make conditions difficult, but the wind barely blew at all until Sunday. That and rain during the week, which softened the greens and allowed players to fire at the pins, made Erin Hills play more like your average PGA Tour stop than a U.S. Open.