Smoltz not the only one to struggle early at US Senior Open
By Eddie Pells
Rocco Mediate was in an early three-way tie for the lead at 2 under — in the mix again for a national championship 10 years after his epic, 19-hole playoff loss to Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open.
“I love our national Open. I don’t care if it’s the regular national Open or a Senior national Open, it looks like a U.S. Open golf course,” Mediate said. “It is a U.S. Open golf course. It will show you quickly that it is, if you hit it in the wrong place. That’s what I love most about the setup.”
Deane Pappas and Kevin Sutherland were tied with Mediate, with Billy Mayfair, Scott Parel and twotime U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen a shot behind.
Defending champion Kenny Perry was 1 over and not feeling all that bad about a round that included only a single birdie.
“Here, the greens, they’ve got you on edge,” said Perry, whose title last year gave him entry into the U.S. Open earlier this month. “I feel like I’m at Shinnecock again.”
The USGA took its usual drubbing for the course set-up earlier this month at Shinnecock, and though the spotlight isn’t nearly as bright here, the recordhigh forecast for this week (high 90s) has left tournament organizers ‘pacing” themselves when it comes to firming up the Broadmoor, according to the USGA’s daily course set-up notes.
Even when softened up for resort players, conquering this course takes its fair share of local knowledge. Virtually every putt — even those that appear to be aimed uphill — break away from the Will Rogers Shrine located on Cheyenne Mountain to the southwest of the course.
“You have to hit them a few times to trust you know what you’re doing,” Janzen said.
Janzen and Mediate trekked to Colorado Springs last month to play a few practice rounds and gain some of the valuable local knowledge.
Smoltz walked onto the Broadmoor for the first time this week. He hired a local caddie, Colin Prater, who was a Division II All-American at Colorado-Colorado Springs.