Stars tee off on USGA over ‘bozo’ management of course conditions
Shinnecock Hills latest U.S. Open host site plagued by mistakes, writes
You don’t get mulligans in business at this level. How canthisteam keep doing this without consequences ...
Mismanagement of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, N.Y., had players boiling and calling for change heading into Sunday’s final round.
An apology by U.S. Golf Association CEO Mike Davis for unfair playing conditions did nothing to mollify competitors who had to suffer the results and were tired of a long series of gaffes in what is supposed to be a premier major championship.
“You don’t get mulligans in business at this level,” tweeted British golfer Ian Poulter on Saturday night. “How can this team keep doing this without consequences ...”
It’s an excellent question from Poulter, who also called the head organizers “Bozo” in another tweet. Failure to water the course to account for warm winds that were forecast well in advance resulted in dried-out greens and ludicrously high scores on Saturday, such as a 77 from then co-leader Dustin Johnson.
Only three players could break par, though there were 13 major champions in the field, and balls slid around on discoloured greens like they were on glass.
“No doubt we would admit there were some aspects to the setup that went too far, in the sense that well-executed shots were not only not rewarded, but in some cases were penalized,” Davis said Saturday night.
He added, “Frankly, we just missed it with the wind.”
The wind did exactly what the USGA’s own weather report had predicted.
This is the fifth consecutive U.S. Open with a controversy over course preparation or poor management under the watch of Davis.
Theothermajors—the Masters, British Open and PGA Championship — do not have such problems.
Only the U.S. Open has struggled to present a fair championship and decently regulated course.
In 2014, the U.S. Open was played on a Pinehurst No. 2 course in North Carolina that had undergone a peculiar renovation in which most of the rough was removed and a “crop scientist” replanted indigenous growth.
“Back where I come from, we call that weeds,” Bubba Watson said. Curtis Strange called it “everything that you have seen in your worst-kept lawn.”
In 2015, the USGA went to Chambers Bay near Tacoma, Wash., a raw, untried course with terrible conditions and poor visibility for spectators.
Hall of Famer Gary Player called it “the worst golf course I have ever seen in the 63 years as a professional golfer” and Henrik Stenson said the greens were like “putting on broccoli.”
In 2016, the USGA returned to a traditional course and setup at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, but disgraced itself by mismanaging a ruling during Johnson’s final round.
After Johnson’s ball fluttered slightly on address at the fifth green, the USGA took seven holes to inform Johnson that its rules committee would “review” whether to assess him a penalty.
Johnson then had to play the remaining holes unsure of what his score was.
Fortunately, he was able to focus and win.
In 2017, the U.S. Open went to Erin Hills in Wisconsin, another untried new course that was only a dozen years old. It was heavily criticized as too soft and wide and yielded record low scores.
“It isn’t a U.S. Open course,” said analyst and former champion Johnny Miller, a view many players concurred with.
Compounding the embarrassment at Shinnecock is the fact that the very same thing happened to the course in 2004: the combination of warmth and Atlantic winds made greens so unplayable on Sunday that play was halted while they were watered mid-round.
The USGA’s Davis had vowed there wouldn’t be a repeat of the error — only to repeat the error.
The USGA’s contrition only seemed to further inflame players who were already furious.
“Is that an apology?” Poulter tweeted. “Just grow a set of balls and say we (expletive) it up again.”
When the USGA released Sunday’s tee times, Poulter tweeted, “Thanks guys did Bozo set up the course or are the @USGA going to accept responsibility or just say ‘IF WE HAD A MULLIGAN.’” He added, “I would have liked about 6 mulligans today.”
Zach Johnson told Sky TV, “Unfortunately, they’ve lost the golf course ... It is pretty much gone. It’s pretty much shot.”
“It was not a fair test of golf,” tweeted Spain’s Rafa CabreraBello after a 76.
“Greens were unplayable, with unnecessary pin positions. USGA found a way to make us look like fools on the golf course. A pity they managed to destroy a beautiful golf course.”
William McGirt tweeted, “Mike Davis and his crew could ruin Christmas. #amateurhacks #give us our game back .”
And that was before anyone had teed off on Sunday.