Three players who may have the patience to conquer Chambers Bay
MANY of the players who are regarded as the finest of all time have failed to win a US Open including Sam Snead, Phil Mickelson, Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, to name a few. You have to have loads of patience to win the US Open Championship because you will have bad holes, bad bounces and bad lies.
Never before in the history of the game have there been more players who are able to win tournaments. I have chosen three players who all have the experience to manage their way around the Chambers Bay golf course.
Firstly, Jordan Spieth. Even though he didn’t have success on this golf course when he played in the US Amateur, he does have the advantage of having played it in competitive conditions. Another plus is that his caddie is very familiar with the course as he lives nearby. My top reason for fancying Spieth, however, is his attitude. He is calm and patient. He plays golf likes he’s got an old man’s head on him.
He will accept a few bad shots and bad bounces and not allow himself to get flustered. Spieth is also the best putter in the game. He holes more putts over three metres than anyone, except Tiger in his prime.
Jordan will have to manage all the media pressure. He’s the American darling at the moment, as well as being the only player who can win the Grand Slam in 2015. He’s also been touted as “the next Tiger Woods” which is something the Americans need badly. Fortunately he doesn’t read anything to do with golf, so perhaps a lot of that will be avoided.
His other test will be to manage the pressure he puts on himself. He has high goals and they include becoming the No 1 golfer in the World and winning majors. With only four majors each year there’s lots of pressure to win. Nicklaus & Tiger were masters at preparing themselves and then managing the pressures.
My second pick is Graeme McDowell. I wanted to choose a real outsider, but let’s not forget that he has already won a US Open. Graeme is one of the smartest players around and he grew up playing this type of golf. Give him some wind and rain and he will be in his element. He also thrives on pressure. He’s like a little bulldog. When he gets a sniff of the lead he won’t back off. While there will be many, many players who will be slating the golf course and with that, writing themselves off, McDowell will always be positive.
On the other side of the coin I have to ask myself if he putts well enough? On a golf course like Chambers Bay you are going to have to make loads of one to three metre putts to save par. Then you need a few longer ones to go in each day for wellearned birdies.
My other worry is whether he will be long enough off the tee, but that will depend on how the USGA sets up the golf course. It can play up to nearly 7700 yards, which at sea level is very long. Mike Davis, who sets up the courses for the USGA events, has the reputation for changing the course around and adding variety, which will favour McDowell.
My third pick is Branden Grace. He is our in-form player and has a game that is ideally suited to Chambers Bay. He won the Dunhill Cup at the golf courses around St Andrews so his love for links golf is well known.
He may be the best wind driver of the golf ball in the world. He hits low drillers that run for miles when they hit firm fairways. When Branden’s confidence is up he can beat anyone and he will never play on a US Open golf course that suits his game better than Chambers Bay. Branden is unfortunately a very streaky player and that’s mostly because of his putting. When he has his eye in on the greens he’s a potential winner, but when not, he’ll be struggling.
Another worry is whether he has the temperament to keep going for four gruelling rounds of the US Open. Every hole for 18 holes each day is a test. There’s no let up, especially if the weather is cruel.
Tiger, of course, is not going away. He’s been spotted practising at Chambers Bay in the weeks leading up to the US Open. He clearly learnt from Jack Nicklaus that preparation is the key. Learn all the nuances of the golf course and try to play it in all different conditions so you are ready for anything.
Fifty years ago, two weeks before the US Open, Jack Nicklaus approached Gary Player and asked when he was going down to Bellerive to practice. When Gary replied that he would be there the Monday of the event, Jack said; “Oh, so you are not serious about winning it.” Gary changed his mind and joined Jack for a full week of practice before that Open and promptly won it in extra time after a play-off with Kel Nagle. That was the last leg of his Grand Slam and at the time he was only the third man ever to win the Grand Slam, joining Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan.
Tiger is now in the middle of another swing change with a new coach. He must be the first top class golfer who has been coached into becoming worse. I just dont think that Chambers Bay isn’t the type of golf course for Tiger to make his comeback.
SHORT PUTT “You’ve got a good idea as to what the questions are going to be. But how to record the best answer is another matter.” Nick Faldo equating the US Open to an exam