Johnny Miller not impressed with Erin Hills layout

ERIN: The US Open has traditionally had a reputation as the toughest test in golf, but benign conditions have turned this week’s championship into a birdie-fest, much to the lament of former champion Johnny Miller.

Justin Thomas on Saturday became the fifth player to post a 63 in a US Open, joining Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf and Vijay Singh but Thomas is the only one to do it on a par-72 course.

Miller, though impressed by Thomas, was not exactly in awe.

“Taking nothing away from nine under par, nine under is incredible with US Open pressure,” Miller told GolfChannel.com. “But it isn’t a US Open course that I’m familiar with, the way it was set up.

“It looks like a PGA Tour event course setup. I’m not sure where the days of the 24-to-29-yard-wide fairways that we played every time went. It’s interesting to see where the USGA has gone with the US Open, being a little more friendly than in years’ past.

“The course wasn’t designed to be soft, and if it was going to be soft, it should have been 26-or-27-yard-wide fairways.

“That’s what made it easy. The guys weren’t afraid to bomb it. It was never that way in the US Open. It was always about really tight fairways and having to be a great driver. This went totally against the tradition of the US Open.”

In defence of the US Golf Association, the wide-open course was designed and set up to be played in strong winds and with firm and fast fairways and greens. But the weather this week has not co-operated with ample rain and only light breezes leaving the layout at the mercy of the world’s best players.

Miller shot his eight-under 63 in the final round en route to victory in the 1973 US Open at Oakmont, and he will be more impressed if Thomas (pictured), or anyone else in contention, can put together a 63 in the final round.

“For one, the greatness of my round is the 63 in the last round of the US Open to win by one,” said Miller, now an analyst for the American TV network NBC.

“Everything else is way secondary. If somebody does it tomorrow to win the US Open by one, that’s the specialness of my round. And secondly, Erin Hills isn’t exactly Oakmont.” – Reuters