2008 U.S. Open Preview

In anticipation of this year's US Open at Torrey Pines, Golf Digest (along with NBC) did something rather inspired. They essentially took a standard bar discussion and turned it into a televised exhibition. The USGA has become renowned/infamous for their skill/diabolicalness in manipulating U.S. Open tracks from classic courses into unplayable, life-sapping torture chambers. The fairways are brought in to widths of only 20-30 yards in most cases, the rough is thickened and lengthened to something resembling Billie Jean King's unkempt bush and you'd likely have a better shot at getting your approach to stick on your driveway than you would their rock hard and lighting fast greens. The question then became "What would an amateur shoot on an Open set up?" Golf Digest decided to find out. So, last weekend they had three celebs and a randomly selected amateur play Torrey Pines. They went with Tony Romo (a solid 2 handicap who tried to qualify for this year's Open), Matt Lauer (a high single digit capper), Justin Timberlake (also a single-digit handicap) and some random dude who was apparently a 7 handicap. So, what the hell do you think these clowns would shoot? I've literally spent hours discussing this with my more golf inclined/obsessed friends and my take was that Romo would break 100 but no one else would. Right now my index is 8.8, but I feel like on most weekend's I've been playing more like a 12 handicap. Back in 2004, in August, just two months after the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, I had the opportunity to play there. If memory serves I was playing to about a 7 handicap back then and was getting in almost two rounds a week (as opposed to my two rounds a month now). Unlike the foursome of Ams at Torrey Pines, I did not play the far back (black) tees at Shinnecock but instead played the blues (one back from where the members played). Furthermore, the rough had been cut down from the Open length and the greens were not anywhere near as lighting fast as they were when Reteif won their in June 2004. After a rough start—a double bogey 6 on the first—I played lights out for the final 17 holes shooting8 over the rest of the way to post an 82. If I had been playing anywhere else I feel like I was striking the ball well enough to shoot 75 or better. The point (other than backdoor bragging that I am awesome) is that Open courses are tough enough as is—and when they are set up by the USGA, they're practically unplayable. So, what do you think Romo, Lauer, Timberlake and Joe Schmoe shot? I'll post it later today in the comments section, but a one hour special on their round will air on NBC preceding Sunday's final round. Torrey Pines Torrey Pines is unique among Open courses of recent vintage in that it is has appeared on the annual tour schedule for years as the host of the Buick Invitational (not to be confused with the Buick Open, the Buick Classic, the Buick Shootout and the Buick Black Tie Optional). So, everyone on tour is more familiar with this track than most other Open courses. Torrey Pines also shares with Bethpage Black the distinction of being a public course selected for a U.S. Open. Anyone can get a tee time there…even Scott Peterson, who famously saw fit to squeeze in a quick nine after offing his pregnant wife. (Where's Kevin Harlan with his "No regard for human life" schtick when you need him?) And speaking of inhumane, TP is playing a monstrous 7600 yards this year. To give some of our locals here a flavor for that—local favorite course Whiskey Creek measures 6610 yards from the blue tees. It is the longest ever for an Open ste up, and in my opinion it's too long. For example, the 13th tee shot at TP now will require a 240 yard carry to reach the fairway. I'm not sure what Corey Pavin, Fred Funk and all the other nancies on the tour are supposed to do with that…cause the only things they're gonna carry 240 yards are their official "I drive it like a fag" suitcases…and in all seriousness, its just not fair, as it puts too much of a premium on bombing the ball. Longer hitters without a ton of craft elsewhere on the links have been "over-performing" in recent Opens. Guys like Bubba Watson and Angel Cabrera, who can carry it 240 with their 3 iron, finished in the top five at last year's Open…and haven't done shit since. Not surprisingly due to their respective lengths (ngs), Tiger (Woods, not Billingham) and Phil Mickelson have won no less than nine Buick Invitationals at TP between them, and Tiger has actually won the last four in a row. You will also hear no less than a thousand times this week that Phil Mickelson "grew up" on this course, whereas Tiger "grew up not far" from this course. You see, their adolescent proximity to the venue and not their golf skill will be key to their success here. For instance, if next year's Open is held at Washington Golf & Country Club, Slats is a 1 to 4 favorite to win in (while wearing shiny white b-ball shorts) because his childhood home is a stone's throw away from the first tee. Tiger's coming off knee surgery and hasn't played a competitive round in months…which is actually an injury that I'm guessing will live up to the hype. I'm guessing he's going to be rustier than Greg's trombone. Mickelson, on the other hand, seems like a good bet. He's got four runner up finishes in Opens, he won a couple weeks back at Colonial and he really fills out the upper regions of a golf shirt. Who else has been playing well of late? Stew Cink has 6 top tens this year and is no stranger to the Open leaderboard. 2005 Open winner Geoff Ogilvy has five in 2008. I also always like Jim Furyk at the U.S. Open—hits it long enough and has the short game and demeanor to close it out on Sunday. He also dresses like a cabana boy at a central American resort for some reason with those hideous button all the way up golf shirts, which I can only imagine are designed to distract from his hook-nose, baldness and god-awful swing. As my relative dark horses I'll throw out Charles Howell III and Justin Rose. "> more...