2016 US Open- Oakmont

[cshea]

Welcome to Oakmont.

Oakmont will have more of a traditional US Open feel after Chambers Bay. Deep, thick rough and lightning fast greens, though it is not as long as some of the recent venues (7,200). Davis said they aren't really changing the setup from 2007 when Cabrera won it at +5. Great test, one of, if not the toughest course in America.

 

[Koufax]

288 yard par 3? That's nuts.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I'm actually excited to see how Fox improves on the broadcast from last year. They were not afraid to try new things and while most of it kind of sucked, I want to see what else they come up with to push the envelope.

 

[BigMike]

288 yard par 3? That's nuts.

Is that basically the maximum they will play it or is that basically the worst case one day, and it may move into the 240's other days. Could get real hard if the wind kicks up

So glad to have it back at Oakmont after that joke last year. while I am sure there were some Fox things last year that annoyed me, my rage against Chambers Bay kept me from noticing

 

[Sox and Rocks]

I'm actually excited to see how Fox improves on the broadcast from last year. They were not afraid to try new things and while most of it kind of sucked, I want to see what else they come up with to push the envelope.

I agree with this, though they also seem to get too creative when it's not needed. Last year they went with new camera angles for puts, and most of the time the angle was so far you couldn't even see the hole.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

They only need to get one or two things right to have a positive impact on golf coverage. They'll get a lot wrong, but I like that one of the networks is trying different things.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Double post.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Holy fuck, there are going to be some high scores at Oakmont if the greens stay like this.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Ricky Fowler posted that to Snapchat, btw. Golf Digest saved it to their Instagram.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

That looks like a ball rolling down a driveway

 

[Koufax]

Well now the 288 yard par 3 looks reasonable if the whole thing is a putting green. Just give it a tap and watch it sail away.

 

[cshea]

There's also this video floating around. Rough near the 17th green.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

 

[grsharky7]

Heading over to Oakmont today and Thursday. I've had the chance to play Oakmont several years ago through some connections and it was ridiculous. I would have mental issues if that was my home course. The members there love their fast greens.

 

[Byrdbrain]

On "Live from the US Open" last night on the Golf Channel the superintendent said they needed to slow down the greens this week. Based on the video upthread I don't hope they are going to slow them down a bit more. He said they typically run 13 to 14 and they are shooting for 13 this week.

Obviously the rough can't be like that normally or even a single digit would shoot about 120 on that course.

 

[Lupe Whalewatch]

The greens at Oakmont roll 13.5 + for regular weekend member play. The USGA said they will actually slow them down for the US Open to 13.

 

[Lupe Whalewatch]

Or what byrdbrain said!

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Oakmont is its own deal. Poa annua greens that are fast all year. Anyone can get greens fast for a week, Oakmont is the only place I know that can roll them 13+ for every week they are open. Members get to walk around, play that course, and make comments like "Mickelson and Tiger would whine like a bitch if we kept them this fast for the US Open."

It's going to be a great week. The primary rough cut makes it somewhat more playable. These guys can play great, miss 5 fairways and shoot 80. They'll be some loud numbers.

 

[TFP]

I'm soaking up all of the Oakmont lore this year. I'll be honest I wasn't a big enough of a golf fan back in 2007 to understand it, nor do I know it's history well enough.

I'm enthralled, and this course seems like the real deal. I can't wait to see this weekend, and most importantly because it's not a gimmick. It truly seems like the members play this course in these conditions all the time, this is just what it is. I love it.

 

[CodPiece XL]

288 yard par 3? That's nuts.

You just reminded me of hole 6 at Old Union in Blairsville, 303 yard par 3 from the tips.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Majors on this course have been won by friggin studs absent a few years. I walked the course on Thu/Fri in '83 because our club pro qualified. He was a really good player and had to learn how to hit chip shots around the green that week because it was so thick. Normal chip strokes just didn't work. He played a practice round with Tom Watson and Watson pretty much walked him through how to get it out of the rough around the greens. Basically all the pros had to put that really heavy Ben Hogan sand wedge in the bag for the week. It was the Ben Hogan Special SI if anyone remembers them. Really heavy and useless outside of 40-50 yards. I remember he had to play it back in the stance and just chop down on it with that wedge and it would pop out and roll out. They had zero touch on those chips. It was all about just getting it on the green. Not sure how the rough around the green is this year, but in 83 it was brutal.

51 PGA - Snead
53 USOPEN - Hogan
62 USOPEN - Nicklaus
73 USOPEN - Miller
78 PGA - John Mahaffey
83 USOPEN - Larry Nelson
94 USOPEN - Els
07 USOPEN - Cabrera

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I forgot that Els won that '94 Open, good stuff.

 

[CantKeepmedown]

Steve Elkington was just on with Jim Rome. He said that places like Augusta have a few holes that play really tough and you're lucky to par (#11 for instance). He said all 18 at Oakmont are like this. He figures +4 would win, and that would be an amazing score. He thinks McIlroy wins

 

[Average Reds]

Oakmont is its own deal. Poa annua greens that are fast all year. Anyone can get greens fast for a week, Oakmont is the only place I know that can roll them 13+ for every week they are open. Members get to walk around, play that course, and make comments like "Mickelson and Tiger would whine like a bitch if we kept them this fast for the US Open."

It's going to be a great week. The primary rough cut makes it somewhat more playable. These guys can play great, miss 5 fairways and shoot 80. They'll be some loud numbers.

I am headed to a member-guest at a club that is like this. Philly Country Club keeps their greens at 13-14 for the members and slows them down to 12 or so for the member-guest in the name of pace of play. (The members there all grouse about how the greens are slow for the guests, and i've heard one or two comments that are identical to the ones you mention about Oakmont.) I should note that even with the "slow" speeds this weekend, I've never seen a club that is so relentless in terms of rolling the hell out of the greens.

Good times.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

That sounds awesome. I love fast greens provided the guy setting the pins has a clue and doesn't cut the cup on a slope. Sounds like a good time.

 

[The Napkin]

Scattered thunderstorms in the forecast for tomorrow. Something to keep an eye on.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

I can't fucking wait. And there are hours and hours of coverage.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

I'm torn on who I think will win. A guy who hits it long, or a guy that might hit it shorter and keep it in play more. The list I posted is pretty much guys that bombed it in the day, so length has won at Oakmont, but Larry Nelson is the other type and he's on the list. Speith may be the perfect player for this course. Not too long, great putter. Either way, it's going to be awesome.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Yeah I think the premium is on accuracy off the tee and putting this week.

I Placed my bets before really getting a feel for the set up but I went with Horschel, Dufner and chappel, all 80 or 100-1, so I went long shots on spec, but otherwise I don't see the point of betting golf so it is what it is.

 

[johnmd20]

I'm torn on who I think will win. A guy who hits it long, or a guy that might hit it shorter and keep it in play more. The list I posted is pretty much guys that bombed it in the day, so length has won at Oakmont, but Larry Nelson is the other type and he's on the list. Speith may be the perfect player for this course. Not too long, great putter. Either way, it's going to be awesome.

You need to hit the ball on the long side to win a US Open. The distance is important but also the strength long hitters have to get the ball out of this rough. And you need serious putting skills. This is why DJ won't win the Open this year or, at this point, ever. He's just too sloppy. Phil too, even when he's locked in he always blows a ew too many putts.

Horschel isn't a bad pick but I think Dufner's putting is too shaky.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

I'll have a better opinion once they get through today. Need to see exactly what we're talking about regarding the rough near the fairways and the rough around the green. If you can advance the ball to the green from the rough next to fairways, long players will be OK. But if its real deep and penalizing, and you have to play SW back to the fairway, an accurate guy regardless of length will win. I'm curious as to how deep the cuts are. I saw some green shots on TV yesterday and it didn't look too bad.

 

[cshea]

Rough:


Watching the Spieth group and DeChambeau's first putt went about 30 feet past the hole.

 

[TFP]

Watching the Rory/Rickie group and Rory was in a fairway bunker off the 2nd tee. The lip was higher than his head and he could only blast it out.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Watching the Rory/Rickie group and Rory was in a fairway bunker off the 2nd tee. The lip was higher than his head and he could only blast it out.

In Phil's PC yesterday, he said that he wasn't even practicing out of the fairway bunkers because all you can do is take your medicine and blast out of them.

 

[TFP]

And Rory and Rickie did it again on 3, and are taking their medicine.

Rory is "running a little hot" right now according to the walking announcer.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Rob with 2 bogies in first 3 holes but followed with 4 straight pars. 2 over thru 7.

 

[thehitcat]

Rory with a putt coming for Eagle. I just tuned it but he looked good on the two shots I've seen. Or a chip...

 

[steveluck7]

Horn just sounded. play suspended due to impending lightening

 

[BigMike]

Back at play, Spieth hits a poor chip and takes Bogey. Then he hits an awful tee shot on 15, but is saved, I guess by the wet. He somehow stayed up in one of the grass areas, between the mini church pew bunkers on 15

 

[BigMike]

Very different course than they practiced on all week, and also that was expected. Very soft now after the rain. Long Iron shots stopping on a dime on the green

 

[drtooth]

Andrew Landry started on the back and is -4 through 12.

 

[steveluck7]

watching online... it sounds like they have mics inside the cup. sounds like a video game!

 

[Freddy Linn]

The cup microphones are cool for the banter they pick up but suck for holed putts.

 

[BigMike]

Bubba just made a putt on 11 that took over 13 seconds from strike into hole. Looked like maybe 50 feet, but it went that slowly

 

[BigMike]

And now we are paused again. Should be a short one, but bummer

 

[cshea]

Looks like Rob made a birdie on 4 before the horn blew. +1 through 13.

 

[BigMike]

Spieth last shot before the current delay. He was 116 yards out on 17. Hit a shot right over the flag, 10 feet long, the ball backed up missing the cup by about a foot, then continued backing up took a hard turn to the left, and ended up rolling all the way down into the big mouth bunker. Jordan was not amuzed.

 

[johnmd20]

Spieth last shot before the current delay. He was 116 yards out on 17. Hit a shot right over the flag, 10 feet long, the ball backed up missing the cup by about a foot, then continued backing up took a hard turn to the left, and ended up rolling all the way down into the big mouth bunker. Jordan was not amuzed.

He was very much not amused. He's screamed, "Are you kidding me? That's in the bunker?"

 

[BigMike]

He was very much not amused. He's screamed, "Are you kidding me? That's in the bunker?"

He did managed to avoid the string of F bombs that would have come from a former #1 in that situation. Although he did let a "that is total crap" slip out.

 

[finnVT]

Had some crazy downpours come through Oakland (maybe 10 miles west of Oakmont) about 10-15 minutes ago. Stopped now, but still looking pretty ominous.