T-Minus 24 Hours

Not sure where to start today's coverage, so how about with an old standby?

Everybody Talks About It...- Those of us that revere the great Scottish links have always heard that many of them, Dornoch as a notable example, enjoy their own unique micro-climates.  Invariably it buckets when we show up having prepaid the not-insignificant greens fees, but they wouldn't lie, would they?  That would be wrong...

So Shack links us to a gent named Cliff May with a meteorology blog, who tells us that this week's weather should be no surprise:

In fact, you could hardly pick a more ideal venue for the U.S. Open than Chamber's Bay in mid-June: 

1. Very low chance of thunderstorms or heavy rain

2. Mild temperatures that are easy on the crowds and players

3. Climatologically dry conditions (much drier than virtually anywhere in the eastern 2/3 of the U.S)

4. Low to modest winds.

That's ironic, because as much as they love their Fathers Day finishes, June is about as bad a time to hold the Open in the rest of the country.  And with Golf Channel on in the background, both Chris DiMarco and Graeme McDowell have compared conditions to Hoylake... but Hoylake 2006, not 2014.

Here's the potentially key insight from May:

The meteorology of Chamber's Bay is heavily influenced by the nearby Sound, which substantially moderates the temperatures year round. The course also slopes down to the Sound (see picture above and map below). As a result of these two factors, the lower holes tend to be cooler and windier, getting air coming off the nearby water.

So watch for under-clubbing on those finishing holes, especially late in the day.

P.R. Fail - The USGA is getting mostly high marks for the Open, though we admittedly should withhold judgment this week until we see balls in the air.  But Shack identifies two issues of concern.

First is a warning about noise from corporate tents affecting play off the 18th tee.  Here's Geoff's take:

So far so good on the logistics front here at Chambers Bay, as the USGA's Danny Sink and his hard-working team have things running smoothly. Even better, the rumors of a recent murder at the media hotel turned out to be nothing more than the handiwork of a particularly metaphor-adept reviewer at TripAdvisor. 

There is, however, one potentially unfortunate situation at the 18th tee. Corporate tents have been placed inside the old sand and gravel sorting bins leftover from the site's pre-golf days, one of the many fun touches here at Chambers Bay. 

Putting aside the peculiarity of corporate types living it up amidst the relics, the tents are the closest I can recall seeing to U.S. Open play. The potential for alcohol-infused noise come Sunday should be enough incentive to play the hole from the par-5 tee instead of so close to the chalets.

A reminder that this and the first hole will alternate pars, and this is the view of the Par-4 tee.  But c'mon Geoff, what's the background on that TripAdvisor story?

 Second up in this category, is this head-scratcher:

As most of you know, alternates at the U.S. Open are not allowed to play practice rounds even though the top two alternates stand a decent chance of getting in the event. It seems Australian Rice got some bad info and was told he was eligible to play a practice round. Rice teed up with former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, until the fourth hole when he was approached by a USGA official.

They literally came out and kicked him off the golf course.  Here's more from an Australian source:

Australian golfer Clint Rice had his clubs confiscated while attempting a US Open

practice round. 

Ranked No 1188 in the world, Rice is one of the top alternates - reserves - for this week's Open after shooting 66-69 in qualifying in Ohio, and he was informally told he'd be able to play a practice round on the Chambers Bay course.

His clubs were taken away and the 34-year-old Tasmanian was left to walk the final five holes of the nine he'd intended to play in conversation only with Ogilvy.

USGA rules state that alternates can use all the practice facilities, but are not allowed to play on the course proper. 

A USGA official later confirmed Rice had been previously given a document which stated that he had no playing privileges. 

Ogilvy said he understood the USGA rules, but that the incident was a shame.

So, Mike Davis tells the world that you'll have no chance if you only play two practice rounds, but we might have lads in the field that weren't allowed to play ANY practice rounds?  And, as Shack reminds us, amongst those clogging up practice rounds last weekend was...wait for it...Joe Buck.

Conditions Update - Phil is the gold standard in Tuesday pressers, conveying a wealth of information that we ignore at our peril.  We've all been struggling with handicapping the event, but a certain subsection of the chattering class has gravitated to bombers, I believe over-interpreting the scorecard yardage.  

So, how to interpret this from Phil?

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. - If you’re limiting your U.S. Open picks to long hitters, think again. Phil Mickelson said after his Tuesday practice round that he’s down to hitting driver on three holes: Nos. 7, 11 and 14.

During his practice round with Butch Harmon stablemates Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker and Jimmy Walker, Mickelson backed up his assertion by attacking Chambers Bay with his Callaway X Hot 13-degree wood. What changed? A firmer and faster Chambers Bay than two weeks ago where Mickelson had first sensed distance was a vital commodity.

That can't be bad for Phil, or for that Woods guy either....but why the change? 

“Two weeks ago I thought so, but after playing it today I don't think that it matters,” the birthday boy (45) said. “Holes I was hitting drivers two weeks ago, I was hitting 3-woods and even 2-irons. So I don't see it being as critical.”

2-irons?  These days that gotta be a bent 5-iron, no?

Who Knew He Was Even in the Field -  I've noted previously that it has to be difficult to listen as today's entitle pros dismiss your greatest achievement as if critiquing a $3 hamburger, but it has to be hard being Robert Trent Jones, II (please don't ever use Junior).

You're the eldest son in the first family of golf architecture, but your pipsqueak younger brother inherits the Open Doctor moniker that should have been your birthright, you want people to call you Bobby but Bobby Jones was already taken in your chosen field... a team of Viennese psychiatrists could make a career just dealing with your Oedipal issues...

If you've any interest in this long-simmering feud, this ten minute Jimmy Roberts piece on Camp David-like moment when Bobby and Rees allowed themselves to be on the same stage and exchanged perhaps the most awkward high-five in modern times.

But Shack captures the awkwardly-needy vibe of RTJ-two-sticks crashing Tiger's presser....I'll just excerpt Shacks lede and suggest you click through to cringe in appreciation:

Point missers and rally killers have been known to infiltrate a U.S. Open press conference, but it's rare to get a point-missing rally-killer, or worse, a point-misser rally-killer who wants attention. Chambers Bay architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., who slithered into Tiger's pre-2015 U.S. Open press conference to get himself a little more praise. Tiger didn't bite.

Bobby, if you need a friend, get a dog.

While we're on the Striped One, Gene (Vannah, I'd like to buy a vowel) Wojciechowski tells us not to expect much from Tiger and his "Ground under repair" swing (love the phrase, by the way), but adds this:

It is more than fair to question if Woods ever will win another major. It is valid to ask about the wisdom of another swing change. And it is perfectly legitimate to wonder why he doesn't follow the advice of the legend he chases: Jack Nicklaus, who has all but pleaded with Woods to quit caroming from one swing doctor to the next and, well, heal thyself. 

What I don't understand is how anyone could question his determination.

Errr Gene, you know who did recently raise the issue of Tiger's desire?  That would be one Notah Begay...and I assume that when Notah floats a meme it's been, you know, pre-approved.  

The AP's Tim Dahlberg goes all-in on his train metaphors with this:

That's not going to stop Fox from showing his every shot Thursday in a prime time telecast for which the network paid big money at a time Woods was still relevant. Woods still moves the needle, even if he no longer moves with the confidence of a player who once expected to win every time he teed it up. 

What has changed is we watch him not to win, but to see when he crashes. And on a quirky golf course that features trains rumbling through on a regular basis, Woods is a train wreck waiting to happen.

I continue to believe that anything that takes Tiger's mind off swing positions has to help, and the need to hit golf shots on a links may be what the swing doctor ordered...or not.

Architectural Notes -  A couple of random notes on my favorite subjects, first from our go to source, in this case on the uphill/downhill ninth hole:

I got to look at these distinct options this week and while neither version of the hole leaps out at me as extraordinary, both have merits. Ultimately, the slightly uphill version is more visually appealing from a pure golf shot point of view, while the extreme downhill version does allow for an interesting sight of balls landing and funneling an unusual trait for a steeply falling one-shotter. 

(Few of the world's great par-3s play downhill, especially to the extreme of Chambers Bay's 9th. Most are flat or play slightly up.)

Maybe you're more of visual person?

How's that for two completely different golf holes?  

And this is a fun little item on architecture by Keely Levins.  I've always thought that the hardest aspect of course design is making it play appropriately for all skill levels.  I know, that's not a blinding insight, but Keely goes in an interesting direction with it, asking three designers to design 

But the USGA thinks that Chambers Bay can handle the pros. It's exciting, but it made

me ask the question: How? How can a course be kind to recreational players while still challenging the pros?

We needed to get some professional opinions to answer these questions. To give the architects a focal point to start the conversation, I gave them a hole at Chambers Bay to think about. 

The 8th hole at Chambers Bay is the No. 1 handicap hole on the course. When you look at it, it's a decent-length par 5, but it's straight and has no bunkers. It defends itself by being so narrow, sloped and by having changes in elevation. 

I asked a selection of leading architects to look at this piece of land as a canvass, and to answer the question,"'If you were to design a par 5 on this plot of land, and had to design it so average players had a chance and pro players would still be challenged, what would that par 5 look like?"

 Mike Hurzdan is one of the lesser-known top tier talents (and a losing finalist for Chambers Bay) and had to me the most interesting take on the issue:

Dr. Michael J Hurdzan of Hurdzan Design says that he would first focus on tee position. "The more perpendicular to a slope that a golf ball lands, the less effect the slope will have on the ball's eventual fate via roll. Since the slope on this hole is left to right, the championship tee will be placed furthest left, enhancing the effect of the slope on the golf ball (read: making the hole much harder). But on the second and third shots, with widened landing areas, it would increasingly be up to the competitor just how much or how little they utilize the slope."

As for the higher handicappers, Hurdzan would install "a series of right side tees to give them the best chance of hitting (and holding) the fairway."

Random Notes - Did you catch Tiger commenting that all 18 holes seem to play uphill?  Big deal, on my home track all 18 play into the wind....  though there is a serious point to be made about young legs given that each round is an extremely hilly 8-mile walk.

Both Tiger and Jordan Spieth are happy being in the late-early wave, so that they can watch on TV how the course plays before going out on Thursday.  This is new to us but has long been a staple of Open Championships with their wall-to-wall BBC coverage.  Of course that assumes that it doesn't play differently in the afternoon...

Rory has been showing the right 'tude, specifically playing last weekend in the gloaming to see how it plays that time of day.... yanno, say on this coming weekend.  Gotta love how he's thinking...

And Shack does his merchandise tent thing, featuring far too much Seahawks colors for my taste.  Though does anyone but me remember that Rory was quite the Marshawn Lynch fan?

Hammer Time - I thoroughly enjoyed Cole Hammer's (and isn't that just the best name) presser, which had all sorts of great tidbits.  First was this:

Cole Hammer, the 15-year-old qualifier from Houston, told reporters that his first memory of golf on television was of Tiger Woods fist-pumping after winning the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. 

Woods, 39, nearly fell off his chair when he heard that. Yes, it made him feel old.

He also found himself on the range hitting balls next to World No. 1 Rory McIlroy...think he's have any memories of this week?  How about this picture of his practice round with his hero Jordan Spieth (he is, after all, from Texas):

I also liked his goal, which is to have his father, who is caddying for him, have a loop on Fathers Day.  I like it, but it's hard to imagine....

And this should be taught in PR-101:

Asked which players might get annoyed quickest at Chambers Bay, McDowell offered a fairly detailed explanation, suggesting it would be someone who doesn’t handle links very well. 

“Kind of looking for names,” the reporter asked. 

McDowell smiled. “I know you were looking for names,” he said. But he didn’t go any further.

And Josh Sens files these twelve reasons why this U.S. Open will be unlike any other, including this feature to help dull the pain:

4. THE GRASS

Photo: Getty Images

The highs and lows of Open golf are hard enough on the world’s greatest players. Makes one wonder how the spectators will hold up. It is, after all, the first time the national championship has been staged in a state with legalized recreational marijuana use.

Josh I'm relieved to see that it's a stock photo....I'd hate to hear that it ended up on your expense report.