The Best In Golf » US Open

10 People (Or So) Who Won’t Win The U.S. Open

thebestingolf — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:43:56 +0000

It’s that time of year again. With the U.S. Open next week at Bethpage Black…can’t wait… with all due respect to the great and near-great golf scribes in the world, here is B.I.G.s version of 10 (Or So) People Who Won’t Win the Open:

1. Blair “Wee Man” Leburn- although he has the prodigious length necessary to hit the par fours in two, his other nickname of “nice drive” should be explanation enough on why he would struggle in this most revered championship…plus he’s a fuzzy foreigner

2. Ed “let’s all paint our faces camo and get a cocktail” Butler- stopped at security for his Glock 9 to which he replied “What’s your problem? Never seen a handgun in a shoebag before?”

3. Michael “Did I tell you how good I hit the ball yesterday?” Scott- always played great the day before which is problematic in a 72-hole event

4. Ed “where is it, where is it, I can’t see that far” Hardee- just had his bad eye rebuilt which is a shame for those of us who love to tell him his shot went in the water when it’s really pin high 10 feet

5. “Touchdown” Tom Bair- all set to head to qualifying but stopped by police for the combination of a strong odor from the bag of Whattaburgers in his travel bag and the silver golf shoes he was wearing to the airport

6. Tom “Lanky” Pashley- qualified for several USGA events but will only play those held at Pinehurst #2. Just doesn’t understand why they don’t just move the Masters to The Deuce

7. Matt “Matty G” Ginella- too busy working on The Matty G Project- tracking down (stalking) the prettiest cart girls in golf and blogging about it.

8. Patrice Hardee- got the short game but not tall enough to see over the back tees at The Black

9. Mike “The Old Pro” Harmon- liberal Yankee press don’t take kindly to his rants on how if global warming was true how come the greens don’t come back ’til May and he can’t cut that 1-iron like he used to?

10. Laura ” waive the bleed and you’re over” Sequenzia- backed out of special exemption when told nearest decent Tapas bar over an hour away

11. John “what’s our tee time tomorow?” Rusher- has completed the Grand Slam numerous times. Author of the bestseller “How to Attend All Four Majors and The Ryder Cup on $5 a Day.”

12. Jim “Tiger” Woodring- in a spring cleaning frenzy got rid of all but 22 pairs of his golf shoes…not sure that would last the week

13. Marion “The Governor” Moore- a true contender but Open is same weekend as Carolina Dixie 4-ball Senior Team Championship…playing in Walterboro this year, Thatababy!!!

14. John “another seabreeze if you pleeze” Corder- finds the 6-hour round a little too quick for his taste…just kiddin’ Boogalee.

So, there you have it. Everybody wants to tell you who will win the Open but only Best In Golf tackles the tough issues. Cheers and see you on the couch.

Mediation

thebestingolf — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:01:00 +0000

Mediate: verb (mee-dee-eyt) def. to settle disputes as an intermediary between parties; to reconcile.

If not for a couple of the most clutch putts in major championship history, both by His Tigerness on number 18, Rocco just might have mediated The Great One right out of his 3rd U.S. Open, reconciled him out of his 14th major.

Of course almost doesn’t usually mean much but in this case it might. Scott Hoch, Doug Sanders, Mike Donald, Bob May, among a million other almosts don’t have what Rocco has…that “would talk to a tree” everyman charm.

Getting beat by Rocco for Tiger could have been a monumental setback…think about it, the guy looks like your butcher, not a golfer…and that’s why those of us closing in on a half-century love it, and him so much…I’m a big fan of Tiger but damn I wish Roc would have won.

Now Tiger’s out for the year…he literally won the Open on a broken leg. I say we give him a cart for the British Open, The PGA, and the Ryder Cup.

A serious question for you: Are we living in not the best era af golf but the worst? I know I’m approaching adulthood but when Jack wasn’t playing didn’t we have Trevino, Weiskoph, Watson, Miller, Kite, Crenshaw, Floyd, Irwin, etc.?

We’re worried that without him golf is over for the year. is it that sad?

Things To Do Before You’re A Loose Impediment Part I

thebestingolf — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:30:00 +0000

Last week I did something you need to do.

Blair and I were guests of Golf Digest for the US Open. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and headed for Oakmont. The majesty of this golf course is well chronicled…and should be.

What a sight this monster is from the top of the hill looking down on numbers 2, 3, and 4.

Unfortunately the skies opened up as soon as we acquired our first cocktail so we were forced to sit in the air conditioned open bar for a couple of hours before it cleared…brutal I know.

We had a great couple of days hanging with our buds Meg, Jen, Tom, and Jim.

Our hospitality passes were waaaaaay too good for us to see much of the golf course Friday. We did amble out into the mayhem at about 2:00 but once we hit the wall of true golf fans, we made a hasty retreat back to the safety of the tent and it’s 100 TVs…”Sea Breeze here please”

But the indisputable highlight of the trip was a round at Latrobe CC complete with a King sighting.

As all Best In Golf readers know Arnold Palmer grew up on these fairways and greens…and mowed both I’m sure.

The sense of history for a golf fan is as strong as the 11th at Charleston CC. I’ll probably need a few more shots at it before I could play AP…he knows the course pretty well.

We were welcomed by Jerry Palmer (pictured) with a warm smile and firm handshake telling us how happy he was we were there…was he kidding?

It was obvious from his likeness to his brother as well as his friendly, unforced, known you for years demeanor that this was a man educated by the same Dad as The King himself.

I didn’t expect much of the golf course. After all this is a working man’s club where the local dry cleaner, car dealer, and podiatrist throw in 10 bucks on Saturday morning and play for it…dollar trash, two dollar birdies…not a fancy place.

But what followed was a really good, borderline better than that, mountain course with big elevation changes, old trees, and enough Rolling Rock at the halfway house for the entire town to come knock back a couple.

You get the feeling in the cozy grill room where an Arnie sighting is not just common but almost guaranteed…that they have many times.

That day Tim Finchem and a bunch of very important looking cats were enjoying their grill cheeses at what must have been his regular table. What was discussed? Who knows but it looked awfully social.

We just sipped our Bloody Marys and stared…or Blair stared, I didn’t.

Latrobe CC is a throwback, the fact Arnold Palmer learned to play here and still lives across the street is a bonus.

Get there if you can for a Best in Golf day.

The Open Part II

thebestingolf — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:26:00 +0000

It’s time for US Open II. The first one was back in April in Jaw-ja, had a surprise winner from Iowa…not too many birdies but lots of corn.

The second version starts this week in Western Pennsylvania, a part of the country custom made by God for golf…and I’m ready.

I was critical of last year’s Open won by Geoff Ogilvy and as always, I was right. The setup at Winged Foot was crazy-hard and not a small amount of luck was involved in winning the tournament…it’s happened before and it will happen again.

Just please, not at Oakmont. This is the National Championship.

Let’s have a true Champion.

Too much cool stuff has happened at Oakmont to let that happen here.

The ’62 Open, won by The Bear over The King was the most memorable. A triple-bogey moreso than the golf course of the same name they designed together in Florida by the way…where they ruined a perfectly good swamp.

I love that golf’s history is important to us. No other sport, except maybe baseball, is even in the same league as golf…and that’s a stretch, seventh inning or otherwise.

All Arnie had done leading into that week was win 6 times and grow up a few miles away.

To say he was the favorite is akin to saying Tiger’s got a big boat.

But alas, the kid who finished 2nd and 4th in the previous two Opens as an amateur was not to be denied…he didn’t care who the crowd was pulling for or what neighborhood he came from…he was Rookie of the Year and made just north of 60 grand, for the year that is…not bad for 22.

So what did AP say at to the scribes post round?

“Now that the big guy is out of the cage, everybody better run for cover.”

And they did.

I Give!!!

thebestingolf — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:03:00 +0000

Am I the only one who thinks the US Open has become golf’s 4th major?…OK, I bet I am but my investment of four hours Sunday on that death match was just too much for me. It’s the toughest test of the year. “We aren’t trying to embarrass the best players in the world, we are trying to identify him”…so goes the Blue Coat Bad Hair Club for Men line but if they think the last two winners are worthy of the title then have at it.

No offense at all to them, they danced with the one which brung ‘um…not their fault. Dan Jenkins has said that his editor used to blame him if Arnold or Jack didn’t win the Masters, like HE had doubled 18 to lose by one…same concept, different decade.

The Masters is a billionaire boys club event. That’s cool, they can run their own tournament and do so with great skill and success…the British Open is fun because what’s better than rolling out of bed and watching live golf? I stole that from Chris Berman. The PGA has made incredible strides with The Atlanta Athletic Club, Whistling Straits, and the last event that Sergio mattered, ’99 at Medinah.

But I’m a public school guy. His Leftness says that the Open is the one he wants the most…from a guy with a brilliant career if it ended tomorrow…3 majors, countless FBRs, and a jillion bucks in the bank.

Why? Because it’s the National Championship. repeat, it’s THE National Championship.

No tournament anywhere can be invented, for TV or otherwise, that could hold the Opens putter cover. The other majors are just that, major. But let’s remember that the Masters has less players than my member guest, a lot less, and Bobby Jones was never invited to play in the PGA…the British Open is second among the four (my opinion only) because it is available to the best players in the world at the time…period.

Johnny Miller: “Good shot by US Open Champion Ernie Els”

Dan Hicks: Johnny, you mean former US Open Champion Ernie Els”

JM: “Once an Open Champion, always an Open Champion”

Rick Hall: “Damn straight!!!”

I have no stake in the Masters, British, or PGA…I enjoy them but have no emotional attachment. Not so for the US Open…give the tournament over to people who love the game…I know plenty of them…and you would like the result I promise. Or at least I would.