The US Open has produced more than its fair share of freak winners on crazy courses. Andy North has only won two PGA tournaments, both US opens. Carnastie was a weather controlled tournament where they lengthened the rough because the forecast was for no wind. When the wind blew , there was not time to change the course.St Georges was a case of choking as Tiger,DL3 and Bjorn were both in a position to win , but backed off leaving Curtis on top.
I was referring to St. Georges where all the players complained that well struck tee shots bounced all over the place and that brought way too much luck into the equation. I certainly wasn't knocking all the courses on the rota.
BTW Andy North won his US Opens at Cherry Hills (the site of Arnie's great comeback) and Oakland Hills..........neither of which is considered a "crazy course." At least Palmer and Hogan didn't think so!
And links golf is a great test of golf! What the players were complaining about (and no, not only the Americans complained ) was the fact that one of the objects of the game is to drive the ball in the fairway and at St. Georges balls that were driven in the fairway rarely stayed there. That's not the case with the other links courses in the rota.
That situation lead to "luck" being more of a factor than skill......hence the complaints from the players and my comments about St Georges.
And links golf is a great test of golf! What the players were complaining about (and no, not only the Americans complained ) was the fact that one of the objects of the game is to drive the ball in the fairway and at St. Georges balls that were driven in the fairway rarely stayed there. That's not the case with the other links courses in the rota.
That situation lead to "luck" being more of a factor than skill......hence the complaints from the players and my comments about St Georges.
I'm sure that players like Brandt and Jobe would look forward to having more luck than skill involved!
The US Open has produced more than its fair share of freak winners on crazy courses. Andy North has only won two PGA tournaments, both US opens. Carnastie was a weather controlled tournament where they lengthened the rough because the forecast was for no wind. When the wind blew , there was not time to change the course.St Georges was a case of choking as Tiger,DL3 and Bjorn were both in a position to win , but backed off leaving Curtis on top.
Close 2 out of his 3 wins were U.S. Opens. He won the 1977 Westchester Classic too.
St. Georges was a case of choking as Tiger,DL3 and Bjorn were both in a position to win , but backed off leaving Curtis on top.
A salient point, indeed. Had Tiger, Davis, Vijay and Thomas risen to the great occasion and produced spectacular golf shots at crucial junctures, the 2003 Open Championship might have been remembered as an all-time classic played over a demanding course.
A salient point, indeed. Had Tiger, Davis, Vijay and Thomas risen to the great occasion and produced spectacular golf shots at crucial junctures, the 2003 Open Championship might have been remembered as an all-time classic played over a demanding course.
Instead............we got Ben Curtis, "Champion Golfer of the Year."
When it takes a lucky bounce off an OB stake to keep a ball that lands in the fairway safe (as it did for DL3 on #14), then a course is bordering on absurd IMO. St. George's that year required much more luck than even a typical links course did.
June 17th, 2005, 10:32 AM
What the players were complaining about (and no, not only the Americans complained 
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