They wanted to "Tiger proof" courses and did nothing. They'll do nothing now.
The 2020 US Open discussion Thread
- Edited
Unfortunately too much talk about what the USGA is going to do....shame it's not about how great Bryson performed. He hit so many great shots, got up and down and putted his ass off. If he doesn't do all that it's not a discussion.....but he did. There were other guys who hit it longer then him, yet they aren't the focus. They didn't win because they didn't execute like Bryson!
Not sure why all the talk about Bryson's driving distances, every week. ex., today, I noticed him hitting first on most every 2nd shot. I've seen this happen many times this year.
Yes, he is 1st in driving distance on the PGA tour. But, that stat comes from only 2 holes at each tournament that are the easiest driving holes. And those 2 holes must be in opposite directions, btw. So, on 2 holes every round, he can just bomb away, and stay 1st in a stat. It's irrelevant for every hole though. And as I stated, he is not the longest on every hole, every tournament. He did not win by driving it long today. He won by hitting good shots, when he needed them.
DonM Its okay if the longest are still the longest. But they are going to rein everyone in.
And what happens to those 280 hitters when they rein things in 50 yds., on those +500 yd. Par 4 holes? 50 yds. will mean nothing to those hitting +300. So, the longest should always be the winner, when that happens.
Rickochet It's amazing how that's become a secondary thing. I watched quite a bit of the coverage and I only heard them mention the single length irons once and that was today and it was about him seeing Bobby Jones clubs and they were single length. It's all about the power now, the bulk, the protein shakes,etc. If you just started watching golf you wouldn't likely even know he's playing SL.
Par4QC Yea, Wolf outdrove him a few times as did Rory. As will DJ. But it's more the way he looks and goes at it. It's all about sheer force with him, or seems as if it is. I wonder if he couldn't hit it farther by bringing his launch down some and getting more run out. But I'm sure he's looked into that.
garyt1957 I wonder if he couldn't hit it farther by bringing his launch down some and getting more run out. But I'm sure he's looked into that.
It will be interesting when he tries the 48" driver to check his specs. He's launching a 5.5* high & medium now.
And, I'm not sure he wants a lot of run out - more control at higher launch.
shokosugi Yes! He won by 6 strokes over the field. He kicked ass and there’s nothing you can take away from it. He played well all 4 rounds, he was unrelenting and if anybody wants to argue he doesn’t have the mental game, his short game isn’t good enough, he isn’t long enough (wait he solved that), his putting isn’t enough, blah blah blah, just get over your hate. He has proven he can and Will win in big events. I said over a year ago his resume was already better than Bubba Watson’s career, well now he has the major to back it, 10 years earlier than Watson, he’s on his way to being one of the best we have ever seen. Like him or not, he’s here and this tour, as if this moment, is his. He’s the class of the field, you want to deny it? Show me who has done more At this point in their career and still is remotely competitive. He’s a young gun, but the old guard say they learn from him, he might be different, but so was Jack, Tiger, etc. Koepka is the only one who can honestly say he’s not scared, can’t wait to see some battles between them in the future.
garyt1957 It's amazing how that's become a secondary thing. I watched quite a bit of the coverage and I only heard them mention the single length irons once and that was today and it was about him seeing Bobby Jones clubs and they were single length. It's all about the power now, the bulk, the protein shakes,etc. If you just started watching golf you wouldn't likely even know he's playing SL.
That was my weak attempt at humor.
DC300 He’s the class of the field, you want to deny it? Show me who has done more At this point in their career and still is remotely competitive.
Please, he is 27 and has only won what, 6-7 tournaments. Never ranked #1, and this is his 1st Major. No FedEx championships, not much, really, on the resume when compared to others his age. You compare him to Watson, a has been, who is 41 yrs. old and has only won 14 Pro tournaments(some as a team). Bad choice for a comparison. And Bubba is still ahead of him in wins. May well be forever. Try a comparison within his age group, say Justin Thomas.
Bryson is swinging some heavy lumber that will take the toll some day. I would never get so high on this guy. jmo These kids will not be around as the "journeymen" in later years. Hell, some won't make it to 30!
I give him a ton of credit for his conviction to doing things his way. Not sure how long his body will hold up with all that weight and stress on the joints. He's fun to watch now, tho.
I'll give Bryson his due. Not a fan but he did what he had to do.
BTW Bryson is using LDA type of driver swing and going to a longer playing length is in keeping with that theme and his tinkering. 5 deg. loft tees ball way up. I'd like to know his AofA and launch angle.
I don't know why everyone is so focused on Bryson's length, his ability to make putts....and Wolff's inability
to make anything (except for the eagle on 9 which was a moot point) is what won DeChambeau
the hardware. IMO
There's always plenty of room for perspective, for sure. It's easy to jump on bandwagons, and it's just as easy to write players off after they've been out of the limelight for a few years. We forget that as dominant as Tiger was during an 11 year stretch, someone other than him won 78% of the time he was competing. Longevity was always going to be a concern with him, as he entered the tour back in '96 or '97 as this freak of nature, this skinny kid who was blasting it 20-30 yards beyond even the longer hitters back at that time. Butch Harmon did everything he knew to do to try to get Tiger to throttle back, but Tiger wasn't interested in softening his swing aggression. And who could blame him? His length certainly gave him a huge advantage. But it did come at a price long-term.
The same can be said of other players. Jason Day is one of the more recent players that come to mind.
But who could possibly blame Bryson for adapting to the bomb-and-gouge era? Obviously the longer hitters have a huge advantage today. That doesn't automatically move them to the top of the favored-to-win list, but with non-US Open type setups where there is little risk and huge reward? It is what it is. And it's been this way for a fairly long while now, its not like this distance obsession is a new fad. Tiger changed the game when he burst onto the scene, and the Tour recognizes the value of their players entertaining the fans. After all - sports are essentially an extension of the entertainment industry! If we didn't find what they do impressively entertaining, we'd have little to talk about!
All that said, Bryson would do well to capitalize on his physical ability while he can, if he plans on staying the course with his "all or nothing" approach, that is. Once the injuries start occurring, that window of opportunity starts to close rather quickly.
Then again, who cares more about longevity than winning now these days? These guys are backing armored trucks up to their garage and unloading millions. Who needs to dominate for a decade or longer when they can amass that kind of coin in half that time?
The purses today have compelled some of us to move the goal posts quite significantly regarding what we once considered the true definition of a "great" player. It used to be that we would consider the entirety of a career to come to that conclusion, not just a 3-4 year window of pocket-lining dominance.
PA-PLAYA The purses today have compelled some of us to move the goal posts quite significantly regarding what we once considered the true definition of a "great" player. It used to be that we would consider the entirety of a career to come to that conclusion, not just a 3-4 year window of pocket-lining dominance.
Like an NFL running back. Signing bonus, maybe 6 years of pounding it hard at $millions/year, retire, go fishing!
scotts33 I'll give Bryson his due. Not a fan but he did what he had to do.
Same here. Not a fan. Bryson was the best player in the field this week and showed great touch and intelligent play all the way through. I had doubts about his mental strength and he proved me wrong for doubting. As seems to happen very often for the U.S. Open winner in a given year his ability to make the 4 - 10 ft. putts consistently was great throughout the week. Whether he had an exceptional week in that dept. or if it is something he'll be able to repeat over the years remains to be seen. Hail to the U.S. Open champion of 2020.