114th United States Open
This year's United States Open returns to the famed Pinehurst Resort and it's No. 2 golf course. There are so many unique story lines in this year's national championship including the course, Phil Mickelson, and of course the late Payne Stewart.
Pinehurst No. 2 Restoration
The US Open was last contested on No. 2 back in 2005 when Michael Campbell was the champion. If that is the last time you saw the No. 2 course, things are going to look very different when you sit in front of your television this year. Last year, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore oversaw the $4 million restoration of No. 2 to it's original form. Lush rough and trees have been replaced with sand and "natural areas" which the players will have to contest. Of course, the ultimate defense to the No. 2 course remains it's crowned greens.
So far, player reviews of the course have been very positive, but how the course is setup for four days will be surely be a supreme test for the best players in the world. Expect the greens to get faster each day with pin positions becoming more challenging.
Phil Mickelson
When Mickelson won the Open Championship last July, he won the third leg of the career grand slam. The only championship which has eluded Lefty has been his national championship. The story line is almost too perfect this week for Phil. He has finished runner-up at the US Open six times. In 1999, he was denied the Open by Payne Stewart, who would hold Phil by the face and tell him that he was going to love being a father. Mickelson's first child was born shortly thereafter. Since that first runner-up finish in 1999, Phil has seen heartbreak at the Open time and time again.
If Phil were to win this week, he would complete the career grand slam joining Nicklaus, Woods, Hogan, Player, and Sarazan as the only players to win the modern slam. Phil's career will come full circle and the site where he first tasted heartbreak. Unfortunately, Phil has yet to record a single top-ten entering this year's Open. His putting has been suspect all year. While everyone's heart is rooting for Phil, the reality is that it will take a supreme effort for Mickelson to capture his elusive Open championship.
NBC's last United States Open
This is the last year the peacock will broadcast the United States Open. NBC has broadcast the Open every year since 1995. Beginning in 2015, the FOX network will takeover with Joe Buck and Greg Norman in the booth. (Ron Sirak from Golf Digest wrote an insightful piece on how this deal came to pass. It can be found here).
It is unclear what the US Open will look like on FOX, a network which has never been a major broadcaster of golf in the United States. However, the departure from NBC should be viewed negatively from golf fans. Dan Hicks is a tremendous play-by-play broadcaster and Johnny Miller is, in my opinion, the best analyst in golf right now.
The USGA appears to be governed by a new philosophy, and if you read Mr. Sirak's article, governed by a belief that the US Open will and should dominate The Masters in terms of total viewership. This quest is, to be quite honest, a fools errand. There are a number of reasons (and probably enough to write an entire post) as to why the US Open will not supplant The Masters as the preeminent major golf championship in the United States.
Payne Stewart
Payne Stewart was taken from this world far too early. His absence, even to this day, is noticeable in the golf world. He would have been a tremendous ambassador for the game, a Ryder Cup captain, and a great golf broadcaster (if he chose to do that). Payne's legacy will forever be tied to Pinehurst No. 2 after making a 25-foot par putt to win the '99 Open.
Pinehurst No. 2 Restoration
The US Open was last contested on No. 2 back in 2005 when Michael Campbell was the champion. If that is the last time you saw the No. 2 course, things are going to look very different when you sit in front of your television this year. Last year, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore oversaw the $4 million restoration of No. 2 to it's original form. Lush rough and trees have been replaced with sand and "natural areas" which the players will have to contest. Of course, the ultimate defense to the No. 2 course remains it's crowned greens.
So far, player reviews of the course have been very positive, but how the course is setup for four days will be surely be a supreme test for the best players in the world. Expect the greens to get faster each day with pin positions becoming more challenging.
Phil Mickelson
When Mickelson won the Open Championship last July, he won the third leg of the career grand slam. The only championship which has eluded Lefty has been his national championship. The story line is almost too perfect this week for Phil. He has finished runner-up at the US Open six times. In 1999, he was denied the Open by Payne Stewart, who would hold Phil by the face and tell him that he was going to love being a father. Mickelson's first child was born shortly thereafter. Since that first runner-up finish in 1999, Phil has seen heartbreak at the Open time and time again.
If Phil were to win this week, he would complete the career grand slam joining Nicklaus, Woods, Hogan, Player, and Sarazan as the only players to win the modern slam. Phil's career will come full circle and the site where he first tasted heartbreak. Unfortunately, Phil has yet to record a single top-ten entering this year's Open. His putting has been suspect all year. While everyone's heart is rooting for Phil, the reality is that it will take a supreme effort for Mickelson to capture his elusive Open championship.
NBC's last United States Open
This is the last year the peacock will broadcast the United States Open. NBC has broadcast the Open every year since 1995. Beginning in 2015, the FOX network will takeover with Joe Buck and Greg Norman in the booth. (Ron Sirak from Golf Digest wrote an insightful piece on how this deal came to pass. It can be found here).
It is unclear what the US Open will look like on FOX, a network which has never been a major broadcaster of golf in the United States. However, the departure from NBC should be viewed negatively from golf fans. Dan Hicks is a tremendous play-by-play broadcaster and Johnny Miller is, in my opinion, the best analyst in golf right now.
The USGA appears to be governed by a new philosophy, and if you read Mr. Sirak's article, governed by a belief that the US Open will and should dominate The Masters in terms of total viewership. This quest is, to be quite honest, a fools errand. There are a number of reasons (and probably enough to write an entire post) as to why the US Open will not supplant The Masters as the preeminent major golf championship in the United States.
Payne Stewart
Payne Stewart was taken from this world far too early. His absence, even to this day, is noticeable in the golf world. He would have been a tremendous ambassador for the game, a Ryder Cup captain, and a great golf broadcaster (if he chose to do that). Payne's legacy will forever be tied to Pinehurst No. 2 after making a 25-foot par putt to win the '99 Open.
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