US Open Recap
Jordan Spieth captured his second straight major and the 115th United States Open Championship on Sunday following some incredible golf and more plot twists than an an episode of Game of Thrones. After hitting a clutch birdie putt on the 16th hole, Spieth double-bogeyed the Par 3 17th to bring players like Dustin Johnson into the fold. Spieth found the 18th green in two and nearly dropped an eagle putt, but instead, settled for birdie and a final score of -5.
Likewise, Johnson got home in two on 18. An eagle would give Johnson his first major victory. A birdie would have produced an 18-hole playoff on Monday. Instead, Johnson blew his eagle putt past the hole, and offered this birdie attempt.
In the end, it was Jordan Spieth who won his second straight major, and has Spieth halfway home to the Grand Slam.
The best part of this year's Open was the drama on Sunday afternoon. For all of the follies involving the golf course and the coverage, golf fans were treated to incredible drama on Father's Day. Here are B&B's grades for this year's United States Open:
Jordan Spieth: A-
Yes he won, but he also did it not having to play A+ golf. The double bogey on 17 was uncharacteristic and seemed to come out of nowhere. Spieth had grinded all day, but following the birdie on 16, you felt as though he was in complete control. His tee shot right and into the mound meant added drama for a tournament that felt finished. Spieth is unquestionably playing the best golf in the world right now. Questions about a rivalry with Rory McIlroy are over - they are unquestionably the two finest golfers playing today.
Louis Oosthuizen: D (Thursday)/A+ (Friday through Sunday)
Louis was part of the Tiger Woods and Rickie Folwer grouping on Thursday and Friday which saw huge numbers posted by all three players during the first round. Louis shot a 77, and even though the caliber of play did not improve from Woods and Fowler, Louis got into the weekend with a 66. He followed that up with a 66 and 67 and birdied 6 of the last 7 holes on Sunday to earn a runner-up finish. Louis almost completed what would have certainly been the greatest turnaround from a first round ever (He was tied for 135th after Thursdays play). Louis looks to be in good form, which is bad news for everyone else as the Open Championship heads to St. Andrews, the site of Louis' only major victory.
USGA: C-
The USGA is still dealing with some type of identity crisis. They want to be the keepers of the game, growers of the game, conductors of national championships, and the most relevant and important social group in golf. It has been well documented that the executives at the USGA are miffed that America holds more reverence for the Masters than it does the United States Open. Day after day, the USGA trotted out officials into the broadcast booth to defend the setup of the golf course. Mike Davis said that the greens were exactly how they wanted them - even though an average golf observer could see that they were akin to the greens found at a dried up muni. The US Open should identify the best players that week, not seek to embarrass the entire field. Once the USGA can get out of their own "boys club" way, the sooner they can return to conducting national championships that actually fulfill the mission statement of the organization.
FOX: C
FOX doesn't fail only because they did have cameras which brought live video of golfers hitting golf shots (sometimes). Other than that, my expectation of what I thought FOX would do with their inaugural US Open did not fail.
Joe Buck and Greg Norman have no chemistry. It's a forced fit with neither seeming particularly comfortable sitting in a booth and discussing golf. Norman may have been a brilliant golfer, and Buck may be Jack Buck's son, but neither do a very good job explaining the game or educating viewers on what they are watching. If the network is intent on keeping Norman, they should replace Buck. If the network is intent on keeping Buck, then nothing really matters.
Curt Menefee was also a forced fit. He appeared confused and completely butchered the last segment heading into the trophy presentation. He does a great job covering the NFL, but he was out of his element at Chambers Bay.
The on-course reporting left a lot to be desired. For as much as people poke fun at the likes of David Feherty and Roger Maltbie, having watched FOX, nobody can dispute that they are the best at their craft. CBS and NBC do an excellent job broadcasting golf, and although they are not perfect, the viewers are very well informed, especially by the on-course reporting. Pavin and McCarron seemed to have not much of an idea what was happening at any given time. The best example of this was Branden Grace's shot on 16 which went out of bounds. It took several minutes for the viewers to be informed what Grace was shouting to officials near the fence.
The post-round interviews with Holly Sonders were awkward, though not as awkward as this hug offered by Phil Mickelson.
Overall there are lots of areas for FOX to improve upon. They have the next twelve US Opens, so they aren't exactly going anywhere. Let's just hope they can learn and progress much in the same way NBC and CBS have over the years.
The next major is in a few weeks at St. Andrews. It will be Tom Watson's final Open Championship and ESPN's penultimate Open Championship. The story heading into the week will be Spieth's attempt at capturing the third leg of the Grand Slam, Rory's defense of his title, and Tiger's efforts to be relevant.
Cheers.
Likewise, Johnson got home in two on 18. An eagle would give Johnson his first major victory. A birdie would have produced an 18-hole playoff on Monday. Instead, Johnson blew his eagle putt past the hole, and offered this birdie attempt.
Dustin Johnson's missed putt was absolutely heartbreaking. http://t.co/mHcHa6LjnN https://t.co/hTKp1PZGPS
— SB Nation (@SBNation) June 22, 2015
In the end, it was Jordan Spieth who won his second straight major, and has Spieth halfway home to the Grand Slam.
Noteworthy facts on Jordan Spieth's #USOpen victory. pic.twitter.com/agnHH1TQgK
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 22, 2015
The best part of this year's Open was the drama on Sunday afternoon. For all of the follies involving the golf course and the coverage, golf fans were treated to incredible drama on Father's Day. Here are B&B's grades for this year's United States Open:
Jordan Spieth: A-
Yes he won, but he also did it not having to play A+ golf. The double bogey on 17 was uncharacteristic and seemed to come out of nowhere. Spieth had grinded all day, but following the birdie on 16, you felt as though he was in complete control. His tee shot right and into the mound meant added drama for a tournament that felt finished. Spieth is unquestionably playing the best golf in the world right now. Questions about a rivalry with Rory McIlroy are over - they are unquestionably the two finest golfers playing today.
Louis Oosthuizen: D (Thursday)/A+ (Friday through Sunday)
Louis was part of the Tiger Woods and Rickie Folwer grouping on Thursday and Friday which saw huge numbers posted by all three players during the first round. Louis shot a 77, and even though the caliber of play did not improve from Woods and Fowler, Louis got into the weekend with a 66. He followed that up with a 66 and 67 and birdied 6 of the last 7 holes on Sunday to earn a runner-up finish. Louis almost completed what would have certainly been the greatest turnaround from a first round ever (He was tied for 135th after Thursdays play). Louis looks to be in good form, which is bad news for everyone else as the Open Championship heads to St. Andrews, the site of Louis' only major victory.
Dustin Johnson: D
Golf really can't be judged on the pass/fail standard that Tiger imposed during the height of his reign, which is the only reason DJ did not get an F. Golfers only have so many opportunities to capture major championships, and Johnson has lost three of those by grounding his club in a "bunker," falling off the rails at a course he had previously dominated, and now three-putting from 12 feet. It was a sad and heartbreaking way to see a guy lose the US Open, especially when you consider the drive and approach shot Johnson hit to put himself in that position. Hopefully Johnson finds the same rebound success McIlroy found after losing the Masters in 2011.
And according to Twitter, Johnson didn't completely lose on Sunday.
And according to Twitter, Johnson didn't completely lose on Sunday.
And Paulina Gretzky walking away with a half open blouse is why DJ hasn't completely lost today...
— Ian Perry (@is_perry) June 22, 2015
Paulina Gretzky Looked Hot As Hell Trying To Console Dustin Johnson After His Historic Miss http://t.co/DbbT3uADGL pic.twitter.com/zMY73uhn51
— Garrison Daveridge (@jadutogabek) June 22, 2015
Chambers Bay: D
I was going to give Chambers Bay a C- right up until yesterday afternoon when I saw some of the goofiest shots I had ever seen including players finding the middle of the fairway, only to see the ball land in the rough. The US Open should be a stern examination of golf: it should not embarrass the players or penalize good shots. It's pretty clear to most observers that, despite the claims of Robert Trent Jones Jr and the USGA, that the greens were not in great condition. And please spare me the "everyone plays the same course" argument. This is the USGA's grandest national championship, and the greens simply were not up to par (pun not intended and my apologies).
A photo posted by Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter) on
USGA: C-
The USGA is still dealing with some type of identity crisis. They want to be the keepers of the game, growers of the game, conductors of national championships, and the most relevant and important social group in golf. It has been well documented that the executives at the USGA are miffed that America holds more reverence for the Masters than it does the United States Open. Day after day, the USGA trotted out officials into the broadcast booth to defend the setup of the golf course. Mike Davis said that the greens were exactly how they wanted them - even though an average golf observer could see that they were akin to the greens found at a dried up muni. The US Open should identify the best players that week, not seek to embarrass the entire field. Once the USGA can get out of their own "boys club" way, the sooner they can return to conducting national championships that actually fulfill the mission statement of the organization.
FOX: C
FOX doesn't fail only because they did have cameras which brought live video of golfers hitting golf shots (sometimes). Other than that, my expectation of what I thought FOX would do with their inaugural US Open did not fail.
Joe Buck and Greg Norman have no chemistry. It's a forced fit with neither seeming particularly comfortable sitting in a booth and discussing golf. Norman may have been a brilliant golfer, and Buck may be Jack Buck's son, but neither do a very good job explaining the game or educating viewers on what they are watching. If the network is intent on keeping Norman, they should replace Buck. If the network is intent on keeping Buck, then nothing really matters.
Curt Menefee was also a forced fit. He appeared confused and completely butchered the last segment heading into the trophy presentation. He does a great job covering the NFL, but he was out of his element at Chambers Bay.
The on-course reporting left a lot to be desired. For as much as people poke fun at the likes of David Feherty and Roger Maltbie, having watched FOX, nobody can dispute that they are the best at their craft. CBS and NBC do an excellent job broadcasting golf, and although they are not perfect, the viewers are very well informed, especially by the on-course reporting. Pavin and McCarron seemed to have not much of an idea what was happening at any given time. The best example of this was Branden Grace's shot on 16 which went out of bounds. It took several minutes for the viewers to be informed what Grace was shouting to officials near the fence.
The post-round interviews with Holly Sonders were awkward, though not as awkward as this hug offered by Phil Mickelson.
Overall there are lots of areas for FOX to improve upon. They have the next twelve US Opens, so they aren't exactly going anywhere. Let's just hope they can learn and progress much in the same way NBC and CBS have over the years.
The next major is in a few weeks at St. Andrews. It will be Tom Watson's final Open Championship and ESPN's penultimate Open Championship. The story heading into the week will be Spieth's attempt at capturing the third leg of the Grand Slam, Rory's defense of his title, and Tiger's efforts to be relevant.
Cheers.
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