Bogeyman

Memorable Major Season Already With Royal St. George’s On Deck

The Bogeyman

Dan O’Neill

(Editor’s note: This story appears courtesy of Morning Read (www. morningread.com)

By the time this edition of the Metropolitan fades to black, all four of golf’s 2021 major championships will be in the rearview mirror.

It will feel strange. Of course, when it comes to feeling strange, last year buried the needle. The Masters postponed until November, the U.S. Open was conducted in September, the British Open cancelled altogether … who was on first, what was on second. Nothing was by the book.

A year later, the 149th “Open Championship” this month brings the major season to an early end, which may feel strange. But whatever takes place at Royal St. George’s, it promises to add to an already memorable 2021 series.

Hideki Matsuyama’s dominant performance at Augusta National in April will be bookmarked for years to come, as he became the first Japanese player to capture the Masters.

Then came the PGA at Kiawah Island, where more history was made. Before that weekend in late May, 455 major golf championships had been conducted and only five had been won by a player 45 or older - none by someone in his 50s. That changed, when 50-year old Phil Mickelson captured the PGA, becoming the oldest to win any of the four majors.

Those headlines set the stage for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, and still more history. As noted, the 2020 edition of the national championship was delayed because the pandemic and played in September. That 120th edition at Winged Foot became all about power as Bryson DeChambeau essentially manhandled the golf course. “Popeye The Driver Man” fearlessly blasted from the tees, undeterred by the spinach and, although he hit only 50 percent of the fairways during the week, he broke par in every round. DeChambeau’s 6 under par finish was the only score in red, as he won going away. Willie Anderson must have been turning in his grave.

That’s not to say the power display wasn’t impressive, but it also was unsettling. Traditionally, U.S. Opens aren’t won from the rough. Today’s technology and bomb-andgauge approach notwithstanding, golf was never meant to be a home run hitting contest. Accuracy and finesse are supposed to be important.

Torrey Pines re-established the concepts. With a setup influenced by form PGA Tour player Jason Gore, the 2021 U.S. Open tested the best players in the world in every fact, physical, mental and emotional.

Fairways were lean, greens were firm and the kikuyu grass rough was what rough is supposed to be - punitive - no matter how strong you were. Good shots were rewarded, but errant shots were rebuffed. And through it all, combatants had to be resilient and resigned.

To his credit, DeChambeau was on the prowl again, one shot off the lead as he made the turn on Sunday, But the wheels came off during an 8-over 44 on Torrey’s backside, and his comments afterward were revealing.

“I didn’t get off the rails at all; it’s golf,” he said. “People will say I did this or did that, and it’s just golf. I’ve had plenty of times where I hit it way worse than today and I won. It’s just one of those things where I didn’t have the right breaks happen at the right time.”

Actually, he’s right, it is golf, the way golf is supposed to be. DeChambeau hit three fairways in the final round, and 24 of 56 all week. When you miss fairways at a U.S. Open, you’re not entitled to “breaks,” you’re supposed to pay a price. That’s why it’s called “rough,” not “Candy Land.” It is golf, and metaphorically, it’s life.

Memorable Major Season Already With Royal St. George’s On Deck

essentially manhandled the golf course. “Popeye The Driver Man” fearlessly blasted from the tees, undeterred by the spinach and, although he hit only 50 percent of the fairways during the week, he broke par in every round. DeChambeau’s 6 under par finish was the only score in red, as he won going away. Willie Anderson must have

That’s not to say the power display wasn’t impressive, but it also was unsettling. Traditionally, U.S. Opens aren’t won from the rough. Today’s technology and bomb-andgauge approach notwithstanding, golf was never meant to be a home run hitting contest. Accuracy and finesse are

Torrey Pines re-established the concepts. With a setup influenced by form PGA Tour player Jason Gore, the 2021 U.S. Open tested the best players in the world in every fact, physical, mental and

Fairways were lean, greens were firm and the kikuyu grass rough was what rough is supposed to be - punitive - no matter how strong you were. Good shots were rewarded, but errant shots were rebuffed. And through it all, combatants had to be resilient and resigned.

To his credit, DeChambeau was on the prowl again, one shot off the lead as he made the turn on Sunday, But the wheels came off during an 8-over 44 on Torrey’s backside, and his comments afterward were

“I didn’t get off the rails at all; it’s golf,” he said. “People will say I did this or did that, and it’s just golf. I’ve had plenty of times where I hit it way worse than today and I won. It’s just one of those things where I didn’t have the right breaks happen at the right time.”

Actually, he’s right, it is golf, the way golf is supposed to be. DeChambeau hit three fairways in the final round, and 24 of 56 all week. When you miss fairways at a U.S. Open, you’re not entitled to “breaks,” you’re supposed to pay a price. That’s why it’s called “rough,” not “Candy Land.” It is golf, and metaphorically, it’s life. Tiger Woods was about power, to be sure. But Woods won more than one major by dialing down, hitting 2-irons instead of scud drivers, taking trouble out of play. Yet, at Torrey Pines, player after player found a fairway bunker. No going to school, no dial-downs, no adjustments. That’s the game nowadays - give me distance or give me death.

The U.S. Open should have more purpose and identify a most deserving champion - not the strongest, the longest, or the least imaginative. The 121st edition in June did just that.

Jon Rahm hits it a long way too, no doubt. But Rahm won at Torrey Pines because he hit 57 percent of the fairways on Sunday, while the field hit 50 percent. He found 78 percent of the greens, while the field hit 61 percent. He averaged 1.56 putts per hole, while the field averaged 1.7. He stayed patient through seven straight pars on the back until he reached moments of truth - a 25-foot putt on 17, an 18-footer on 18. He made ‘em both, back to back birdies. And Mirroring Matsuyama, he became the first Spaniard to win a U.S. Open.

“That’s really what you’re trying to do,” architect Rees Jones told Golf Digest, “have the cream rise to the top, and it certainly did.”

Calling the British Open the last major of the season certainly seems strange. But all things considered, you can’t ask for much more.