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When The PGA Tour Leaves Town

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Ever been a casualty of a PGA Tour pullout?  Milwaukee, Wisconsin has.

A month ago I went to visit my brother in Central Illinois to take in the U of I men’s basketball opener at the newly renovated State Farm Center. I’ll always call it the Assembly Hall, a unique arena that has stood the test of time. Featuring one of the largest self supporting concrete roof structures, the Hall is expansive and a great tutorial in architectural design. Besides, it’s just a neat looking place.

After watching Notre Dame mount a second half comeback to top the Illini I left the concrete confines and headed north the next day to return home. I’d pass through Milwaukee on my way back to Green Bay running a few errands. I had to stop off at the Milwaukee CC to deliver an item then made my way to a familiar eating establishment to catch a quick bite. On my way I decided to swing into Brown Deer Park, the site of the golf course that hosted the Greater Milwaukee Open from 1994-2009. On its last legs the PGA Tour stop was known as the US Bank Championship.

Brown Deer Park wasn’t an ultra course by any means. The short track featured deep rough to keep players honest but a handful of winning scores would eclipse -20 on occasion. Being played opposite of the Open Championship the GMO attracted a field of second tier pros looking to capitalize on the absence of the top names. Bo Van Pelt, not necessarily a household name on the PGA Tour, closed out the event with a victory in 2009.

Driving through the park in early December trees were bare, the roadway marked with potholes, and the expansive grassy areas empty. Back in the day the small village that accompanies every tour event was set up in the park. Free parking was available to patrons. Once you got out of the car the smell of grilled brats filled the air. Sure, it wasn’t the US Open but to Wisconsin golf fans the GMO offered a great opportunity to see some very good players rack up a bunch of birdies.

I went to the tournament a few times, even tried to qualify for the event and in its final year served as a starter on the tenth tee Friday afternoon. The GMO was a good way to spend a summer afternoon especially since the Brewers weren’t baseball’s juggernaut at the time. The layout allowed spectators chances to get close to the players and was a relatively easy walk compared to Herb’s course up north along the lake.

As the winter sun was setting I made my way to the entrance of the course. A small stucco clubhouse sits on a hill overlooking the putting green. It’s seen better days but serves the purpose of providing park district players with a spartan abode after their rounds. During the tournament organizers brought in flowers, plants, tablecloths, extra lighting and a fresh coat of paint to make the place presentable but it was a far cry from the clubhouse accommodations at The Memorial. But put a sizable purse out there and the guys would play a putt-putt course. I remember the range tee fronting the putting green facing out towards the east. The setup was actually pretty convenient for the players and offered fans decent sightlines.

Next I drove down by the 18th hole, a tree-lined, uphill par-five that offered finishers a chance for eagle. Two straight well placed shots needed to be executed to reach the putting surface. Grandstands sat tight around the green so errant attempts didn’t wander too far away. If you didn’t make birdie you were giving up a shot to the field. Several tournaments were decided on this hole.

Peering through the trees I could see a few of the stanchions that supported electronic scorecards still standing. Their green paint was probably peeling by now and I’m sure the park district wasn’t interested in assuming the expense to remove them. They weren’t in the way. They were just a subtle reminder of a few glory years.

I played the course a couple of years ago and surprisingly some of the bunkers had been filled in, most notably on the 16th hole. It was in decent shape but nowhere near the conditions during the tournament. Still for a park district course to host a tour event Brown Deer put on its best face and let fans have a few beers, a brat and an afternoon in the sun.

As I sat behind the wheel of my car thinking back to warm days when spectators roamed the grounds the desolate surroundings I looked over made me a bit sad the GMO had slipped into history. Tour stops are wonderful events. Losing one leaves a hole in the community. Yes, Kohler has hosted a few majors and the US Open is coming to Erin Hills in 2017 but an annual tournament stop is always something to look forward to.

It’s happened to other communities similar to Milwaukee. Endicott, NY, site of the former BC Open lost their tournament but now host a Senior Champions event. Chattanooga used to occupy the slot opposite of the Open Championship. Other major cities lost their events — Detroit the Buick Open and Chicago the Western Open although the BMW Championship, part of the FedEx playoffs, wanders into town every few years. Still, not having a yearly event in either of these two cities is tragic. They are two great golf towns featuring some of the finest layouts in the country. Yet like all sports the tour follows the money and in the past twenty years the cash train has moved to other venues.

There is also an impact of charitable causes being left in the cold. Numerous organizations across the state of Wisconsin benefitted from the GMO. Now they go without and explore other options. The PGA Tour is one of the greatest contributors to charities across the country.

At last light I drove out of the park leaving the memories of the GMO behind. It was Brown Deer where Tiger Woods uttered his famous words that launched his career, “I guess hello world.” He made a hole in one on the fourteenth hole. Corey Pavin won twice in Milwaukee; once at Tuckaway CC and the second at Brown Deer. A number of major champions hoisted trophies at the GMO including Greg Norman. All of that is now history.

I’m not sure if I’ll return to play the course again. Perhaps I will. Maybe a day will come up where I can grab three buddies and relive the sights and sounds of Milwaukee’s annual tour event. In a way it would be a bittersweet round. When you’re old school in this game memories and traditions matter and it’s tough to see them slip away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golf’s Mental Key — Dynamic Linear Focus

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Over the past few years I’ve examined concepts and developed principles applicable to the process of playing golf. Make no mistake golf is a process. I constantly refer to it in my instruction. The very definition of a process is a series of actions that produce something or that lead to a particular result. The desired result for all golfers I believe is ongoing improvement.

Playing golf requires not only physical movement but mental involvement. Several terms are used to describe the method of concentration players utilize to think their way around the course. Some will say they are “in the zone” or they seem to be playing in slow-motion. Once locked in players are oblivious to the distractions around them.

PurePlayGolf has developed a mental approach that improves overall play. Termed “Dynamic Linear Focus (DLF)” this discipline aids the play process by keeping players on track from the first tee shot to the final stroke. DLF is a flexible tool easily adaptable for all types of golfers. It is an integral component of the MindPlay Principle in PurePlayGolf.

Professional tour players practice Dynamic Linear Focus (DLF). Nicklaus used it. Ray Floyd did it in a big way. Johnny Miller employed it during his run as did Tom Watson. Seve fed off of it. Tiger Woods mastered it as intensely as Floyd and currently Jordan Spieth is the poster boy for it. Jason Day locks into it and Rory McIlroy is a user but sometimes gets distracted. There are other professionals who employ DLF to up their performance. How can we do the same?

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DLF offers a variety of ways to apply mental strategies required for success. Players define what they want their success to be — lower scores, more consistency, better ball striking, added length, more efficient short game. For this discussion I am going to refer to shooting the best score possible. Here are a couple of instances highlighting the playing habits of an experienced amateur.

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For our first scenario let’s say you are going out to play eighteen at your local course with your regular weekly foursome on a Thursday afternoon. You’re an eight handicap and play three times a week. There is an individual Low Net event taking place and you have decided to enter the fray. Naturally you want to play well, enjoy the day while having fun with your buddies.

For scenario number two you enter your club championship qualifier with players you know but haven’t played with. The round will seed the eight lowest medal scores into a match play bracket.

These two situations are common for most who have played a fair amount of golf and have some experience with the game. The first example is a bit less formal. The second is competitive.

Regardless of which set of circumstances a player is engaged, Dynamic Linear Focus can dictate the amount of success the player achieves. Let’s examine DLF.

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I am going to draw on one of the definitions of the term DYNAMIC from the dictionary: marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change.

Golf certainly is an activity meeting these criteria. It is a continuous endeavor of activity constantly changing shot-to-shot throughout the round.

Now let us look at the term LINEAR:

of, relating to, or based or depending on sequential development.

Golf is a linear game. You may not think so by literally interpreting your path around the golf course.   What makes this game linear is that from the moment you step on the first tee and plug your ball into the ground it starts a progression of shots (resembling dots in a way) linked together over nine or eighteen holes producing a result. It is a sequential, cumulative, LINEAR process where one shot is followed by the next and so on.

I doubt much needs to be said about FOCUS other than it refers to the subject on which people’s attention is fixed.

If we are driving a car we are focused on the process of reaching a destination. If we are focused on cooking dinner we are coordinating the steps to prepare a meal. Writing this I am focused on delivering my message in an orderly, logical fashion. We have heard this term used all of the time, especially when it comes to golf.

So how does DYNAMIC LINEAR FOCUS impact our golf games? How can it make it better? It makes the process smoother and more comprehensible, simpler in a way if you like. Isn’t it a common occurrence that every one of us has complicated the way we play golf time and time again? DLF helps eliminate this problem.

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In its simplest form golf is a game of connective shots. We begin at a starting point, hit shot after shot after shot until we reach the end of the round. One shot leads us to the next and all of the challenges surrounding it. Some are easier than others. To stay engaged in the process, it is essential to use DLF.

Golf is filled with various elements I’ll refer to as distractions (off ramps). These aspects lure you away from DLF and often make it difficult to find your way back to that optimal performance zone. There are times when we can play three holes in a row well. Maybe we get on a roll and play a solid nine. You know what usually happens on the second nine, the score jumps up a bit. But just as there are distractions there are also re-focusers (on ramps).

Let’s consider our first scenario mentioned above. You’re playing with your buddies, left the office at noon for a 1:00 tee time. At the course you grab a hot dog and a beer, head off to hit some balls and pay $5.00 to enter the low net event. You meet the other three on the range and get loosened up.

The tee time comes up and you make our way to the first tee. The starting hole is a par 4, 395 yards with three bunkers, a large green and no OB. After a so-so drive the second finds a greenside bunker, your third finds the putting surface. Two putts later — bogey.

Making the turn you’ve managed to scratch out a 41 with a double bogey and two other bogeys. On the back nine you make seven pars, a double, a quad and your lone birdie on eighteen for another 41. Your net 74 doesn’t win a dime.

While the day isn’t a disaster you were hoping for 76-78. The quad derailed you on fifteen with an OB followed by a three putt. The day was warm and sunny, the jokes flowed throughout the round, you had a couple of beers while playing in 4 1/2 hours. Not a bad day.

That evening as your sitting on the patio you go back over your round. The double on the front nine occurred right after the beer cart showed up. Your quad took place after you answered an incoming call on your phone. By the time you teed off eighteen you knew your round wasn’t going to be competitive in the day’s event. You made an “easy” twenty-footer for birdie. The distractions (off ramps) were evident.

Two weeks later on a Saturday morning you have an 8:00 am tee time for Club Championship qualifying. You’re playing with three others you hardly know. The wind is up when you arrive at the course forty-five minutes before your time.

The round starts a bit shaky with three bogies in the first six holes. You turn in 41 but disaster strikes on the back nine. Three straight bogies start your inward nine followed by three pars, a double and two bogies — 41-43-84. You miss qualifying for your flight.

The Thursday evening before this round you played nine holes by yourself and shot 37. Again you’re scratching your head about the game.

These two instances happen all the time. They aren’t unusual. You know you can play the game but at times things get a bit off track. Your swing feels pretty good. What is the cause?

As I stated earlier golf is often filled with distractions (off ramps) on and off the course. The benefit of employing DLF is it keeps you on course and helps manage the off ramps. To do so it helps to identify them, not unlike understanding the Rules of Golf requires you know the definitions.

Here are some common distractions (off ramps) players face:

weather

courses conditions

grasses

hazards

equipment

playing partners

technology

personal expectations

cell phones

pace of play

penalties

disruption of routine

swing mechanics

temperament

Analyzing the first scenario it’s easy to see where you took the off ramps resulting in a couple of poor holes. Although this is your regular weekly game at the same tee time with the same three playing partners there are still times when you take a few exits. The beer cart and the phone call were off ramp situations.

In the club championship example you were playing at a different time (am vs pm), with different playing partners in a more formal, competitive round. It’s difficult for most to adapt to these situations because they are uncommon. The off ramp in this instance came before you teed your ball up on the first hole. You’re not used to playing competitive rounds and you’re also not at your best in the morning. You never found the on ramp.

DLF identifies the path (highway) to be taken during a round. It also determines where and when the off and on ramps need to be utilized. The journey for one player will differ greatly from the next. DLF allows one to constantly move into the present.

Imagine a round of golf is akin to taking a trip on an interstate highway. Each shot is represented by a mile marker. There are off ramps and on ramps along the way. Eventually as you pass every mile marker along the way you arrive at your destination. Did you arrive in good shape? Was the trip uneventful? Were there a few incidents on the way? How many stops did you make? Let’s face it, during a trip every traveler is bound to make a stop or two. Few people can drive 500 miles straight through without taking a break. During a round of golf every player needs to exit once in awhile.

A key consideration is to plan or anticipate the off ramps so you can manage your game then get back on course (highway). Anticipated stops can be managed. The adventures that aren’t planned (mechanical break down, taking the wrong route, sickness, etc) are the ones that put a trip in jeopardy.

Experienced players comprehend how to use DLF during their rounds. If an unanticipated off ramp shows up they deal with it and get back on the course (highway). They have an arsenal of re-focusers (on ramps).

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PurePlayGolf has refined the concept of Dynamic Linear Focus and can show you how to incorporate it into your game. Identifying how and why players take the off ramps is important. It’s key to know where the on ramps are and how to access them. It’s paramount to know the re-focusers leading to these on ramps. It’s crucial to know how to employ them. PurePlayGolf knows how and can teach you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major Predictions For 2016

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With the Race to Dubai being decided this past weekend I can officially declare an end to the 2015 professional golf season. Quite a season it was. What did we learn from it? What future message is it sending? Are we on the brink of a cataclysmic change in this game we haven’t seen since 1997? The answer can be derived from an old North Carolina basketball game radio broadcast. I forget who the announcer was but in a heated moment during the contest a Tarheel player got a steal and raced towards his basket. On the fast break the announcer yelled out, “Does he shoot or pass?!? He does!!!” In 2016, anything can and will happen.

If you’re the Golf Channel, CBS, NBC or SkySports you can’t wait for the calendar pages to flip to April. If Rory can put down the soccer ball for a bit, if Jordan doesn’t lose his silky putting stroke, if DJ can close on a weekend, if Jason can manage to keep the dizzy spells at bay, If Bubba can just quit being so uppity, if Justin Thomas can discover a second swing speed, if Kisner can keep it rolling and if Rickie can hoist a major trophy, this should be one helluva year. It is a marked change from the Tiger era where he dominated fields and left them content playing for second. We are likely never to see another player as dominant as Woods simply because today’s talent is so deep. Turn the calendar pages, turn the history pages, golf is gonna be a blast next season.

There are rules changes to greet players in January, most notably the anchoring ban. You can keep the long putter. Just don’t allow it to touch anything but your hands or lower forearm. The Champions Tour will become a free-for-all. How will Peter Senior, who just captured the Australian Masters and Bernie Langer fare? As Bob Dylan sang, times are a changin’.

With major championships the focus of this new, young, talent pool it will be captivating to see them tackle the old traditional layouts of Oakmont and Baltusrol. No matter how the USGA chooses to set up Oakmont, it will be a survival contest. The only thing that can derail the sadistic intents of the members will be an early summer stormy pattern that can soften the place. Even then it will still be a stern test.

Royal Troon returns to the Open Championship rota this coming year. Not a particularly long course compared to other major venues, scores will be solely dictated by the elements or lack thereof. With the exception of Tom Watson in 1982, the last three champions crowned at Troon have been one hit major winners — Mark Calcavecchia, Justin Leonard and Todd Hamilton. The last six to hoist the Claret Jug have all been Americans. There is definitely a pattern here.

Baltusrol will receive a fair and rigorous setup from the PGA. I doubt they want to see -20 take the prize at their major. What Jason Day did to Whistling Straits last August was undeniably the best major performance of 2015. Yeah, I know Spieth took it deep at Augusta, but he finished second there the year before. He was familiar with the course. It’s hard to become familiar with the Straits because Pete Dye is always tinkering with it. Back to the drawing board for the 2020 Ryder Cup, huh Pete?

While I’m a bit out of order I decided to save the best major for last. The Masters is the pinnacle of all others simply due to its spot on the calendar and the familiarity it lends to its viewers. Everyone, whether or not they are a golfer, will catch a glimpse of the tournament in April. They have heard the horror stories of Amen Corner.  They know about the Green Jacket. It is an annual rite of spring. There is no better sight than the emerald green conditions being splashed across a high-def wide screen just after the snow has melted. It gets the golf blood pumping.

Predictions are always fun to make and rarely do they come to fruition. But as I sit here staring the upcoming winter in the face I need something to keep me counting down the days until the first full week in April. As I said, it’s going to wide open for this next wave of professional golf. The Tiger and Phil show is now in syndication.

I will go in order in predicting my winners for 2016. Here they are:

Masters — Rory McIlroy. Let’s face it, he got the juices flowing in Dubai at year’s end and he needs a new jacket. His power and the ability to drive it consistently in the fairway are his strength. When he is on nobody can beat him. Naturally it will come down to putting but when you’re putting for 4 eagles each round something has to fall. The Irishman will be jacked up for the Masters. Rory at -13.

US Open — Hopefully Oakmont can come to the dance with some firm and fast conditions.   A thunderstorm is inevitable and perhaps it can skirt the course early on in the week. This course demands length, patience and experience. After last year’s heroic effort at Chambers Bay, there is no doubt that Jason will seize the Day!   But it will be close. There will be a playoff with Robert Streb and Louis Oosthuizen after a 72 hole regulation score of -4. Day shoots 70 on Monday to earn the victory.

Open Championship — Continuing on with the theme of American dominance at Troon how can you not go with Rickie Fowler. He has embraced the quirky bounces of links golf and has shown he can handle the elements as well. Book it at Ladbrokes, Rickie conquers the conditions and takes the jug at -14.

PGA — The classic playing lines at Baltusrol give the old boys a chance for one final time in 2016 but it won’t happen. Matt Kuchar will shoot an early number but fade on the weekend. Jason Bohn marches up the leaderboard but he too falls back on Saturday. Kisner is in the mix down the stretch but once again comes up short. This golf course is fit to crown a recent major champion, a young one at that — Jordan Spieth. His methodical approach and putting prowess allow him to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy for the first time. He walks away with it at -13 loving the old venue.

There you have it. Four worthy champions, three past major winners, will walk away with the accolades in 2016. You can feel the momentum of youth. There will be epic dogfights at the regular Tour stops but in the end the cream rises to the top in the majors. The page has indeed turned on a new era of professional golf and is ready to be rewritten.  Golf comes back to the Olympics, the Ryder Cup comes back to America and

Let’s watch and welcome it with open arms.  PurePlayGolf will be an interested spectator.

 

Daybreak By The Lake

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For the third time in eleven years an international champion was crowned at Whistling Straits on Sunday. This time the “Wonder from Down Under”, Jason Day, hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy by completely dominating his fellow competitors posting a major championship record score of twenty under par. Dominant but still a bit competitive, as the top five finishers eclipsed the total of 2011 Champion Martin Kaymer. Credit the numbers to the PGA for a fair and challenging setup. For those of us mere mortals who have played the Straits, what those players did was nearly miraculous. Of course these are the best professional players in the world.

The predictably boisterous and supportive Wisconsin fans turned out to watch the spectacle dotting the undulating landscape with plenty of Badger and Packer apparel. Even the Callaway staff bags featured a noticeable embroidered state patch in cheddar yellow, their zipper pulls crafted in the form of brats and beer mugs. Native son Steve Stricker played well for the part time player he has become finishing at four under par. On the eighteenth green Sunday after holing out Strick received a warm and loud ovation from the Wisconsin faithful.

Twenty PGA club professionals participated this week. Brian Gaffney of Quaker Ridge GC took low pro honors after a fine Sunday finish of 71 and a plus five total. Wouldn’t it be nice to return to the club and tell your members you “dusted” Tiger Woods in a major championship? Maybe it will help increase his lesson revenue.  The Tuesday Long Drive competition took place on the second hole with Matt Dobyns, the National Club Professional Champion finishing second with a poke of 323 yards.  For those politicking to remove club professionals from this event, take a seat.  These players earned the opportunity to play.

The major championship single round scoring record almost fell on Friday as Hiroshi Iwata scorched Pete’s serpentine routing with an incredible 63. Incredible because on Thursday evening Iwata stood on the practice range searching for answers to a balky driver after his opening round of 77. Witnessing the struggle firsthand I never saw Iwata bouncing back with 63. He could barely keep his driver on the property. His small entourage looked for ways to help him but it didn’t look good for playing the weekend. However golf sometimes provides a switch to turn on one’s game but finding it is akin to searching for the lightswitch in a dark hall of a new house. You never know when you’ll find it but you know it’s there.

In the end it was Day’s week as the worst score he posted added up to 68 during Thursday’s opener. Dustin Johnson jumped out of the starting gate on the calm morning with 66 again impressing golf fans with his athleticism. There may not be a better conditioned player on the short grass than Johnson. Sunday DJ planted his drive on ten on the left fringe, a poke of 360 yards…… uphill! He finished his final back nine with eagles on the two par fives that in the end added up to a 69. His round started off on the wrong foot when he blew his drive on the first toward Milwaukee, carding a quad eight. Johnson is the equivalent of a drag racer. He can go fast for short distances but when it comes to a four day competition there is bound to be a technical issue along the way.

When Friday’s second round finished Saturday morning, Day sat at 135, nine under par looking down from the blown over leaderboard at names like Finau, Lingmerth, Lahiri and Steele. Justin Rose and that kid Jordan Spieth were hanging around too. As the long Saturday played out (Spieth got to sleep in), the leaderboard was stronger than a Kohler stainless steel sink. The late storm that turned the Straits upside down on Friday afternoon softened the playing conditions and allowed a 64 from Grace, 65’s from Spieth and Kaymer plus a 66 from Day. It was one of those exciting major moving days with birdies and eagles being handed out like candy at any holiday parade in Wisconsin. Players, spectators, and volunteers alike were enjoying the thrill ride along Lake Michigan. At the end of moving day two likely players stood one, two — Day and Spieth setting up a spectacular Sunday showdown.

Another warm day with the potential for a stiff afternoon breeze showed up Sunday as the showdown loomed. Could Spieth match Hogan and Woods as the only other player to snatch three major trophies in one year? Could Day’s length off the tee be coupled with the required accuracy necessary for negotiating Dye’s obstacles? Might Justin Rose, ball striker extraordinaire, find a putting stroke to capture a second major? It certainly seemed like a three man race.

Again Spieth and Day were paired together in the final round as they were at the Open Championship. At St. Andrews Day commented it would be interesting to watch Spieth chase the Grand Slam around the Old Course. While Day also wanted a shot at the Claret Jug it seemed he got caught up in the frenzy surrounding his playing partner. That wouldn’t happen this Sunday along an inland stretch of Great Lakes water.

With both players recording three birdies on the outward nine, Spieth appeared to get behind the eight ball with a bogey at the ninth. Advantage Day. Both players drove it close to the tenth green but Day missed his short birdie while Spieth convincingly knocked his in. At this point with the twenty-two year old holding the honors you might have thought the momentum would have carried him to a string of birdies. At the eleventh Spieth was victimized by a piece of Pete’s hardwood in the form of a sleeper shoring up the massive bunker protecting the putting surface. The resulting par derailed his pursuit.

From there Day spotted the finish line of his first major as he negotiated his way along the lakeshore back to the clubhouse. Seventeen stood in his way but a deft putting touch helped secure par allowing him to play the final hole with a three shot lead. His par on the seventy-second hole opened up the emotional floodgates as a deserving player was washed over in a very deserving moment.

In a year of memorable major championships it is fitting that Jason Day is now a member of the elite club. Will it be the first of many or the last of his career one can never tell. What can be said is Day is in a group of young exceptional players that are ready to turn the page on the Woods, Mikelson, Furyk and Els era. Golf is turning over as we watch and the next decade looks bright. The talent is spread across a wide moat. Spieth has shown that players with ink still wet on their diplomas can come out and compete on the Tour. In some cases those diplomas represent two year degrees! The former World Number One will be back once his ankle completely heals. Walking the quirky steps that define Whistling Straits this past week McIlroy acquitted himself quite well.

At the end of this Wisconsin summer Sunday the world golf order is as it should be. Jason day is its newest major champion, Jordan Spieth is the World Number One Player, and a boatload of talented players have landed on the shores of Lake Michigan.  Golf is truly a world-wide game.  As the future unfolds look for new players rising out of unlikely places.  Next year’s Olympics will start to tell that story.

In five years the golf world will return a month later for the 2020 Ryder Cup Matches. It’s unlikely we’ll see Tiger, Phil, Furyk or Stricker walking the fairways unless it’s in a coaching capacity. Who knows if Herb Kohler will have built his fifth course in Sheboygan County? Will Pete Dye still be tinkering with Whistling Straits in order to defend the twenty under number Day posted?  Will Jason have more majors under his belt?  Will any other player get as close to the Grand Slam as Jordan Spieth did this year?  We’ll have to watch.

As the sun has set on America’s Dairyland and the beginning of the end of summer commences it’s time to grab a mug of your favorite brew, grab some crackers and cheese and reflect back on another wonderful Wisconsin major.  It’s always a sad time for me as golf’s majors for this year have concluded.  I will have to weather another Wisconsin winter in order to arrive at the Masters in April.  However another major is around the bend at Erin Hills in 2017.  Day and Spieth going at it again?  I’m up for that as well as another round of beer and brats.

 

 

 

 

Armed For Success

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When you see something amazing at times you have to take a second look to confirm what you’re watching. In my case I often need to clean my glasses. Today as I participated in a PGA Jr Clinic for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits I came across young boy who is very special.

Unfortunately the clinic portion of the morning was interrupted by lurking thunderstorms but an excellent clinic by Dennis Walters made it in under the wire. Walters is paralyzed from the waist down but his love of the game made him adapt a way he could swing a club. Sitting on a swivel seat attached to a golf cart Walters sets up and launches an incredible array of shots that leave his audiences wondering why they can’t do the same standing on two good legs. Ah, such is the nature of the game. The golf club and golf ball don’t know who is swinging and they certainly don’t count how many limbs are involved.

This truly applies to Tommy Morrissey, a four year-old boy with plenty of energy to swing a club. After the Walters show the kids and professionals headed back to the PGA pavilion for lunch and a drier environment. Eventually the room emptied out but a few of the youngsters stayed behind. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a diminutive boy swinging a club. From my angle it looked like any other young golfer until I faced him head on. He was only swinging with one arm. His right forearm was missing.

The really amazing part of this sight involved the contact the boy made with the carpeting. It wasn’t a thud or a whiff, he clipped the club right across the floor every time. It was like watching a four year-old Moe Norman, the incredibly accurate Canadian professional. Tommy never missed a beat.

I was fortunate to meet Tommy’s parents, Marsha and Joe, a wonderful couple that encourage their son in every conceivable way. His mom told me they used to prop Tommy up against a coffee table in front of the TV and let him watch golf telecasts. With his one arm he would mimic swinging motions and got hooked on the game. His parents marvel at how perceptive their son is and how well he imitates others swinging the club. He likes Rory and Bubba having met them both, has spent time with Tiger and at four years-old has been on a whirlwind tour the last year that has taken him to an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Indonesia, Scotland and this week to Whistling Straits. The family hopes to spread a message to others through Tommy’s amazing talents — Living Without Limitations.

I plan to head back to Whistling Straits to watch more of the events during the tournament but I’m sure by the end of the week an image of Tommy will be fresh in my mind. He has a unique talent and his ability gives him plenty of confidence to fit in with his peers. From a golf standpoint he dominates older kids with two arms.  Over the years it will be fun to follow the exploits of this young man. He’s definitely got it going on.

I too am a parent of a son with special needs. While he does have all of his limbs, he unfortunately does not possess the motor skills to hit a golf ball. However he does enjoy going out to the course and being a caddy for my wife and me. He cleans balls, removes the flag, retrieves clubs and helps drive the cart — in wide open spaces. As a PGA Life Member golf has always been a part of our family and Ryan has always liked it.  It’s an avenue for him to improve on his socialization skills, something that typically hinders autistic individuals.

Today offered another instance of the incredible benefits of the game and also the wonderful folks you meet who are involved with it. Had I made the mistake and exited the pavilion fifteen minutes earlier I would not have come across this fabulous story. It made my summer.

This is only one example but if you open your eyes you’ll find plenty of special people facing uncommon challenges who share the bond of golf. I’ve been around it my entire life and while it has taken me to wonderful places and taught me important lessons the one thing that is its greatest attribute lies in the people you meet and the importance of developing friendships. Consider Tommy and his parents new friends of PurePlayGolf.  I’m always looking to add more.

 

 

Ready To Whistle at the Straits

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With Whistling Straits hosting its third major championship in eleven years many of the players are familiar with the course. As always weather conditions can impact scoring but in August it’s doubtful the winds will blow with the force felt at St. Andrews a few weeks ago. Predominantly any breeze should be from the southwest blowing across the routing. Early forecasts predict temperatures in the mid 70’s to 80 with sunny skies. We’ll see if this holds.

The preferred set up may be along the lines of firm and fast but the Straits isn’t the Old Course or Chambers Bay. Underneath the yards of sand trucked in during construction lies Wisconsin clay. The experiment with an all fescue playing surface has given way to a variety of different grasses. Should a rain shower or two pass by the Lake Michigan shoreline the layout will cater to an aerial game these players execute with precision.

Predicting the winning score is always inviting and for sure the PGA doesn’t care about players shattering par. The same is true for the most part at the Masters and the Open Championship. Only the US Open seems obsessed about controlling winning scores. With what we saw at Chambers Bay this year a future US Open might be contested in a parking lot.

On Thursday’s telecast at the WGC Bridgestone Sir Nick Faldo predicted -14 would be the number to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy. Kaymer posted -11, Singh -8 in the previous two contests. Scoring isn’t much of a concern.  I just want to see fair conditions, a good test of golf and an event showcasing the player’s skill. It is certainly possible Jordan Spieth could roll to -18 or if Rory McIlroy decides to test his ankle he could replicate his performance in 2010.

What are the keys to taming the Straits? Let’s take a look at what holes might determine this year’s champion.

First of all I contend the Straits is a terrific 16 hole course. Two holes, one on the front nine and the other as the finisher have been worked on numerous times by Pete Dye. That is an indication the builder knows he’s delivered a sub standard hole.

Number five looks as if you’d be teeing it up in Florida, not Wisconsin. It started with wetlands and grasses along the right side, experienced a few other alterations the DNR turned their head to and ultimately now takes on the look of any par five located within a sixty mile radius of Palm Beach. It’s too bad because it follows perhaps the best hole on the Straits.

The eighteenth has had its putting surface reworked and the landing area altered significantly over the years but no matter how much makeup you apply the inherent features of the hole are subpar. Primarily the blind tee shot playing back into a setting sun during Sunday’s final round doesn’t help. My viewpoint is if you have negotiated 71 holes properly you should be deserving of a good look at the landing area for your final tee shot.

Regardless the other 16 holes are solid challenges. It will be key to get off to a good start as KJ Choi did during his first round in 2004. He birdied his first six holes. Darren Clarke posted 65 and the players were the ones whistling that first day.

Birdies are available on the first three holes, a par four, par five and par three. A well placed drive on number one allows for a short iron to a cantered green running right to left.  You’ll never find straight lines on a Dye course.  He loves to serpentine fairways, introduce random bunkers and vary the presentations of his putting surfaces.  Dye wants the eyes to move and the more they do the ore of his obstacles they pick up.  It’s all about getting into the player’s mind.

The Redan third collects tee shots to the back left of the green and allows the ground to come into play a fun view for spectators. With as good as these players are with their short clubs a birdie at number two is in the cards. If you can’t get through the first three at -1, you’re losing ground.

As a stated earlier the fourth may be the best hole at the Straits. A long uphill par four playing back into a right to left breeze this challenge demands two well struck shots to find the green. A birdie here is like stealing.

Holes five, six and seven offer pars of five, four, and three, with the seventh taking players back along the lake shore to a stern one-shotter. The sixth may have its teeing ground altered day-to-day to invite players to take a shot at the green but a deep bunker carved into the front of the green offers no bargain for par. The floor of the sandy hazard lies some twelve feet below the putting surface.

At this point through seven holes a score of -3 is very achievable. Eight (507 yards) and nine (446 yards), two closing par fours running north then west feature a long walk then a shorter downhill stroll back to the clubhouse. The green complex on the ninth is genius as its narrow width demands precision. Take two pars here, mark 33 on your card and head to the back nine.

The uphill tenth hole is typical Dye with a fairway bunker stuck directly in the middle of the route. However players will only use it as an alignment aid, most pounding their drives to within thirty yards of the green. This is an invitation for birdie and those failing to accept will be frowning on the next tee. Eleven is the best of the par fives, a sweeping double dogleg to a contemplative putting surface with a false front. This hole displays some of Pete’s best work.

The next trio of holes, a short par three, followed by two short par fours provide the player three opportunities to pad their scorecard. However the challenge of the first of these holes is solely dependent on its hole location as the green snakes back to the right towards Lake Michigan. In this quadrant, the size of a two-car garage, is where you’ll find the flag on Sunday. There is no bail out, no room to hide here. When the hole is on the left side of this green birdies will be more prevalent. Any player making birdie on Sunday will have an upper hand.

Thirteen is a scenic par four playing downhill towards the lake on the second shot. The tee shot might remind a player of the eighth but fortunately this plays one hundred yards shorter. With a short club in hand expect players to extract their share of birdies here before they turn home.

Another chance for birdie lies on the next tee and certainly may depend on where the tee blocks are set. Here players reverse direction heading back south for the next four holes. Should the PGA staff set this up as a drivable four, the well bunkered green will demand a precise effort to find its surface. Once again Dye’s “visual sabotage” presents itself as players are likely to only get a partial glimpse of their target. Taking a Zach Johnson route might be the best bet at birdie, relying on one’s wedge prowess.

If you’ve been fortunate to gather a few birdies on holes ten through fourteen hold onto your headcovers because the fifteenth is just downright nasty. At 518 brutal yards back into the prevailing wind this par four takes prisoners. There is always something unnerving when a player walks off the previous green, hikes a couple of hundred yards back to an elevated tee then turns around to view the challenge in front of them. The term that applies is intimidation. Any player making birdie here should be whisked away on the shoulders of the spectators and deposited gently on the sixteenth tee.

Everything is in plain view on fifteen especially the green which appears to float in Lake Michigan. The massive putting surface may allow the player to feel relieved once he’s arrived but the potential for a three putt looms if he isn’t careful. There is no shame giving one back here. The priority is to not record a dreaded “other” on the card.

The final three holes of this walk feature a par five, par three and finishing par four. Sixteen allows a chance to make up for any mishaps at the previous hole and under the right conditions an eagle is a possibility. The drive must find the well bunkered fairway in order to have a go at the green which drops off to the lake on the left.

Players have now arrived at their last two challenges in the shape of a par three and par four. How many other Dye courses conclude in this fashion? TPC Sawgrass, Crooked Stick, The Ocean Course at Kiawah, The Premier Course at Blackwolf Run, Oak Tree, to name a few. One thing all of these layouts have in common is that you’re not going to be able to limp in to the finish. You need your A game.

Perhaps the most photographed hole at Whistling Straits is the seventeenth. Concluding the lakeside holes this gem features a huge green shored up by sleepers on its port side and a raised bunker short and to the right. This bunker conceals a portion of the target again depicting the Dye trait of visual interference. Distance to the flag is vital as the potential of a three putt is very real. You better be sure when you step on this tee the proper club has been selected and the commitment to hit the shot is as plain as day. Otherwise any grip on that big trophy may start to slip away. The adjacent hillside will be packed with patrons hoping to catch a glimpse at the eventual champion.  This hole surely could have a say in that decision.

Regardless of the design of the finishing hole, it must be played. The most important consideration for the tee shot is picking the correct sightline to flight the drive. A miss right puts you into Dustin Johnson territory, not a good omen.  A quick hook delivers one into a congregation of bunkers dooming a player’s chance at reaching the green. Properly negotiate the tee shot and the stage is set for a heroic second to a flag tucked front left just above the meanderings of Seven mile Creek. It’s not difficult to hit the ample green but once again the premium is placed on the flat stick to avoid making a costly final mistake. If a birdie is required on this par four for victory three exceptional shots must be played. With the huge gallery tucked into bleachers lining the hillside any closing birdies will send a roar across the lake that might be heard in Michigan.

Walking off the eighteenth green a score of 66 is very achievable. There are birdie holes scattered throughout but the key to scoring will be accurate ball striking. If a player gets wayward on this routing an unforgiving number could be posted quickly. Four rounds of 69 would be commendable but might fall short of a first place finish. Rather than predicting a score I will predict a winner — Jason Day gets my nod to capture his first major.

By Sunday evening one player will hoist the Wanamaker Trophy and claim the final major championship of 2015. It will mark Kohler’s last scheduled PGA Championship in the foreseeable future. Yet the golf world will return in 2020 for the Ryder Cup. After that who knows what events will return to Kohler or if a potential fifth course will be built along Lake Michigan south of Sheboygan. But that is all speculation and what matters now is the event at hand.

One thing that cannot be disputed is the setting for this major championship. It is truly fantastic. The Kohler Company is extremely capable of hosting world class events and this third major championship illustrates the quality of the facilities found in Destination Kohler. Sure it’s a bit pricey but there are opportunities spread through the calendar year to enjoy the facilities at reasonable prices.  If you haven’t been to Kohler you need to go.  It captures Wisconsin at its best.

Whistling Straits is spread out on an ample piece of property capable of accommodating sizable crowds. It’s not an easy walk as the first two PGA’s saw a number of injuries from spectators slipping on mounds and hillsides. If you’re going to the tournament it is advisable to wear your golf shoes. Pick a few of the venues to watch a number of holes. The high ridge line to the right of the tenth fairway is ideal as you can see ten, eighteen, seventeen as well as tee shots on eleven with minimal trekking. If you intend to walk the entire course take some water and be extremely careful of your footing. There will be places where you won’t enjoy great views of the players along the way but you’ll eventually stumble on some good spots.

Enjoy the tournament whether on TV or in person. It’s a great way to wind down the Wisconsin summer. Then take a short break. The Packers will be teeing it up in another few weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Play or Go?

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Golf is unique in that it can be played for a lifetime in a variety of ways — recreationally, socially or competitively. It doesn’t matter when a player has been introduced to the game they will often continuing playing until they no longer can’t. Maybe it’s an injury sending one to the clubhouse. It could be due to job constraints or family obligations. For professional players it might be the result of deteriorating performance. Death is certainly the ultimate play stopper.

The question is how do you know when to walk away or on the flipside, what keeps you in the game? Golf’s allure is magical. Once it gets your attention it’s tough to leave.

Two recent decisions by professional players illustrate opposite ends of the spectrum. Granted the majority of us don’t play the game for a living. Yet it’s interesting to look two recent events affecting two players neither one you might consider a household name.

I’ll start with a past Masters champion, Mike Weir. The diminutive Canadian lefthander issued a statement a week ago that he is taking a leave of absence from the game. Yes, this is an opportunity to poke fun at the situation (Geez Mike, I thought that’s been going on for awhile…). However anyone that follows golf knows Weir had the potential to be “one of those guys”. Injuries didn’t help since the green jacket found it’s way to Weir’s closet. He has struggled mightily the past several seasons and ultimately it looks like the exit door opened. He says he’ll be back but in this sport you never know.

Contrast this story with a journeyman professional that recently stepped into the spotlight at the Senior Open Championship. Marco Dawson, a fifty-plus non winner on the regular tour fought the elements in Britain to capture a major on the Champions Tour. You could say if anyone had reason to walk away from golf, Marco did. Yet in the final group on Sunday with Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer, Dawson outplayed the dynamic twosome to grab his major. His play was unexpected and inspiring. Imagine if a few years earlier he had decided to call it a career.

Professional golf never offers any guarantees, doesn’t play favorites and only recognizes the lowest scores not caring which name is attached. Week to week you may see the same assortment of names gracing leader boards but over the years those names change and some vanish into the void. Remember the promise of Anthony Kim, Trevor Immelman, Lucas Glover or Geoff Ogilvy? After stuffing their major championship trophies in their back pockets these days if you see them at all they’re likely to have their heads down with hands in their front pockets wondering where the magic went. Such is the nature of an individual sport. To stay on top you need to perform. Each day is a new game.

Which is exactly why so many of us enjoy the game. Golf provides its players with hope. It wipes the slate clean and when the sun rises to mark a new day the opportunity sits directly in front of a player to grab their clubs. A healthy attitude and looking at holes half full play a big part in enjoying the experience. It’s the same in life.

Here’s hoping that Mike Weir finds his way back to the game healthy and with renewed optimism. He can look at the play of Marco Dawson for inspiration. Dawson never won on the big tour but captured a title on the minor league stage of the current Web.com tour. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind was the belief and expectation that a better day would arrive. Ben Hogan faced the same challenge early in his professional career eating oranges he found along the fairways while competing in California. With little money in his pocket he promised his wife he’d return to Dallas, put his clubs away and get a real job if his scores didn’t produce results. Imagine if had done so? Imagine what he might have done had he not been run over by a Greyhound bus? Golf was his salvation. He looked at each day as a possibility for improvement.

If you play golf you have a fantastic activity to participate in every day. I don’t play every day but I’m usually fidgeting with a club, teaching or coaching, hitting some putts, practice swinging in the house (a no-no) or reading. I wake up each morning looking forward to how golf will afford me chances to add to my day. There is no way I could walk away from it no matter how poor my scores are.

If you’ve walked your last fairway, struck your last shot or holed your final putt my hope is that you’ve gained access to the most heavenly of courses. Should you still be a resident of planet Earth consider coming back. There are plenty of good shots available, lots of birdies out there, tons of great natural settings and a bunch of good stories to be told with friends. The positives far outweigh the negatives. From a professional standpoint, there is one more tournament to win. If you don’t think so, ask Marco Dawson.

 

 

 

 

Saints and Sinners

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Call it St. Andrews but the thing about this course is there are plenty of un-saintly places a player could end up. The bunkers have names like Strath, Hell, Coffin and the Road Hole Bunker. There is even a Valley of Sin awaiting on the final hole. All of these cleverly placed obstacles extracted their toll on the field of the 144th Open Championship.

When Louie Oosthuizen let his eight footer for birdie and a chance to play even more holes catch less cup than required, it was finally over. Extra days, extra holes, more excitement and potentially a shot at history all came to a close after a four-hole playoff on the eighteenth green at the Old Course. The other Johnson, shorter in stature but bigger in heart earned the right to caress the Claret Jug on his way home to Cedar Rapids.

In a week that serves as a test for all-weather gear, this championship gave the field a grueling examination. It even blew the players off the course for the resumption of the second round forcing them to retire to their retreats in the Auld Grey Toon until the golf ball stood still. Once fifty-four holes had been recorded and an extra day added the links invited everyone to gear up for what seemed like a fifth round. Accumulate as many birdies as possible on the outward swing then punish players as they headed home on Monday served as the montra. Commentators spoke of the heavy wind and Monday’s buffeted the scores like a palm tree in a hurricane. In golf there is no dugout in which to hide or a locker room to return to at halftime. You have to step up and play the shot when it’s your turn regardless of the weather and how you feel. The Open tests every aspect of a player, as it should.

The week of good-byes started with a hello on Wednesday from the King as Arnold Palmer showed up for the festivities during the Champion Golfers Challenge. Maybe it served as an unlucky omen for Jordan Spieth. History tells of Palmer occupying the same position winning the year’s first two majors only to fall short to Kel Nagle and thus end any thoughts of a modern day grand slam. Spieth got tantalizingly close but too much spin sent his chances to the Valley of Sin and from there you know nothing good happens.

Tom Watson completed his final tour around St Andrews on time — barely. Appropriately as the sun set over the Old Course so too did Watson’s career of competing in Open Championships. In the dusk with flashbulbs popping and patrons paying their respects to the five time champion, Watson acknowledged the moment soon to be a memory by confessing he finished “like a hack.” We should all wish to hack it around like that at age sixty-five.

Peter Dawson and Ivor Robson are also bowing out of one of golf’s greatest shows. Both men, their distinctive voices announcing “The Champion Golfer of the Year” or “This is game number 32, on the tee from USA, Zach Johnson” are now added to a very rich history that has spanned 144 championships. I’ll miss waking up early in the morning starting next year and not hearing Robson serenade the players before their opening tee shot.

This Open indeed defined the term. With the early Monday round packed full of noted players and a few surprise amateurs, the march up the leaderboard looked more like a sprint. Garcia, Harrington, Scott, Day, Spieth, Oosthuizen, Leishman, and Willett made the game look easy in the breeze and the squalls. In a juxtaposition of D. Johnson versus Z. Johnson the former played a splendid first thirty-six holes only to disappear into the gloom going out in both the third and fourth rounds. Zach played better in the last half of the tournament which is usually when it counts the most. The Wee Mon reflected perhaps a bit of Hogan’s Wee Ice Mon personna down the stretch on Monday. Johnson never gave up, gave in or gave a damn about who was chasing him. Turning back into the wind he kept his head down and his ball under control. When destiny looked him square in the face on the eighteenth green at the end of regulation he answered loudly with a definitive stroke. It was a bold effort, the effort of a champion. He carried that precise play into the playoff with birdies on the first two holes ultimately dodging one last attempt by lil’ Louie.

Briefly the summary of the 144th Open Championship might read like this:

Tiger hits it like a champion on the range, like a dog on the links. Dustin Johnson would have won had this been a two day Member-Guest Invite.   O’Meara and Langer hang around for an extended weekend, both finishing at +1. David Duval, minus fifty pounds, makes a run at getting out of the broadcast booth and back on the fairways. Phil the Thrill wishes he could’ve signed his card after the 16th hole on Monday. Sergio, Scott and Harrington kept it interesting the final round but ultimately were sabotaged by St. Andrews. John Daly missed the cut by one and again failed to show up for the Champions photograph. Dottie Pepper might thaw out by August. Curtis Strange was too busy watching the Monday dram instead of reporting it. The grandstand behind the eighteenth green was imposing. Amateur golf is in great hands with several young guns showing they’re ready to compete now. Just don’t ask me to spell there names. The 17th hole may be the most diabolical par four in golf. Certainly someone will replicate the hole at some new venture in the next few years. Finally, even if you don’t play the game wouldn’t it be neat to visit St. Andrews just to walk across the Swilcan Bridge?

Put this third major of 2015 in the books. It ranks as the most entertaining so far. Great golf, playoff, elements, soft and green as opposed to brown and fast, a deserving champion and an opportunity to show the world that St. Andrews is home to both saints and sinners on and off the golf course. Four days just simply wasn’t enough time to tell this story.

 

 

Freight Trains, Fescue, Four Feet & The Phenom

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Writers looking for a closing story on this 115th US Open have plenty of material. Where to begin?

The obvious place is at the top of the leaderboard. The kid amazed all of us again by putting himself into a familiar position for such a young age. He is a finisher. He is a winner. Most of all he is the anti – Tiger when it comes to dealing with the media.  How do you spell refreshing?  This kid has got it.

Behind the scenes, which is where I like to delve, you would have to say the most talented director in the Northwest this week was the train dispatcher coordinating some 60 trains a day along the double tracks skirting Chambers Bay, not the USGA’s Mike Davis. Davis had an infinite amount of flexibility. The train guy only had two iron fairways to choose from.

I said early in the week this might be an obscure Open. Yet the number two player in the world took the trophy over the names of Dustin Johnson, Brandon Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott, and gutty Jason Day. Pretty strong contenders on the moonscape that is Chambers Bay. Now that the tournament is over get those sprinklers on ASAP.

Notable performances from the amateur ranks came via Champaign, IL, and two Illini players, Brian Campbell and Nick Hardy. Campbell actually seized the lead on Friday for a few holes. Both shot final round 68’s. I thought the Am’s would perform well this week. Youth is serving notice that once they’re ready they can compete with the big boys. How long before “The Hammer” (15 year-old Cole Hammer) makes his way onto the big stage?

On the other end of the age spectrum how about Monty, the puffy senior Scot plodding his way across severe terrain to make the cut and play four rounds? Sergio threw a few barbs at the USGA but finished a respectable T-18. On Friday it looked as if he three-putted his final hole on purpose to avoid the weekend melee but Nick Hardy let him and several others in when he raised the cut to +5. There was also a Jason Dufner and Geoff Ogilvy sighting at T-18. Arnie’s grandson played four rounds while Rory nabbed a top ten. Pick a story, any story. There are plenty out there.

If you want to look further behind the scenes you might dabble with prominent players who fell below the cutline but those stories were already written on Friday. This year’s second major was worthy of viewing despite a plethora of Fox sportscasters talking over the play. It was similar to a cocktail party — 10 conversations going on at the same time across the airwaves.  Geez, we get to look forward to that for nine more years. All of a sudden Johnny Miller doesn’t seem so bad.

Do we really need to talk about the four footer? Blame the greens, blame the fescue or poa, blame the lack of moisture during a dry spring, but the fact is the best players in the world miss putts. When it happens on the seventy-second hole of a major championship it gets magnified beyond rational proportions. Hey Dustin, helluva week, bro. Don’t let it ruin your year.

I’m sure some nitwit will write the story about how Jordan “backed into” his victory. Nothing could be further from the truth. In professional sport there is a winner and a loser. Let the sordid details get hashed out by amateur scribes. This kid is what golf needs right now. Get rid of the four and five letter references (Phil & Tiger) of the past. Add another letter to spell J-O-R-D-A-N. It is the future and the future is in good hands.

The clan that bashed the USGA for the site selection and the set up are winging their way home running excuses through their heads. What Sunday showed is that some of the best players in the world adapted to what was placed in front of them. In Round Four Scott fires a 64. Two amateurs (Campbell and Hardy) card 68. Louis O blitzes the back nine for 29 bringing back memories of Neal Lancaster who did it in back-to-back US Opens. It’s amazing how some players can raise their games over the noise. Billy Horschel take note.

My main inquiry for Chambers Bay focused on the luck/talent equation. Trent Jones’ greens were a stern examination yet the winning score was still -5. The USGA folks are probably slapping each other on the back, popping corks on extravagant wines compliments of the big, fat FOX contract. They made it work. They got their number and a gripping finish. Call it what you want but Johnson’s miscue on 18 wasn’t due to bad luck, instead you can chalk it up to operator error. Several other players made similar putts over the course of seventy-two holes. Spieth didn’t luck out and back in. He birdied 18 when he needed it and now sets his sights on pursuing his next major at St. Andrews. Can he fit three major trophies on his mantel?

With two down and two to go, this 2015 golf season will continue to see youth rise to the top. While the viewing pleasure isn’t as spectacular as the early season sites featuring Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, Riviera, Doral, Bay Hill, TPC, Harbour Town and Quail Hollow, I suppose I’ll catch a few rounds this summer before I’m forced to get up early and take in the Open Championship. The main storyline is apparent. It does seem very possible doesn’t it?

While it may take some time you can bet the USGA will be hosting a future Open at Chambers Bay. They’ve seen their mistakes, dealt with adverse conditions and seem willing to make it better. In the Northwest you’ll never get a weak cup of coffee, an entree of frozen fish or four straight days without rain showers. You’re likely to see a much different tournament in the future. Don’t be surprised the next time the USGA flags fly over the train tracks and the Sound if you see Jordan Spieth mentoring Cole Hammer during a practice round. Ahh, youth be served.