The USGA got it right

The USGA achieved what they set out to

AFTER Rory McIlroy's demolition of both the field and the course at Congressional last year, the USGA, organisers of the US Open, were always going to have their own back 12 months on.

Indeed, in the build up to Olympic it seemed like the defending champion might find himself as the least popular man in the locker room with the prospect of a course set-up that would humiliate the entire field.

That did not happen and while the days and weeks leading up to each US Open are full of predictions that this year's will be the most brutal yet, the record will show that Webb Simpson's winning total of 281 was only one over par – and at that a typically stingy par of 70.

There was a time on the first day when we were watching balls roll frictionless across the Olympic greens and into back collars when it seemed things might get out of hand.

And perhaps there would have been more of that on the final day but for the sea mist that rolled in and coated the course with a layer of moisture that undoubtedly took the edge off the firmness and pace of the greens.

Mike Davis, the USGA's executive director, promised beforehand that anyone emerging from the first six holes in level par would have made up at least two shots on the field and in that he was proved right.

Watching the players start their rounds at the weekend was fascinating – not least because the late start times meant that for many of us in Britain that was about as long as we could stay awake for.

The record will show that Webb Simpson's winning total of 281 was only one over par

With two short holes and back-to-back par 5s in the last six holes, and a short 4 to finish, Olympic's closing stretch is highly irregular.

Needless to say, they made the 16th so difficult that it ranked among the hardest holes all week – almost unheard of for a par 5.

Similarly, the 18th must be the hardest par 4 of under 350 yards in championship golf.

Especially when the pin was front left, as it was on Sunday. Incredibly, there were only six birdies in 70 attempts. When you think that the field were hitting 4-iron, gap wedge, that really is a remarkable statistic.

The rough, by US Open standards, was actually quite manageable, which is probably just as well because the cambered Olympic fairways and doglegs mean that many shots that land on the short grass end up in trouble, let alone wild drives.

At no point was Olympic unplayable – there were scores under 70 each day – and on Saturday we saw Davis's sense of fun, with a couple of tees pushed forward, most notably at the 15th, which was played at little over 100 yards to a pin as good as on the lip the front bunker.

It makes for mush more interesting golf, if slightly forced.

The USGA's goal is for the winning score each year to be par, and they pretty much achieved that.

The lowest score of the week came on the first day when Michael Thompson shot 66. It would never be matched, though there were a couple of 67s on Sunday.

There were few complaints from the players, who know what to expect these days.

You can criticise the USGA's fixation with par – is it really so bad if someone shoots 64 every now and again? – but it is hard to argue with the quality of the final leaderboard or the thoroughness of the test provided.

Olympic was much different to Augusta, and Lytham in turn will be a further stark contrast.

It's what makes the Majors work – and by the time Kiawah Island, a seaside course that has little else in common with Lytham – has been visited for the PGA the players will have been set four very different examination papers in 2012.

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By Dan Murphy
on 18 June 2012

The USGA got it right

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