2012 US Open

[rock_knutne]

Olympic Club San Francisco, CA June 14-17 2012

Gotta love Tiger's chances to win, he definitely hot coming off of his victory at the Memorial. Rory McIlroy has fallen off the planet and Phil has "mental fatigue".

Pairing to watch for rounds one and two is Tiger, Phil and Bubba Watson.

Who do you like?

 

[ChiRish]

I'm all in for Tiger. He loves this tourney. He had one of his older style performances this past weekend. And damn if he isn't fun to watch.

 

[rock_knutne]

The Olympic Club has been lengthened to 7,100 plus yards and several of their greens have been resurfaced. Even par could very well run away with it this time.

Lee Janzen won with an even par score of 280 back in 1998 when the US Open was last played at Olympic Club.

 

[Irish4Life09]

I hate to say it but I think Tiger wins it. I would absolutely love to see Rory win back to back, but he's been struggling.Phil won't be able to contend with the cell phones, and no one else really stands out right now....would be cool to see Bubba get it too.

 

[clashmore_mike]

Tiger Woods y'all

 

[tadman95]

Tiger, Phil, Bubba grouping the first 2 days

Luke, Rory, Lee grouped together also.

This will be fun

 

[peoriairish]

Don't count out Dufner on this one. He's been lingering and playing steady the past few Majors and is ready to take one if the rest falter some.

 

[BobD]

Just received my tickets for Sunday the 17th.

Look for a good looking guy with a Notre Dame hat on........but they very rarely have a camera pointed at a bar in a sponsors tent. : )

Go Tiger!

 

[tadman95]

Sweet!

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Just received my tickets for Sunday the 17th.

Look for a good looking guy with a Notre Dame hat on........but they very rarely have a camera pointed at a bar in a sponsors tent. : )

Go Tiger!

I know the feeling... It's our curse.

 

[irishtrain]

I'm a guy who pulls for Woods. If he cant win it I just hope its not one of the Euros. This man has put himself through the gauntlet of media and national contempt buy his off course actions but no one and I mean no one can beat him when he's hitting on all parts of his game. Ratings be %$#@#$ this guys the #1 golfer in the world. By the way if we knew all the smut about half of those guys it would more or less make you think twice about some of their public images. I watch Woods to see golf excellance with a warrior mentality.

 

[TheSunIsRising]

It will be interesting; Olympic has some of the most narrow fairways. Not the best set-up for Woods' game. Greens are small and well-bunkered. The four previous Olympic US Open winners were named Fleck/Casper/Simpson/Janzen rather than the better known and established Hogan/Palmer/Watson/Stewart.

 

[Irish4Life09]

I'm changing my pick: I'm going w/ my boy Rory.
He's firing on all cylinders right now @St.Jude...I think he's back.

 

[notredomer23]

Depends which tiger shows up but if he plays how he finished last weekend the field doesn't stand a chance

 

[rock_knutne]

It will be interesting; Olympic has some of the most narrow fairways. Not the best set-up for Woods' game. Greens are small and well-bunkered. The four previous Olympic US Open winners were named Fleck/Casper/Simpson/Janzen rather than the better known and established Hogan/Palmer/Watson/Stewart.

It's the US Open, the fairways will ne narrow regardless of the venue.

 

[TheSunIsRising]

It's the US Open, the fairways will ne narrow regardless of the venue.

Umm, the USGA don't historically narrow the fairways considerably, no. They did go through a stretch of moderately doing this, but have relented in the past few years. The USGA will grow the existing rough (grass will be gnarly), and have done sadistic things to greens and sheared the run-off areas around the greens, but they don't force courses to have narrow fairways such as Olympic has.

Bethpage Black was not a narrow course; they made it freakishly long, such that some guys couldn't reach the fairway from certain tee boxes. Pinehurst hasn't been a narrow course during the set-ups, but the rough has been penal and the greens have been cut very short, and with the mounded nature of them it has been hard to keep the ball on them.

comments about Olympic

The United States Golf Association returns its national championship this week to San Francisco's Olympic Club, where in 1998 the course wreaked havoc on everyone not named Lee Janzen. He won his second and final U.S. Open by erasing a seven-stroke deficit in the final round to beat Payne Stewart by a stroke.
....
Even par will probably be a solid score, which is what Janzen won with in 1998.
....
and the course will be 373 yards longer than it was in 1998. This year, the Lake Course will check in at 7,170 yards and play as a par 70.

This year's tournament on the Lake Course promises to be just as gruelling, if not more so. In fact, USGA executive director Mike Davis sent a warning to the competitors months ago.

"I am convinced that this will be the hardest start in the U.S. Open," Davis said in February. "The first six holes are going to just be brutal. I would contend if you play the first six holes two over, I don't think you're giving up anything to the field."

"If you drive the ball in the rough the first six holes you could find yourself four or five over par very easily," Andy North, a two-time U.S. Open champ and ESPN analyst, said earlier this week.

If you look at the guys who won there, they're all great drivers of the golf ball, particularly at the time that they won there," North said. "This is a golf course you better be able to put the ball on the fairway. If you don't you aren't going to win. Bottom line."

Not saying Tiger can't win, but for someone still struggling off the tee, this probably isn't his best venue (nor is a US Open the best format for him). He'd have a better shot with a mulligan at Augusta, which really does suit his game