Golf Digest Search Results

U.S. Open Live Saturday Roundtable

GolfDigest.com Staff — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Golf Digest and Golf World editors discuss what they've seen through two days at Merion GC and what they expect in Round 3

On trying day, McIlroy grinds his way closer to top

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:11:00 GMT

By John Huggan

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Perhaps ominously for those fancying their chances of winning this 113th U.S. Open, he looked quite content with both how he had played and where his three-over par aggregate of 143 was likely to be relative to the eventual leader. Having battled round Mud . . . sorry Merion in 70, PGA champion and former U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy seemed at ease with his role as one of the more prominent "lurkers" on an already tightly packed board.

"I'm very happy," he said. "I'm right in there for the weekend. I don't think I'll be too far away by the end of the day. Which is a nice position to be in going into the last two days."

(photo by Getty Images)

The 24-year-old Ulsterman was also quick to join the chorus of players pooh-poohing the notion that, even at a "mere" 6,996 yards, Merion was ever going to be a pushover. He even found time to poke a little fun at the assembled scribes, a sure sign that his fettle is fine.

"I didn't hear any of the golfers saying the course was going to be easy," he continued. "It was you guys saying that it was going to be 'scorable.' So you must be very good golfers. There were people saying 63, 64, but that was never going to happen. If you don't hit the fairways here, you're not going to score. If you do hit the fairways, it's still a big challenge from there."

Related: Merion A Pushover? Puh-lease

Still, there is little doubt that the large crowd assembling at the sharp end of America's national championship is a symptom of a course set-up that largely forces virtually every member of the field to play almost every hole in pretty much exactly the same way. As a result of that tedium, separating oneself from the rest is a very difficult task.

Then again, this grand occasion is at least partly saved from the USGA's one-dimensional thinking by the wide range of holes Merion offers. McIlroy, for one, is certainly enjoying himself, having found 21 of 28 fairways from the tee (above average) and hit 21 of 36 greens with his approach shots (average). His total of 56 putts was also just about exactly average for the field.

"The variety you get on this golf course is great," he enthused. "Take today, we started gently on 11, 12, 13, where you have wedge shots into the greens. Then there's the short par 3. Then you sort of get a rhythm on 14 through 18, but it's not the right rhythm you want to be in. That stretch doesn't present very many opportunities for birdies. So it's tough for a few holes and then it sort of backs off for a couple, three holes, and then it's tough again."

As for what lies ahead, McIlroy, whose form has been famously erratic so far this year, was cautiously optimistic. He certainly wasn't worried about the winning score.

Related: 11 Ways To Win At Merion

"At the end of the week, there's going to be a guy lifting the trophy," he pointed out. "It doesn't matter if he's plus-5, minus-5, or plus-16. So it's all about hanging in there. If you're a couple over par, but feel like you should be two or three under par, it's important to remember that it's not just you struggling out there; it's everyone. Merion is that sort of course. There are so many wedges, but you can't get much under par. It's just one of those places where par is a great score."

Which is just what the USGA wants to hear, of course. A winning score of even par -- every U.S. Open's Holy Grail.

Follow @JohnHuggan

U.S. Open marquee group struggles at Merion

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:21:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Even with an early start time and chilly, autumn-like weather, the world's top three players -- Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott -- drew huge crowds Friday morning. Those fans didn't see what they were expecting.

Woods began the first-round re-start by holing a four-footer for par, but not much else went smoothly for the marquee pairing as it began the scramble to get this U.S. Open back on track. Woods had two bogeys and a birdie over Merion's final six holes and actually fared the best of his group.

Scott started Friday at three under after birdieing the 11th hole on Thursday just before the horn sounded to suspend play, but he bogeyed 12 and 14 and then hooked his tee shot on No. 15 out-of-bounds, leading to a double bogey. He added another bogey on No. 17 -- to be fair, the 243-yard par 3 was playing more like a par 4 -- to finish at two over, one better than Woods and McIlroy overall.

The trio wasn't allowed much time to assess their first 18 together -- just over an hour, in fact -- before heading to the 11th tee to start their second rounds. Woods said his left wrist bothered him on a few shots, but he didn't seem too concerned.

"It is what it is and you move on and I got to get ready for this next round in a little bit," he said.

On the bright side, the group should finish its second round today, while others will have to deal with playing extra golf tomorrow -- something that's never fun, especially at the U.S. Open. They also finished much better than the 1-2-3 pairing of McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood at Olympic Club last year. Those three combined to shoot 19 over on Day 1 and only Westwood went on to make the cut.

With Merion playing difficult so far on Friday -- Woods said it was "unbelievable how much faster" the greens were in the morning -- Scott, Woods and McIlroy are all within the cut line for now and with Mickelson's 67 still leading, all are just a few good holes away from playing their way back into contention.

"It's one of those golf courses where there's some easy holes and there's some hard holes that follow," Woods said. "And you got to take care of the easy holes and try and get through the hard ones. And for some reason I left myself quite a bit of, quite a few putts in there where they were easily makeable and I didn't make any."

Follow @AlexMyers3

U.S. Open Thursday Live Chat

GolfDigest.com Staff — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Golf World and Golf Digest contributor Geoff Shackelford discusses a stormy Day 1 at Merion.

Media: USGA allows viewers to watch Tiger's round

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:36:00 GMT

(Getty Images photo)

By John Strege

Whatever one's preference, the U.S. Open or the Masters, the blue blazers trump the green jackets from a viewer's perspective.

The United States Golf Association hierarchy, though haughty in its own right, at least gives viewers what they want, unlike the Augusta National hierarchy. Recall that at the Masters Tiger Woods played most of his first round out of sight of television or Internet viewers.

Woods is part of a marquee pairing that includes Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott in the first two rounds of the U.S. Open that begins Thursday, and television viewers will have the opportunity to see all of it, on a combination of ESPN and NBC.

Moreover, the Woods, McIlroy and Scott group is one of two featured pairings that will be shown both days via the U.S. Open website or an app available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The other featured pairing to be shown will be Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Keegan Bradley.

Now contrast that with the Masters' two featured groupings it showed from its first round: Peter Hanson, Charl Schwartzel and Webb Simpson in one and K.J. Choi, Zach Johnson and Graeme McDowell in the other.

ESPN, meanwhile, also is starting its coverage on Friday a half-hour earlier, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) to accommodate more of the Woods' pairing that goes off at 7:44.

The full viewing schedule can be found here.

Say what?

Tom O'Toole, chairman of the USGA's championship committee, echoed a familiar USGA talking point in an interview with Golf Channel on Wednesday.

"I think there's probably too much attachment to this par discussion and what that really means," he said.

Then why does the USGA often take holes that ordinarily play as par 5s and call them par 4s, as it does for the second hole for Opens at Pebble Beach and as it did for the sixth hole at Torrey Pines South in the 2008 Open?

That's some rough rough

Arron Oberholser, working for Golf Channel this week: "Walking across the rough on the 18th hole, I lose my shoes every time."

Follow @JohnStrege

Swing Sequence: Rory McIlroy

Analysis by Jim McLean — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Rory's swing is "untouched"--free-flowing and natural. View his swing in action.

Animated GIFs: U.S. Open Champions' Swings

Liz Bergren — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

From Jim Furyk to Justin Rose: View animated GIFs of the last 11 U.S. Open Champions' Swings.

The Grind: Inspiring theme songs, Mike Davis's stress level & U.S. Open picks

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:54:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we've had that spectacular U.S. Open theme song in our heads for months. The Yanni-penned masterpiece, "In Celebration of Man," is so inspiring we're pretty sure Johnny Miller sets his alarm to wake up to it in the morning. Don't act like you've never hummed it to yourself when you've struck a solid shot on the course before. OK, so maybe that's just us. . . Still, you should do yourself a favor and give it a listen. NOW. And then come back, of course, to catch up on what is certainly one of the most exciting weeks of the golf year.

WE'RE BUYING

Harris English: The golfer with the movie star name broke through for his first PGA Tour win in Memphis thanks to a back-nine 32. Still 24, he seems destined to pile up a lot more titles. Then again, everyone was saying the same thing about Anthony Kim a few years ago. . .

Phil Mickelson: Lefty skipped Memorial, but played in Memphis to tune up for Merion. Not only did he finish T-2, but he provided plenty of highlights, including nearly holing a pitching wedge from 172 yards (172 yards!!!) on Sunday. The window for winning a U.S. Open is starting to close on the man with the most runner-ups in event history, but it is still cracked open.

"Firm and fast"? Eh, not so much. . . (Photo by Getty Images)

Inbee Park: After her win at the Kraft Nabisco, we dubbed her "Winbee." And after winning another major, this time, the LPGA Championship, that nickname is even more appropriate. While Tiger Woods has generated talk of pulling off the professional grand slam in the past, perhaps it's Park who will actually do it. Going against her, though, is the fact there are now five LPGA majors. Tough break, Winbee. Keep it up, though, you're 40 percent of the way there!

WE'RE SELLING

Rain: For the past year, we've heard that a successful U.S. Open return to Merion hinges on the weather. It's almost as if people thought if they talked about it enough, then the rain would stay away. Wrong. Instead, Merion got hit with a tropical storm on Friday and then more heavy rains on Monday.

Being Mike Davis: How would you like it if your whole year's work was judged on one week? And what if that one week was still at the mercy of Mother Nature? And what if even if everything went smoothly, you still had to watch out for "Jungle Birds" crashing the trophy ceremony? Sure, there's a big paycheck and some fancy golf club memberships, but being the executive director of the USGA during U.S. Open week has to be about as stressful as being Lindsay Lohan's publicist. Cheer up, Mike. Next year you're only trying to host both the men's and women's Opens on back-to-back weeks at the same venue. Piece of cake!

The end of the Tiger-Sergio feud: Garcia found Woods on the Merion range on Monday and the two shook hands. It seems to be over (although Woods claimed on Tuesday that Garcia has yet to officially apologize). Boo. No, we're happy the two acted like grown-ups and seem to have put their squabble behind them, but we'll miss the drama. Of course, a late tee time on the weekend together could help bring back a lot of the buzz. Maybe one of them could even pull a Lee Trevino and toss a fake snake at the other on the first tee. SPICY!

ON TAP

The year's second major is finally upon us and Merion will host its first U.S. Open in 32 years. That is, as long as the course doesn't wash away.

Random tournament fact: OK, so this isn't random, but Ben Hogan won the 1950 U.S. Open here just 16 months after being hit by a BUS. One of the great wins in sport's history can't be glorified enough.

WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP

In case you're not aware of "The Grind Jinx," we've put Tiger Woods in our A-list bench spot four times this year. He's won all four times. To all the Tiger fans out there, don't worry. We aren't going to try to jinx the jinx.

Starters -- (A-List): Graeme McDowell. The 2010 winner of this event and a runner-up last year switched his Twitter avatar to the famed picture of Ben Hogan hitting a 1-iron to the 18th green at Merion. Respect.

(B-List): Matt Kuchar. The only multiple winner on the PGA Tour not named Tiger Woods almost seems too obvious of a pick here, but we'd kick ourselves if he won major No. 1 and we didn't take him.

(B-List): Keegan Bradley. Imagine if the belly putter wielding Bradley won the U.S. Open? Talk about sticking it to the Man!

(C-List): Lee Westwood. Westy has had so many close calls in majors, including last year at Olympic, where a lost ball in a tree derailed him on Sunday. Is it his time? Probably not since we're picking him, but you never know.

Bench -- Tiger Woods (Pssst, he's going to win), Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and Adam Scott.

TWEET/PHOTO OF THE WEEK

"RT @ManasseroMatto Here Philadelphia .. Recognise this steps ?? pic.twitter.com/4EQcxRBeVn"

OK, so he's still working on his English (Hey, it's better than our Italian), but Matteo Manassero gets an A for effort. He also gets an A+ for his knowledge of American pop culture. The Italian phenom is way up in our book after expressing a like for Rocky, an all-time great movie made 17 years before he was born. It also reminds us of the Rocky theme song, "Gonna Fly Now," one of the only pieces of music that might even be more inspiring than Yanni's NBC ditty.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

In case you missed it, this is the cutest golf-related rap music video ever made:

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

-- The Philadelphia fans will go easy on Sergio Garcia: 1,000-to-1 odds

-- Boo Weekley will do the Bull Dance with one of Merion's wicker baskets: 20-to-1 odds

-- One of the leaders on Sunday will have to hit from a divot on No. 18 thanks to EVERYONE trying the Hogan approach: 10-to-1 odds

-- NBC's Roger Maltbie will eat a Philly cheeseteak: LOCK

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY DISPLAYS OF PUBLIC AFFECTION

Nothing to report from the lovebirds this week. Amazing. Perhaps that even explains Dustin Johnson playing four competitive rounds of golf for the first time in two months in Memphis and even finishing T-10. Paulina did tweet this photo of her taking a blanket with her to the movies.

We just have to ask where that theater is? Those seats look incredibly comfy!

THIS AND THAT

David Frost held off Fred Couples for his first Champions Tour major. We like the senior circuit's ability to produce breakthroughs at age 53. . . The U.S. won the Palmer Cup in convincing fashion. Is it just us, or does the U.S. win every international golf competition other than the Ryder Cup? . . . I recently rediscovered how glorious Rice Krispies Treats are. Is there a more versatile food? From breakfast to in the car to a late-night snack, these bad boys get the job done.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How much sleep does Johnny Miller get during U.S. Open week?

Is this year's trophy ceremony "Jungle Bird"-proof?

How much would it cost for a personal theme song by Yanni?

-- Alex Myers is an Associate Editor for GolfDigest.com. Feel free to email him and please follow him on Twitter since he has self-esteem issues.

U.S. Open Preview: Our Picks To Win

GolfDigest.com Staff — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Who is going to win at Merion? Our staff conducts its own draft and picks the top 28 candidates.

Talking U.S. Open Equipment

GolfDigest.com Staff — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Golf World Senior Equipment Editor Mike Johnson discusses how players are preparing for Merion.