Opinion & Analysis
Z. Johnson says Merion is “manipulated”
The terms “fair” and “unfair” are often voiced during the U.S. Open, as questions circle about the fine line between the two.
Zach Johnson used harsher terms.
“I would describe the whole golf course as manipulated,” said Johnson. “It just enhances my disdain for the USGA and how it manipulates golf courses.”
Johnson continued, “Not when luck is required. I think Merion is a great golf course, if you let Merion be, but that is not the agenda.”
His comments came after a 77 in Round 2, leaving him in a tie for 105th place at 11-over par. Johnson will have an MC (missed cut) next to his name after the completion of the second round tomorrow, giving him plenty of incentive for negative commentary.
Lee Westwood serves as testimony to Johnson’s accusations. During his first round, Westwood’s approach shot into No. 12’s green hit the wicker basket, ricocheting backward off the green. A good shot was penalized due to misfortune, leading to a double bogey.
Westwood, who is now hovering on the cutline at 7-over, sarcastically tweeted after the first round:
So much tradition at merion to talk about……like those delightful wicker baskets !
— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) June 14, 2013
Johnson projected earlier in the week that the wicker baskets could affect play.
“I’m not a big fan of them because it’s not consistent with what we normally use,” he said. “I’m not anti-Merion, but we are used to seeing flags. They could be a factor.”
He may not be “anti-Merion,” but he surely doesn’t fancy the USGA.
Opinion & Analysis
Brandel Chamblee PGA Championship Q&A: Rose’s huge McLaren risk, distracted LIV pros and why Aronimink suits the bombers
PGA Championship week is here, and Brandel Chamblee did not hold back in our latest discussion ahead of the season’s second major.
In our 2026 PGA Championship Q&A, golf’s leading analyst made the case that PIF pulling LIV’s funding has left its players competing in a state of confusion, called Justin Rose’s mid-season equipment switch a huge risk at 45, and explained why Aronimink will be a bombers’ delight this week.
Check out the full Q&A below.
Gianni: With the PIF confirming that they’re pulling funding from LIV at the end of the season, what impact do you expect that to have on the LIV players competing at the PGA Championship?
Brandel: I would imagine that they have all been thrown into a state of confusion, and will be distracted, not knowing where they are going to play next year and not knowing exactly their road back to either the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. Or in Rahm’s case, being tied to a sinking ship for the next few years, likely playing for pennies on the dollar in events that no one cares about or watches.
I doubt this would put him in the best frame of mind to compete at his highest level. Keeping in mind, however, that majors are the only time that LIV disciples get to play in events that matter, so never disregard the motivation they have to prove to the world they are still relevant.
Gianni: Justin Rose switched to McLaren Golf equipment mid-season while playing some of the best golf of his career. What do you make of the change?
Brandel: I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment. It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.
Having said that, at best, it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame. At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.
Gianni: Aronimink has only hosted a handful of professional events since it hosted the 1962 PGA Championship. What kind of test does it present, and does a course with less recent major championship history tend to level the playing field?
Brandel: Even though Aronimink has only hosted a handful of meaningful professional events, it has been fairly discerning in who can win there. When Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship on the Donald Ross masterpiece in 2018, he was the 2nd best iron player on tour coming into that week. When Nick Watney won the AT&T at Aronimink in 2011, he was 2nd in strokes gained total coming into the week.
In 2020, Aronimink hosted the KPMG Championship, and Sei Young Kim won. On the LPGA that year, she was first in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation, and scoring average on the way to being the LPGA player of the year. And then there is the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, who eventually became just one of a few players to win the career grand slam on the way to winning 9 majors. It is a formidable test, and if it’s not softened by rain, it will bring out the best in the upper echelons of the game.
Gianni: Is there a specific hole at Aronimink that you think will do the most to decide the winner?
Brandel: The hardest hole at Aronimink in each of the three tour events that have been played there since 2010 has been the long par-3 8th hole, with the par-4 10th being the second hardest, so most of the carnage will happen around the turn, but with the par-5 16th offering opportunities for bold plays and the tough closing holes at 17 and 18, the finish is likely to be frenetic.
Gianni: The PGA Championship has always sat in the shadow of the other majors. What does the ideal PGA Championship look like in your eyes, and what would it take for it to carve out its own identity?
Brandel: The PGA Championship, to whatever degree it suffers from the comparison to the other three majors, is still counted just as much when adding them up at the end of one’s career. Almost 1/3 of Nicklaus’ major wins were the five PGA Championships he won. Walter Hagen won 11 majors, five of which were PGA Championships.
Tiger Woods twice in his career won back-to-back PGA Championships, and those four majors count just as much as the other 11 he won. The PGA may not have the prestige of the other three, but it carries the same weight. Having said that, I preferred the identity that it had as the last major of the year.
Gianni: You nailed your Masters picks. Rory won, Scottie finished solo second, and Morikawa surged to a tie for seventh. Who are your top 3 picks for the PGA Championship and why?
Brandel: I am not a huge fan of majors played on golf courses that have been shorn of most of the trees, although I understand some of the agronomic reasons for doing so and of course the ease with which it allows members to play after errant drives. However, at the highest level, it all but eliminates any strategy off the tee and turns professional golf into an even bigger slugfest. That means that it will likely be a bomber’s delight this week, but fortunately, Scottie Scheffler is long enough to play that game and straight enough to play it better than anyone else.
The major championships give us very few surprises anymore, going back to the beginning of 2012, so the last 57 majors played, the average world rank of the winners has been better than 15th in the world. So look at the highest ranked and longest drivers who are on form coming into the PGA Championship who also have great short games as the surrounds at Aronimink are very challenging. That’s Scottie Scheffler by a mile and then McIlroy and Cameron Young with a far bigger nod towards DeChambeau than I gave him at the Masters.
In this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, we dive into one of the most interesting flatstick releases of the year with a full review of the new TaylorMade SYSTM 2 putters. After spending time on the greens, I break down what makes this design stand out, where it performs, and why it has me completely torn between loving it and fighting it. If you are into feel, alignment, and consistency, this is one you will want to hear about.
We also take a look at some of the putters in play on the PGA Tour last week. From familiar favorites to a few surprising setups, there is always something to learn from what the best players in the world are rolling with under pressure.
To wrap things up, I walk through the process of building a set of JP Golf Prime irons paired with Baddazz Gold Series shafts. From component selection to performance goals, this is a deep dive into what goes into creating a unique custom set and why this combo has been so intriguing.
This year my 50th birthday. Gosh, where has the time gone?
As a teenager in rural Missouri, some of my junior high and high school years felt interminable. Graduation seemed light years away. But the older I get, the faster life seems to fly by.
I’m also increasingly aware of my mortality. My dad died recently. Earlier this year, a friend and fellow PGA of America professional and I were texting about our next catch-up. The next message I received was news of his unexpected passing at 48. Shortly after, a woman I dated in college succumbed to cancer at 51.
Certainly, one can share perspective at any age. Seniors help freshmen, veterans guide rookies. But reaching this milestone feels like as good a time as any to do one of those “what would I tell my younger self?” articles.
I’ve had a uniquely varied career in golf. I started as a 27-year-old, average-length-hitting, 14-handicap computer engineer and somehow managed to turn pro before running out of money, constantly bootstrapping my way forward. I’ve won qualifiers and set venue records in the World Long Drive Championships, finished fifth at the Speedgolf World Championships, coached all skill levels as a PGA of America professional, built industry-leading swing speed training programs for Swing Man Golf, helped advance the single-length iron market with Sterling Irons®, caddied on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, and played about 300 courses across 32 countries.
It’s been a ride, and I’ve gone both deep and wide.
So while I can consult and advise from a lot of angles, let me keep it to a few things I’d tell the average golfer who wants to improve.
1. Think About What You Want
Everyone has their own reason for picking up a golf club.
Oddly, as a professional athlete, I’m not internally driven by competition. That can be challenging, as the industry currently prioritizes and incentivizes competition over the love of the game.
For me, I love walking and being outdoors. Nature helps balance my energy. I prefer courses that are integrated into the natural beauty of their surroundings. I’m comfortable practicing alone. I’m a deep thinker, and I genuinely enjoy investigating the game, using data and intuition to unearth unique, often innovative insights. I’m fortunate to be strong and athletic, so I appreciate the chance to engage with my abilities. Traveling feels adventurous. I could go on.
You don’t have to overthink it like I do. For you, it might be as simple as hitting balls to escape work, hanging out with friends, and playing loosely with the rules and the score.
The point is to give yourself permission to play for your own reasons, and let that be enough.
But if improvement is your goal, thinking about your destination—and when you want to get there—is important, because it dictates the steps you need to take. When I set out to go from a 14-handicap to the PGA TOUR as quickly as possible, the steps I needed were very different from those of a working golfer trying to break 90 in six months. That’s also different from someone who just wants a few peaceful hours outside each week, away from work or family.
None of these goals are better than the others, but each requires a different plan that you can work backward from.
2. There Are Lots of Things That Can Work
One of the challenges of golf is that, although there are rules for playing, there aren’t clear, industry-wide standards for how to best play the game. There’s a lot of gray area.
You might hear a top coach or trainer insist that a certain move is the best way to swing or train. Then you dig a bit deeper and, much to your confusion and frustration, another respected coach or trainer says something completely different. I don’t think anyone is trying to confuse you—at least I hope not. It’s just where the industry is right now.
You have to be careful with advice from tournament pros, too. They might be great at scoring, but they’re also human and sometimes just as susceptible as amateurs to believing things that don’t really move the needle. Tour players might describe what they feel, but that’s not always what they’re actually doing when assessed with technology.
I recently ran a test on my YouTube channel (which connects to my GolfWRX article “How to use your hands in the golf swing for power and accuracy”), and, interestingly, two of the most commonly taught hand actions produced the worst results in the test.
Coaches can certainly help. If you find someone you connect with to help navigate, that’s great. But there are many ways to get the ball in the hole. In the current landscape, you may need to seek multiple opinions, think critically, and use your own intuition to discern what seems true and whose advice resonates with you.
I’d recommend seeking someone who is open-minded and always learning, because things constantly change. Absolutes like “correct” or “proper” should raise a red flag. AI can be useful, but it tends to confidently repeat popular advice, so proceed with caution.
3. Get Custom Fit
If you’re serious about becoming a better player, getting custom fit is hugely important. There’s no sense fighting your equipment if you don’t have to. Most better players get fit these days and, if they don’t, they’re usually skilled enough to work around clubs that aren’t ideal.
If you plan to play for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more upfront to get something that truly fits you and your game, rather than continually buying and discarding equipment.
Equipment rules haven’t really changed significantly since the early 2000s. To stay in business, manufacturers keep pushing those limits. If you pull a bunch of clubs and balls off the rack and test them, you’ll find differences. I’ve tested two new drivers and seen a 30-yard total distance gap. Usually, the issue isn’t bad equipment; it’s that the combination of components simply isn’t the best fit.
It’s like wearing a new pair of floppy clown shoes. Sure, they’re shoes—but you won’t sprint your best in them compared to track shoes that fit perfectly.
Be wary of what’s called custom fitting, too. Sometimes the term is used as a marketing strategy rather than an actual fitting. In some retail settings, fitters may be incentivized to steer you toward higher-priced components. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s not the best fit, but you should be aware of potential biases.
I learned a version of this lesson outside of golf. Years ago, I bought a tennis racquet at a big box store from a seemingly knowledgeable employee who thought it would suit me best. The racquet gave me tennis elbow, and I spent months recovering with rest and acupuncture. The next season, I invested more time and money to find what actually fit me, and I walked away with something amazing that I still play with years later.
So if you’re going to get fit, be smart about it.
Find someone you believe has deep knowledge—possibly with certifications, but not necessarily. Make sure there’s a wide inventory across many brands. Check recent reviews for the individual fitter if possible. Make sure you trust that the fitter has your best interests at heart. If they’re wearing a hat or shirt with a specific brand’s logo, proceed with caution. Unless you specifically want a certain brand or look, be wary of upsells, especially if two options perform nearly the same.
Also, while golf is called a sport of integrity, there’s a thread of manipulation in the industry. I once drafted an equipment article for an industry magazine, structured just like one of their previous popular stories, with matching word count and great photos. The assistant editor loved it; it was useful to readers and required little work on his part. But the editor-in-chief nixed the story. When I asked why, I was told it was because I wasn’t an advertiser. It turned out the article I’d modeled mine after was a paid ad cleverly disguised as editorial content.
I really dislike games, clickbait, and fear-based manipulation. I hope this changes, but golfers deserve to know it exists.
4. Distance and Strategy Matter
There’s a real relationship between how far you hit the ball and your scoring average, even at the PGA TOUR level.
I experienced this early in my pro career. I started as a power hitter, swinging in the high 120s and breaking 200 mph ball speed with a stock driver.
Back then, some instructors advised swinging at 80%, so I tried slowing down for more accuracy. That worked fine on shorter, tighter courses. But on longer setups, I was coming into greens with too much club, and par 5s stopped being
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Marty
Jul 14, 2013 at 2:30 am
Quad-Cities TPC is manipulated! Zack Jonson is a baby who cries.
Jtriscott
Jul 9, 2013 at 11:48 am
I wonder what Justin Rose thinks of Merion.
Chris
Jun 25, 2013 at 11:45 am
Wah! You do, what others can only do recreationally (at great personal expense) for a living. I don’t cry when my job gets difficult. take your lumps and add them to the life experience column. Everyone suffers “manipulated” moments life. Golf is a prime example of that.
Dave
Jun 20, 2013 at 7:08 pm
These pros should try some of the courses that the masses play, like the local muni. Try taking one of those perfect pancake divots where i play and you will either break your club or your wrist. On the rare occasion that I get to play an expensive well manicured course it takes at least 5 strokes off my score.
Chris
Jun 25, 2013 at 11:45 am
Touche
Tom
Jun 19, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Never really cared much about par. As the old saying goes “it’s not how, it’s how many” Whomever ends up with the lowest number wins, how they get there is all the fun. Don’t get me wrong the big scores are fun to watch too.
kc
Jun 19, 2013 at 1:49 pm
6″ rough hah! It was worse @winged foot & bethpage.
Bethpage was just under knee & hip high. Winged was 12″ and higher stimp
Merion stimp was in high 11s & was cited by several announcers & usga.
naflack
Jun 19, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Wicker baskets were silly and gimmicky.
curt
Jun 19, 2013 at 11:32 am
The whole thing was a farce! Look at a scorecard from Merion — it’s a par 72 layout!!! Just because they want you to believe it’s so tough, they use a false par — subtract 8 shots to par from each of the scores and you get the truth! You can make any course unplayable if you water and fertilize the rough and grow it to 6 or 8 inches, leave weeds 3-feet tall all over the place (even in some of the bunkers), narrow the fairways to 20 yards, and double-cut and double roll the greens! Play ANY course at 7000 yards with that setup and you’ll embarrass even the pros! That’s why we end up with winners like Lee Jantzen, Scott Simpson, Andy North, etc… way too much luck with those kinds of conditions! It was great tv drama, but it was by no means great golf — except to those people who enjoy watching train wrecks!
naflack
Jun 19, 2013 at 12:26 pm
+1
Desmond
Jul 4, 2013 at 1:15 pm
The manner in which the old greens are designed make no putt a gimme. You saw plenty of missed putts; a bomb was a rarity over the 4 days.
You can adjust the course without manipulating it. But once again, the USGA went overboard and redesigned a course that only needed adjustment.
Better planning and input from the pros, even some touring pros playing the course beforehand for more input, would eliminate most of the manipulation and USGA paranoia.
yo!
Jun 18, 2013 at 2:43 am
another boring u.s. open … painful to watch … like watching the guys in my foursome play … thank goodness it’s only once a year … maybe the pga tour will stick it to the usga (who doesn’t work for anyone but themselves) by not adopting the belly putter ban … stop sending me those cheap usga notepads trying to get me to pony up $ to join the usga … but the us open offers big $$$$ (corporate sponsors) for the tournament so top players are going to show up and try to collect
Reyes
Jun 17, 2013 at 6:41 pm
These guys play precision golf even off the tee. When the USGA decides to slope fairways into six inches of rough, that’s manipulation. When they decide to create a 270 yard par 3 into the wind, that’s manipulation. These guys want to protect par. That’s fine and you can do this by varying pin placements and creating inconsistent stimp meter speeds on the green. The winning score at Augusta the past few years has been about six under. They don’t have six inch rough and it’s enjoyable. To have someone land an 8 iron ten feet from the pin only to see it roll into the rough is not golf. That’s just silly and stupid. I don’t mind seeing guys punished for horrible shots. I do mind seeing fairways and greens manipulated so that the balls don’t stay on. Again, for emphasis, that’s not golf. It’s dumb and not entertaining.
Flip4000
Jun 17, 2013 at 5:57 pm
I love watching pros struggle around a tough golf course like many of us amateurs do
Brockohol
Jun 17, 2013 at 10:05 am
As my grandpa always said when I complained about a bad lie, “well, you shouldn’t have hit it there dummie.”
I honestly didnt see anything that was too ridiculous out there. Guys have a point at past opens when they literally couldnt get the ball to stop unless it went into the cup. But Merion just required a tee shot in the fairway and then a very specific strategy with your approach shot whether it be a 215yd 5 iron or a 70yd Lob Wedge. I didnt see many of those “perfect shots” that then rolled off the green.
nick
Jun 17, 2013 at 2:06 am
I agree with his statement. If you need to rake the rough to make it harder that’s rediculous. Its artificially altering the playing characteristics of the course to make it play harder and differently than nature intended. Making par 3’s 245 + yards??? Is that really needed? I didnt find it that interesting watching. You usually hope the person pulling off nice shots will win not the person who played it so safe I wanted to go to sleep. Doesnt make for exciting golf.
Anthony
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:49 pm
To be fair the courses were alot shorter and the greens were slower in the persimmon and balata days. playing them side by side for score on today’s courses isnt fair
David
Jun 16, 2013 at 8:12 pm
People who care what Zach Johnson thinks about any course:
0.0
Fu#&ing hair lip.
Desmond
Jul 4, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Mature comment … not.
Brian
Jun 16, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Then don’t cash your check, hair lip.
KCCO
Jun 16, 2013 at 12:52 pm
I don’t believe it’s a test to show who is truly the “best” or most skilled golfer, its more like who can survive merion…..
Desmond
Jun 16, 2013 at 1:13 pm
On Sunday, it’s mostly mental and luck – if one can keep their focus and energy level, the ball can break their way.
J
Jun 16, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Conditions are equal for all. Course is the same test for each golfer.
I do agree the USGA can take a hike however, for a plethora of reason.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 12:56 pm
They certainly can if for no other reason than letting the equipment get so far out of hand.
More from the Snedeker article:
On the first nine holes using the persimmon driver and the older ball, Snedeker could find the fairway just two of nine times. Each of his drives were low-flying projectiles that snapped to the left and went 200-220 yards — into high rough and behind trees.
On the first hole, he had 188 yards to the pin after his drive with the wood ended near a tree. With his contemporary TaylorMade r7 driver, he had 128 yards from the middle of the fairway to the pin.
On the par-4, 445-yard ninth, he had 200 yards to the pin after his drive with the wood ended up in rough; he had 144 yards from the middle of the fairway after using his modern driver.
“I’m seeing parts of this golf course I’ve never seen before,” Snedeker said on the 12th hole. “I’m trying everything to keep the old driver on this planet.”
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:49 am
Brandt Snedeker:
“I truly appreciate growing up in the generation that I did,” Snedeker says, “because I don’t think I would have grown up to be a pro golfer if I had to have played with the old stuff. It is so much different, so much tougher.”
“It makes me really appreciate the guys that came before me,” Snedeker says of hitting the old clubs. “The way Bobby Jones played golf, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller. Those guys were phenomenal.
“They had to be unbelievable ball strikers to hit the ball straight and as solid as they did.”
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2007-07-12-oldclubs_N.htm?imw=Y
Desmond
Jun 16, 2013 at 8:31 am
Think about this course before you post and scream “crybabies.”
That’s rubbish.
I don’t care that Phil is not carrying a driver. He has the deep 3 wood. But when guys are keeping 3 wood in the bag to hit hybrids, when they are 50 yards behind Hogan’s 1 iron marker on their tee shot just so they can remain in the fairway with accuracy and not much run, when Luke Donald says I don’t need a 6i,7i, or 8i on this course, that screams that something is wrong … with the course.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:23 am
Considering how far the modern ball goes when hit with the modern clubs they need to be 50 yards behind Hogan to compare apples to apples. I saw an article recently where Luke Donald took out a set of persimmon woods and titleist tour balatas and compared them to his new style Flintstone driver and pro v1. He said the new combo was at least 60 yards longer than the classic stuff. Also Snediker played Torrey Pines with persimmons and blades and could do no better than 80.
Desmond
Jul 4, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Seriously?
Give the guys a month or tow to grow accustomed to the new “old” sticks and you’d see better scores. C’mon.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:34 am
btw, Lee Westwood, clearly it’s not the wicker that is preventing you from winning a major, considering your record! God what a bunch of spoiled, rich, unappreciative crybabies.
Jamie
Jun 16, 2013 at 6:53 am
Lee Westwood’s record in majors is exemplary! 15 top tens in majors, including 7 top three finishes. And with almost 40 worldwide wins and countless runner ups and top 5s – I think most of the golfing community have him down as a real contender heading into every major championship. He may not have gotten over the line yet but its hard to argue against a record like that, he really steps up in the big championships. I’m sure he’ll have at least one major before he’s done.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:11 am
His “win” recode is certanly not exemplary, and plenty of people had Montgomery penciled in for a major too.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:17 am
Typical spoiled rich prima donna whiner, and not a great player by PGA standards! Zack is lucky he is playing in the modern era, if he wants to see Merion like it was meant to be played, he can get out the persimmon and balatas and shoot 90! What a bitter turd!
Desmond
Jun 16, 2013 at 2:38 am
Well, Zach is correct in his comments. After this “restored” Merion is through with the Open, they are closing it to “restore” it back.
The Commentators also noted how the USGA had manipulated the fairways and bunkers, taking away from the original design. Sure, grow the rough … but change the fairways and bunkers?
That is MANIPULATION.
Blanco
Jun 16, 2013 at 2:06 am
Jeezy Creezy! At least he didn’t use HIS name in vain.
Marty
Jun 16, 2013 at 1:59 am
He whines and is a crier.
Marty
Jun 16, 2013 at 1:59 am
Yes. Zach Johnson is a cry baby. This needs to be said more.
Jeff
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Come on this just proves as many have said Zach Johnson is a cry baby. If you have that much hate for the USGA, then do not play no one is twisting your arm to play, or needs you to play.
Joe
Jun 15, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Every year someone has a comment about it being unfair. Last time I checked everyone plays the same course. Obviously we all know how this game can mess with your head when you don’t have your best stuff. Probably the case with Zach. If he has so much disdain for the USGA then just skip it, won’t be the first player to do it.
The US Open puts a premium on accuracy and course management. As of Saturday afternoon a handful players are under par and at least surviving. Hogan won at Merion in 1950 with a score of +7.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:24 am
+1 If Sergio had made that comment, the golf channel would have gone into to CNN-style 24 hour coverage.
Chopper
Jun 15, 2013 at 5:41 pm
I think this is the best test of pro golfing all year…Sick of 20 under scores Test these guys to the limit they are the best let them prove it .USGA should (manipulate )every course then we would see who IS THE BEST!!!
MFB
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Totally agree with Zac and he is dead on about the USGA.
The last few years the USGA has done a reasonable job with the set up at the US Open.
It is the USAG’s tournament and they can set it up any way they like.
But this year they went back to tricking up the course because these guys would tear Merion up if they did not.
Questionable pin placements from the start and the greens were never designed to be running at 13 or above on the stimp are just a few ways it has been tricked up to keep the scores from being double digits under par.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:32 am
They would not tear it up with the older equipment. Half they guys on tour would have to get a day job if they went back to pre 1990 spec gear.
Ray
Jun 15, 2013 at 11:39 am
Weak, so weak. It’s the wicker basket’s fault. Isn’t the US Open supposed to be a manipulated course? Members wouldn’t play somewhere that hard on a regular basis. It is supposed to be made harder to bring out the best player that week.
Michael
Jun 15, 2013 at 11:37 am
I am so tired of watching driver – wedge tournaments. It is such a pleasure to watch the US open, because the so called pros have to play tough golf courses. Golf is not supposed to be easy. Same goes for lift clean and cheat. The PGA should get back to setting up courses that are difficult to play. These guys are supposed to be Pros so make the courses more difficult like the US open is every year.
Lee
Jun 15, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Completely agree with you!… Except for lift, clean, and place. This is completely fare, it’s done so they can actually play the course, when otherwise they would be punished for hitting the fairway.
Lee
Jun 15, 2013 at 11:36 am
Think Zach is just mad his ball striking is sub-par to be a candidate for winning the US Open.
Greg
Jun 15, 2013 at 10:32 am
Nice to see these guys struggle with conditions and have to hit shots for a change. They are spoiled by perfectly manicured courses on a weekly basis and then get upset when they don’t shoot 20 under for the week.
Tough life, guys.
Nathan
Jun 15, 2013 at 10:24 am
The problem is whenever the USGA tries to make these courses harder to hold the US Open, they do so in a way that is not consistent with the way these courses are meant to be played. The architects didn’t design these courses to be played this way so the players end up having to play the holes in ways they weren’t designed to be played.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:22 am
Merion (and all of the classic courses) were designed to be played with the older equipment/balls, so we will never again get to see how they were meant to be played. Btw, the USGA has been manipulating course for years, so what? Zack and others seem to take all of this a bit too seriously… it’s entertainment, nothing more. Zack can choose not to play and simply move on; I doubt anyone would care or notice but his immediate family… maybe.
Dalton
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:46 am
I think the manipulation comment was meant about the usga’s greens keeping. They destroy the courses. The greens at merion are turning brown which only happens when you cut wet grass too short. They are doing everything to make it extremely difficult, all while destroying the course.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:27 am
You are right of course. What the USGA should do is bring back the balata ball and persimmon drivers/fairways, and force players to play the same equipment the Hogan. Snead, Nicklaus, and Norman used. There would be no need to trick up the courses to see Zack ( and many others) shoot a high number.
Dennis
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:16 am
Merion is a great way to neutralize the equipment gains that have taken place and pushed playing the game to course management and between the ears. It gives today’s golfers a unique chance to revisit history and walk in the shoes of the old-timers. It also illustrates how good those old-timers really were.
nccrilly
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:10 am
I don’t understand why all of these pros think this event should be like any other PGA tour event. This is the national championship of golf, owned and operated by the USGA, and it is their prerogative to make it whatever they see fit. Nobody is begging these pros to show up and play. There are thousands of amateurs that attempt to qualify every year without exemption just for a chance to compete. That is the beauty of this game and this open event. There is absolutely no reason the USGA should feel compelled to consider the “feelings” of touring professionals when setting up a course for the best championship in golf. Who cares if its 10 under or 10 over par that wins it! It’s you against the field and everyone plays the same course.
Jamie
Jun 16, 2013 at 6:09 am
Agree with most of what you say – everyone plays the same course, so its the golfer against the rest of the field and still who can handle the course the best. They all face the same challenge – they just have to tough it out! I can appreciate that mentally this championship must be very draining on the players at times and that its an advantage to be the kind of guy who is able to roll with the punches, and just accept what the golf course gives them and not dwell on frustrations and perceived misfortune and just keep grinding away. I can understand some of the frustrations the players might feel though, some of the lies for missing a fairway or green by a couple of inches is ridiculous at times – but as mentioned previously everyone faces the same challenge. However I don’t agree with the US Open being ‘the best championship in golf’…. bring on the British Open, the oldest and most prestigious major.
Randall
Jun 15, 2013 at 7:50 am
These guys are supposed to be the best players in the world. They can’t hit thirty yard wide fairways with an iron off the tee. The rough is only hit and thick if you hit it in it. Hit the fairway?
Lee
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:08 am
Lol welcome, guy who just started playing golf.
Chris
Jun 15, 2013 at 7:31 am
I personally love to see the players struggle. only a few times a year do I see them struggle to hit greens, make putts, or even hit fairways. To win the US Open does not just take good golf skills it takes great golf course management.
danny
Jun 15, 2013 at 9:09 am
I agree. It’s boring to watch them shoot -15 -20 under par.
When par is a good score, that means that doubles or triples are in play which means it’s anyones game.
There is probably a reason nobody gives a crap about the tournaments Zach Johnson wins, nobody plays in them and the final score is always 20 something under par…. boooooooooring.
Poop Squirrel
Jun 15, 2013 at 8:40 pm
He’s a Masters Champion…Hmmmmm……
bravesgolf
Jun 15, 2013 at 5:53 am
Stop whinging Zach Johnson. Don’t play the US Open if you dislike the course set ups and the USGA so much. Let someone else play who will appreciate it as an honour and an oppotunity instead of whinging and taking it for granted. You clearly have no idea how lucky you are to play this terrific game for a living. Very poor attitude from a PGA Tour and Major winner.
G
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:50 am
The counter argument is, Zach, that the majority of the PGA Tour courses are also “manipulated” for easy scoring with no rough, wide fairways, perfectly manicured easy-out bunker sand, and flat greens. It shouldn’t be that the total score at the end of the week can reach 25 under or whatever ridiculous number so easily. If the courses on the PGA Tour were set up properly, they would have minimum 3 inch rough consistently from course to course, more OBs instead of free drops and lateral hazards on the boundaries (including the areas up and around the clubhouse and such) and the pins wouldn’t be placed in such easy-scoring positions.
Andrew Tursky
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:38 am
Just to clarify, Zach Johnson’s statement about the USGA was a grievance with course set up, saying luck is required. Westwood’s shot was wildly unlucky, which was the reason for the example. It’s unfortunate to hear players complain about “luck” and “wicker baskets” when competition and tradition should be at the forefront of discussion.
troy
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:15 am
That’s easy for you to say when you’re livelihood or score isn’t dependant on luck of the lie 6 inches of the fairway with a perfectly placed tee shot. Or hitting a basket instead of a flag on a perfectly hit iron shot.
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 11:44 am
There is always a certain amount of luck involved when playing golf. How about Payne Stewart hitting a perfect tee shot into a divot at the 98 US Open? That probably cost him the tournament! Also, this livelihood stuff used to mean something years ago when discussed in the context of professional sports, but draws a little less sympathy these days.
jk
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:29 am
Yes the usga makes fairways tighter and rough more penalizing…its what they do every year and I’m glad they didn’t do different cuts off the fairway. If the best 100 golfers can’t hit the fairway with an iron off the tee then they should be penalized. Poor you zj poor you
gibby626
Jun 15, 2013 at 12:20 am
Ah jeez. The wicker baskets ain’t what we’re used to? Just take all the pins out of holes then. You guys have the hole location sheets anyway. More than I can say for my weekend hackfest.
Eric
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:57 pm
Mike, I don’t think it was Zach making those comments regarding the baskets, that was Lee Westwood off his own twitter. Zach is talking about how the USGA always spends millions turning the U.S. Open venues into the some of the hardest courses to ever play. It was a slight against the USGA for being too involved with the tournament.
nbr334
Jun 15, 2013 at 3:37 am
exactly
Jack
Jun 16, 2013 at 3:31 am
The USGA is too involved? It’s their tournament! Zack and anyone else can choose to sit out if they don’t like it.
Mike
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:39 pm
What a whiner! I’m disappointed. I didn’t see Tiger complaining about those wicked flag sticks at Augusta. So Zach Johnson is used to flags instead of wicker baskets? Too bad. I’m used to 75 and sunny. But guess what, when it’s 100 and humid I deal. When it’s 55 and rainy, I deal. It’s part of being a golfer. Maybe he’s being quoted out of context, but right now he’s coming off as a prima donna.
Asitlies
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:14 pm
Hitting the basket is now the fault of the USGA??!! Stop. Horrendous example. Hitting the basket is “rub of the green”, not course manipulation. I think he was referring to the rough, or the greens, or the course setup, not the baskets. Was it the fault if the Masters folks when Tiger Woods hit the pin on 15 and it shot back into the water? No, that’s the way the ball bounces…
jtopher
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Yep, or when Sergio hit the pin at Carnoustie. He sounds like a guy that just got his butt kicked by the golf course. Don’t let the gate hit you on the way out.
Mike
Jun 14, 2013 at 11:39 pm
Agreed
troy
Jun 16, 2013 at 10:08 am
Dissagree.. if there was a flag instead of a big fat basket the ball would have either hit the pin, hit the flag, or hit nothing. With the last 2 meaning a putt for birdie. There is a reason no one else uses baskets on their pins. But that’s besides the point. When you have deep rough that you have to gouge out of 6 inches from a sloped fairway and thats when you are at the mercy of whatever Lie you end up with. Yes, everyone deals with the same conditions, but everyone doesn’t get the same result from the inconsistencies
Michael
Jun 22, 2013 at 10:54 am
Actually, I just played the Seaside course at Sea Island this week and they had wicker baskets. Seemed to be a nice touch. Fair is a subjective term it seems. I’d always figured if everyone is playing by the same rules on the same course, then hard or not, it’s fair. Zach needs to quit whining when the chips don’t go his way. The course may have been “manipulated”, but it was set up the same for everyone who handed him his hat on the way out.
Jon
Jun 16, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Actually hitting the basket is the fault of USGA, if it were a flag there would be no discussion. Rub of the green, please.