U.S. Open Wrap-Up - Bad News for American Golf

Now we know why Tiger's eat their young!

Step aside Tiger, there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Rory McIlroy. After completely unraveling on Sunday at The Master's with a 4 stroke lead after 54 holes, Rors came roaring back at the very next major and totally blew the doors off the competition for a week. He became the first since Woods to win the Open while leading wire-to-wire and posted the lowest ever U.S. Open score. Among the many records he set he also became the youngest Open champ since Bobby Jones in 1923 at the ripe age of 22.

Before the week started I would have figured that the winning score might be somewhere in the -5 to -6 range, with the course playing soft all week due to heavy rains leading up to the tournament. Never in a million years would I believe that -16 would be the winning score. (And actually, if you take out McIlroy I would have been right on the money.) That is an insane performance at the U.S. Open - soft greens or not.

Part of me thinks that because we remember so well what Tiger did just a little over a decade ago at Pebble Beach that Rory isn't really getting his due for this performance. Watching it yesterday, it felt so much more anticlimactic than Woods' performance in 2000.

Nonetheless, he's getting his due here on Dueling Couches. That was a masterpiece unlike any I've witnessed and I'm looking forward seeing many more from him in the years to come.


As for the rest of the field, Jason Day finished in 2nd after a great weekend of play. And Y.E. Yang and Lee Westwood finished in a tie for 3rd along with Robert Garrigus, and Kevin Chappel. Nowhere on the leaderboard were any of the young hotshot Americans that everyone likes to keep talking about.


Dustin Johnson: T23 +1
Anthony Kim: T54 +7
Bubba Watson: T63 +9
Rickie Fowler: Missed Cut +5
Hunter Mahan: Missed Cut +5
Ben Crane: Missed Cut +6
Nick Watney: Missed Cut +6

Disgusting. It's the rest of the world's game right now. Hell, Northern Ireland has produced the last two U.S. Open champions. The group of young American golfers mentioned above haven't done anything to warrant all the attention that they get. Between them they have a combined 17 wins on tour, but no majors - though Watson and Johnson have both been close. Kim admittedly needs to focus more on golf and Fowler seems more concerned about being a fashion icon than winning tournaments.

I realize I'm being harsh, and that winning on tour is not an easy thing for any golfer, especially with how much competition there is now. However, I know these guys have tons of game and I'm just getting sick of hearing about how this could be their big break. Enough with the Twitter and youtube. I want to see some damn trophies! Tiger spoiled us all for a long time, and that reign looks to be all but assuredly over. The world team is full of good young golfers who actually WIN tournaments and don't worry about making stupid online music videos. One of those losers made the cut this week - and he finished plus 9. Nice.

Time to put up or shut up for these guys. Only Fowler can even still be considered young. The others are in their 30s or close to it.

That's it from the golf world for now. Check back as we get closer to the British Open from Royal St. George's - a fantastic course.

Whoever Thought This Weekends Tournament Was Exciting/ Fun To Watch Is An Asshole

I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but the US Open sucked. Anyone who says they enjoyed this 22 year old hobbit win the tournament by a billion shots wire to wire is an asshole and a liar. There was nothing fun about what happened this weekend, it was just Rory McIlroy whooping everyones ass.

I try to get into watching golf, I do, and maybe it's because I don't play it so I don't understand the enjoyment of it. At the same time I drive a car and I hate NASCAR, so I guess that goes against that argument. But there was only one good tournament I have ever watched and that was the Tiger vs Rocco Mediate extra course one. Other than that, I would pretty much want to watch anything else.

I don't know what it is about this McIroy kid either, but I hate his face. His face is as unlikeable as John Lackey's. I don't care for him, I don't root for him, and I hope he goes away. The only cool thing about him is the fact Shane McMahon (Vince McMahon's son from the WWF) is representing him.

In conclusion, the US Open blew donkey balls, and I don't care about golf until Tiger comes back, or at least an American that doesn't look like a scumbag turdburger.

U.S. Open 2nd round Update

Wow! Rory McIlroy is murdering Congressional CC. At one point he was -13, but finished his round at -11 when he double-bogeyed the 18th after a wayward tee shot and a terrible decision to try and go at the flag and dropping one in the drink. Oh, by the way that was his first bogey of the tournament!

The double bogey on 18 is a little worrisome, because it shows some poor judgement. I think his caddy really let him down at the Master's by not pulling him aside and telling him not to be so aggressive when things were beginning to get unraveled. And I think he definitely needed to tell Rory not to go at the flag on 18 today. Oh well. He's still got an 8 stroke lead.

The good news for the rest of the field? Most of them have over 2 rounds of golf remaining to get into position to challenge McIlroy.

Jason Day and Bubba Watson are two guys to keep an eye on this afternoon. They'll tee off shortly after 2 pm. Matt Kuchar is about to tee off and he's currently at +1. He's another guy that I could see making a move. Unfortunately, I don't see any story line playing out where anyone gets within less than 4 strokes of McIlroy today. As the sun continues to shine this afternoon, those greens will firm up making it really hard to go after these pin locations, even on some of the birdie holes.

This could be the beginning of a new era in golf.

U.S. Open Day 2 Preview

The 2nd round is recently underway and we are seeing history unfold. Rory McIlroy is currently at -10 atop the leader board. He is just the 5th man to reach double digits under par at the U.S. Open, and he is the fastest to reach that mark. Pretty remarkable. However, we've seen McIlroy put up these fast starts at a major before, last year's British Open and this year's Master's. So far, the young man hasn't been able to put it all together over a weekend and win a major, but if he keeps up this Tiger-like pace he should lap the field. This is reminiscent of Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000.

As for the rest of the field, there are some surprises near the leader board. Ol friend, Y.E. Yang is tied for 2nd with Zach Johnson at -3. And Sergio Garcia is back from the bowels of golf at -2. As for my contenders list, so far it is a big disappointment. Only Phil who I put at #10 is even in the Top 20 currently. My sleeper Charlie Hoffman is also in the top 20. Just more proof of how tough the U.S. Open is.

Phil actually played a pretty good round yesterday outside of his double bogey at the 10th which was his first hole - a bear of a par 3, playing over 220 yards today.

Another sentimental favorite near the top of the board is Davis Love III who played a terriffic round yesterday, that should have been even better. He missed two birdie putts by a combined 10 mm, leaving both on the edge of the cup.

Hopefully, someone can put on a charge today and get closer to McIlroy. Although watching him run away with it could be fun too. Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer and Robert Garrigus are the Americans that look to have the best chance heading into today. The course is playing soft again today from the rains overnight. Don't be surprised to see some low numbers today.

I will try to give some updates throughout the day's action as things unfold.

2011 U.S. Open Preview - Top Contenders

Well, now that hockey is over we can get to covering real sports. Nothing says summer has arrived like the start of the U.S. Open. The way The Master's marks the beginning of spring, Father's Day weekend and the U.S. Open bring to mind BBQ and bathing suits. No? Ok, but summer is here and the golf season is heating up...even if the most compelling figure in the sport is sidelined with a bum knee and a sore vagina - I mean ego.

The Open is always the toughest test of golf, with the United States Golf Association (USGA) setting up the nation's finest public courses to be a brutal examination of a player's skill and mental fortitude. From Pebble Beach to Bethpage Black these are not typically courses where you will see really low numbers on the leader board. Such is the case with the 2011 venue - Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.

In the shadow of the White House looms a monster of a golf course that has been made even tougher for The Open. The event has not been held there since 1997 when Ernie Els hoisted the trophy and looked like he might be on his way to a monumental career before Tiger emerged and relegated Els to an also-ran. Congressional is the home for regular PGA Tour event the AT&T Classic, but will play quite different this week.

For starters there is a new finishing hole with what used to be #17. With water around the green on the long par 4 there should be plenty of drama on the final hole as the weekend draws to a close. The course has been lengthened by about 360 yards total. The sand is deeper and fluffier, with shaved grass around bunkers that will allow for more balls to trickle in. All told the course should be a very difficult, but a very fair assessment of one's golf game. There will be opportunities to take some risks and get some rewards, but those risks had better be well calculated.

As for who is going to win this week it is anyone's guess. With the force that once was Tiger now all but seemingly gone from the game of golf a plethora of up-and-coming contenders have risen up to give golf a bright future. And don't forget about guys like Phil Mickelson - still seeking his first U.S. Open title, and Ernie Els who has a very good U.S. Open track record with two titles to his name.

Don't look to the top 2 players in the world (all playing together on Thursday by the way) for a winner. Luke Donald, Lee Westwood have 0 majors between them, but that won't stop many from picking either to win. Both come in playing well in 2011, but I don't think they have the kind of game that will fair well at a U.S. Open. While the top 3 players in the world are all from foreign soil, I actually think the Americans will end their major drought this week. If you're looking to pick a winner here's my list of U.S. Open Top 10 Contenders.

1. Dustin Johnson, USA - Looking to break through with first major after two collapses last year at U.S. Open and PGA. Combo of length off tee and accuracy from the fairways will make him a favorite this week.

2. Steve Stricker, USA - Won last tournament at Memorial. He is the tour leader in avoiding Bogeys. That could be huge this week.

3. K.J. Choi, S. Korea - Choi is the kind of player who isn't flashy but on Sunday you look up and somehow he's battled his way onto the leaderboard. That is a great recipe of patience and persistence that could fair well at Congressional. He's won here before (AT&T).

4. Matt Kuchar, USA - Leads the tour in the all-around ranking, and has 8 top 10s this year. Playing well right now having finished 2nd at Memorial. Ranks 2nd to Stricker in bogey avoidance.

5. Bubba Watson, USA - A very likable guy, Watson also has game. He's a long bomber but leads the tour in greens in regulation. Not a great Open track record, but not bad either. Looking for a breakthrough.

6. David Toms, USA - After a brutal playoff loss at The Players Championship, Toms returned the next week to win at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He ranks highly in all the accuracy stats. Might not be long enough off the tee though.

7. Luke Donald, England - He is the world #1 so it is hard to pick against him. A safe bet to be near the top, I just can't picture him winning...although it certainly wouldn't be a stretch.

8. Kevin Streelman, USA - Good record at Congressional, and one of the hotter players on tour right now.

9. Nick Watney, USA - In the shadow of other young Americans like Johnson, Fowler etc. but has 7 top 10 finishes this year. Ranks 6th in all-around, but might not have driver accuracy needed to contend.

10. Phil Mickelson, USA - What the hell? Why not? Ol' Lefty has been seeking a U.S. Open for over a decade now, and Congressional could be just the course for him to do it. I don't think he will, but you can't help but like the sentimental favorite.

SLEEPER - Charlie Hoffman, USA - If you don't know who he is, he'll be the dumpy looking guy with the blonde locks flowing from under his Waste Management hat and sinking putts all over the place. If he gets hot with the putter he could make a run at the leader board.

And who wouldn't want this guy to win?


That's Andres Gonzalez. @Andres_Gonzales He's a pretty amusing twitter follow. Check it out.

That's it for now. Be sure to check back later for a Day 1 Wrap and look ahead to Day 2.

Tiger Wins U.S. Open In Sudden Death

In the most entertaining 19 holes of golf I have ever witnessed, Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate to win the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

This started as a Cinderella story for Rocco Mediate. A 45 year old who hasn't won a tournament in six years and has never won a major championship. He held a one stroke lead on Sunday until the 18th hole, when Tiger drilled a birdie putt to force an 18-hole playoff today. Many analysts labeled this a “David vs. Goliath” match up, and on paper it certainly was. Tiger and Rocco battled all day passing the lead back and forth. At one point, Tiger held a three-stroke lead after 11 holes. Mediate, with his back against the wall, came back to tie and eventually take the lead all the way to the par five 18th. After missing a difficult eagle putt, Woods birdied the hole. Mediate had a chance to seal it with a birdie putt, but pulled it slightly left and settled for par.

Woods played conservatively on the sudden death hole after out-driving Mediate and finding the fairway. Tiger two-putt for to make par and put the pressure on Rocco who had to sink an arduous par putt to tie, could not come through.

You have to tip your hat to Rocco Mediate. He stuck with the best player in the world for 19 bonus holes at a major championship. Rocco prior to this event, was ranked 158th in the world. This is a great story and certainly one for the history books.

Tiger Woods was able to win his third U.S. Open and keep his perfect record when leading on Sunday (14-0). This was Tiger’s first tournament since returning from knee surgery, and injury that showed itself early and often during the first two days. It is exciting to see Tiger being challenged because it such a rare occurrence. If there is one thing the rest of the field learned today, it’s that Tiger does not crumble under pressure. He delivered stunning shot after stunning shot on Saturday to gain the lead, and knocked down a clutch putt to end the day Sunday. This win definitely means a lot for Tiger, coming just one day after Father’s day.

-Brian B