Signature Scroll: Six observations from U.S. Open; All-time anticipation for Shinnecock

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Hard to be more excited for a tournament than this ...

Observations from Shinnecock

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — After three days of walking Shinnecock, listening to press conferences and thinking deeply about the tournament ahead, here are six observations – some big picture and some incredibly minute – that will stick with me as the week begins.

1. It feels wide open: It’s dangerous to draw any assumptions on the collection of swings you see in a practice round, but neither Scottie Scheffler nor Rory McIlroy looked incredibly sharp when I caught smatterings of their practice over the first three days, which isn’t all that surprising given they both left the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday with things they needed to work on. But it reinforced a thought I already had coming into the week: This tournament is wide open. The course already doesn’t favor one specific type of player. Then add in the wild weather that will throw an added wrinkle with very little historical data to go off of. There’s really no telling how a player will handle gusts up to 40 mph on Thursday or if a specific wave will have an advantage.

2. I’m obsessed with the around-the-green strategy: By far the most interesting part of the practice rounds has been watching everyone navigate the green surrounds. I watched Justin Thomas attempt to hit a 60-degree pitching wedge, 6-iron and putter from 20 yards behind the first green. The only one that went well was the 6-iron bump-and-run. It’s not an exaggeration to say players could use more than half their bag just on shots around the green. The slow greens and soft surrounds add an extra wrinkle, particularly when trying to play the ball low. Shots that land short of the green have a difficult time getting to the green, but if your first bounce is on the green itself, you have a hard time getting it to stop.

3. Driver or iron?: That’s the decision off the tee for several players I spoke with, who were concerned about trying to hit any fairway woods on various par 4s. Why? With the high winds, hitting a spinny 3- or 5-wood into the air is a recipe for disaster. So they are really choosing to either wail away on the driver or hit a low-iron shot that punctures the wind.

4. The Brooks Koepka method reveals interesting wrinkles: The 2018 U.S. Open winner here has an insightful way of strategizing for majors. He plays the hole backward. Not literally, of course, but he strategizes starting at the green and working his way back. That way, he can see which side of the fairway he wants to hit into the green from and then where he needs to be off the tee. So I walked the front nine backward today to get a feel for what that thought process could yield. The biggest insight? You need to play against conventional wisdom on the dogleg-right eighth hole. Typically, you want to try to hit the inside of the dogleg to set up the best angle and shortest approach, but the best opportunities will be for those who hug the left side, which sets up the ideal angle. Thanks, Brooks!

5. Busy Wednesday: On the eve of a major championship, the golf course usually clears out very quickly in the afternoon, with much of the field looking to conserve energy for the week ahead. That was not the case at Shinnecock. Scheffler, McIlroy, Koepka and Xander Schauffele were part of a large contingent that stayed much later than their normal schedules. There are plenty of possible reasons (I stayed late to avoid traffic), but this major feels quite unique. There is tons of anticipation for what Shinnecock might dole out over the next four days, and we saw some extra prep happening late on Wednesday.

6. Rory mentoring: Speaking of McIlroy, he played a late practice round alongside amateurs Mason Howell and Harrison Coleman. You could tell how cool it was for Coleman and Howell, who couldn’t stop smiling, but I get the sense it was cool for McIlroy. We’ve heard him tell stories of his amateur days and the valuable lessons he learned from major practice rounds with players like Tom Watson. McIlroy is doing the same for the next generation. Overheard him giving some insightful advice to Howell, though I’ll let that stay between them for now.

Playing through

• ⛳ Shinnecock is the central character this week, not the participants. Here's why.
• 👑 Scottie Scheffler is making his first attempt at the career Grand Slam. Will it torment him like it has so many others?
• 🧩 This former pro shot 92 at the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock. It sank his career. Eight years later, he's finally picking up the pieces.

Party like it's 1992

OK, so Thursday could be … the best day of golf in the last decade? That may be hyperbolic, but the forecast should have golf fans giddy for the first round of this U.S. Open. We’re expecting sustained winds around 20 mph all day with gusts over 40 mph. The USGA is prepared to handle it by curbing green speeds to their slowest in more than 30 years, in hopes of avoiding the need to suspend play because balls won’t stop on the greens.

In the USGA’s pre-tournament media availability, Chief Competitions Officer John Bodenhamer said he expects Thursday to play like the final round of the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. You’re forgiven if you don’t remember that wind-swept final day that Tom Kite conquered, but here’s a look at the numbers, via Golf Digest’s Jamie Kennedy.

• 77.3 scoring average
• Low score of 70
• High score of 88
• 73% of the field shot 75 or higher

Simply, it was carnage, and if that’s what’s in store at Shinnecock on Thursday, expect a lot of grumpy golfers and exuberant watchers. I’m glad to be part of the latter.

Parting shots

• 🧤 Aaron Rai was seen practicing his putting on the surface of the driving range on Wednesday morning. Later in the day, I saw him and his team out on the course and asked one of his entourage what the thought process was. Basically, they expect to hit putts from off the green a lot and from far distances, and the only way to simulate that while practicing is to putt on the driving range.
• 🪨 Expect a wide disparity in shot quality from bunkers. There are large pebbles in the bunkers, many hidden beneath the surface. I saw quite a few golfers flummoxed by how shots reacted, only to realize there was a rock under the ball when they hit. That said, if they avoid the pebbles, the lies feel very friendly.
• 🦥 Practice rounds moved at a glacial pace, some taking nearly four hours to play nine holes. You can likely expect long rounds, too. The wind, plus the confined property, will lead to plenty of backups. Wouldn’t be surprised to see six-hour rounds.
• 1️⃣0️⃣ My favorite hole on the property is the 10th, which encapsulates the challenge of Shinnecock. Hit two quality shots and a birdie opportunity is quite doable. Miss the fairway or come up just a tad long or short of the green, and suddenly, a bogey will feel like the best outcome. Just a great golf hole.