Category: 2020 U.S. Open

U.S. Open: A changed Winged Foot exacts a measure of revenge on the field

Before the second round, Winged Foot had been restored to a historically demanding U.S. Open venue.

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MAMARONECK, N.Y. — There was legitimate concern in the voice of Justin Thomas as he pleaded for a favorable bounce.

A lot of hard work had already been undone.

The first-round leader was in trouble off the tee Friday and hoped a scrambling approach to the first green might settle in close enough to save par. The ball was no more than six inches left of ideal and quickly settled into the rough.

Oops.

Thomas played a delicate pitch down the slope, then missed a bogey attempt when the ball came to rest seven feet below the hole.

Ouch.

Before the sun came up on the second round, Winged Foot had been restored to a historically demanding U.S. Open venue, forcing the best players in the world to back up a step or three.

There were 32 players at par or better following the first round.

“I’m sure the super wanted to crank the SubAir on and leave it on all night,” said Xander Schauffele, who encountered firmer greens and trickier pins on Friday and shot a 72.

That was a topic.

Reports that Winged Foot’s director of golf courses Steve Rabideau had expressed his displeasure in a meeting with the USGA were quickly shot down by club leadership.

U.S. Open: Leaderboard | Tee times, TV | Best photos

“We are in partnership with the USGA,” said longtime general manager Colin Burns, who also noted the SubAir system was never turned on to remove moisture from the putting surfaces.

Rabideau is providing input when the USGA makes setup decisions.

The rough has not been mowed since the championship got under way. The greens were cut and rolled Friday, but were not watered.

And the wind blew.

Only six players were under par following the second round and the average score was nearly three strokes higher at 75.26.

Patrick Reed assumed the lead, making five birdies and five bogeys during an even-par round of 70 that left the former Masters champion at 4-under 136.

There were some crafty up-and-downs along the way, too.

“Any time you play in the U.S. Open you know that you’re going to have one of those days where things just aren’t quite going your way. … and I felt like today was that day,” he said. “I felt like I left a decent amount of shots out there, felt like I was a little loose with some shots off the tee and also some irons, and to be able to feel like that and come out and shoot an even-par round, it’s definitely a positive and makes you feel good going into the weekend.”

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Reed was not surprised by Winged Foot’s about face, noting the USGA was just easing the field into the championship by making the greens receptive in the opening round.

He missed nine fairways and nine greens.

“I think, if anything, (this kind of test suits me) just because I love the grind,” Reed added. “I love getting in there. I love when it’s hard, when you have to be creative on all different golf shots.”

Nobody was happier with the conditions than Byrson DeChambeau, who climbed the leaderboard with a damn-the-torpedoes approach. He’s one shot off the lead with a 3-under total of 137.

Rafa Cabrera Bello (70), Harris English (70) and Thomas (73) are tied for third at 2-under and Jason Kokrak (71) is sixth at 1-under.

“I want it to play as hard as possible,” said DeChambeau, who eagled his final hole to shoot a 2-under 68 on Friday. “I feel like there’s so many holes out here that I can take advantage of that some people can’t. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to win or anything. You’ve still got to execute. You’ve still got to hit the driver straight. If I’m hitting the driver far but all over the place, you can’t make birdies from the rough.”

There are 21 players within six shots of the lead. That’s currently a span of just two or three bad swings or unfortunate lies.

“Every single person in this tournament is going to go through a stretch where they get a bad run, especially here,” Thomas said. “I wasn’t driving it well and then had a couple putts that easily could have gone in that kind of just stayed out, but I just stayed positive and kept fighting because I know that a 3-over is better than a 4-over, and today easily could have been a 6- or 7-over. I’m proud of myself for how I hung in.

“This is a better position than I’ve been in at the U.S. Open before. This isn’t exactly a place where you go out and try to shoot 6- or 7-under to catch up. Just have to stay patient and play my own game. I’m not going to worry about what everyone else is doing because you could shoot 80 just as easily as you could shoot 68.”

The field was giving back a full stroke at the first two holes alone on Friday.

“It’s a U.S. Open,” Schauffele said. “We get it once a year where it’s a gouge-fest, and if it gets harder, so be it.”

The cut was 146.

Among the notables heading for home are PGA champion Collin Morikawa (7-over), defending U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland (8-over), Justin Rose (10-over), Tiger Woods (10-over), Phil Mickelson (13-over) and Jordan Spieth (14-over).

Woods missed the cut here for the second straight time — the other being in 2006, shortly after his father, Earl, passed away.

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U.S. Open: Top shots, amazing putts so far at Winged Foot

Coming into the U.S. Open, the talk about Winged Foot was how difficult it would play but so far there have been some amazing shots as well.

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Coming into the U.S. Open, the talk about Winged Foot was how difficult it would play and how an over-par score might be good enough to win.

The course no doubt continues to be a major story line, but so is some of the shot-making we’ve seen over the first two days.

A ridiculous putt by Zach Johnson during Thursday’s first round is the shot of the week so far. His putt is one of many that are just so fun to watch.

But Johnson isn’t alone in the shot-making department at Winged Foot.

We’ve seen two holes-in-one so far. They both came on the 7th hole on Thursday. The first by Patrick Reed, who one-hopped his ball into the cup. A few hours later, Will Zalatoris aced the 7th. He almost had another one but his ball on the 13th green clanged off the flagstick. (And if you looked closely at his scorecard, you’d have noticed his scores on the four par 3s: 1-2-3-4).

On Friday, we saw some more amazing shots.

Matthew Fitzpatrick’s second shot on the par-4 15th hole finds nothing but cup:

J.T. Poston with a crazy one-handed backward swing:

Harris English from the bunker. Watching this you think he pulls it way too far left, but….

Cole Hammer with a long putt up and over the slope:

Bryson DeChambeau eagled the ninth, his last hole, on Friday, thanks to a 380-yard drive and a second shot that landed six feet away from the cup:

The pin position on No. 1 is also giving players a chance to use the slope to their advantage:

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U.S. Open: Third round tee times, TV and streaming info

Check out the tee times, TV and streaming info for the third round of the 120th U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

It’s Moving Day at the 120th U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York.

The course, a par-70 playing 7,477-yards, fought back during Friday’s second round, especially the opening stretch.

After 36 holes Patrick Reed sits atop the leaderboard at 4 under, followed by Bryson DeChambeau in second at 3 under. Rafa Cabrera Bello, Harris English and Justin Thomas are all T-3 at 2 under. Jason Kokrak (-1) is the only other player under par in sixth. Some of the names who missed the cut may surprise you.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, check out everything you need to know for the third round of the U.S. Open below.

U.S. Open: Leaderboard | Best photos

Friday tee times

All times are listed in Eastern.

1st tee

Tee time Players
8:55 a.m. Troy Merritt Robert MacIntyre
9:06 a.m Ryo Ishikawa Patrick Cantlay
9:17 a.m. Jason Day Christiaan Bezuidenhout
9:28 a.m. Brian Harman Alex Noren
9:39 a.m. Rickie Fowler Paul Casey
9:50 a.m. Abraham Ancer Shane Lowry
10:01 a.m. Lucas Herbert Chesson Hadley
10:12 a.m. Sebastian Munoz Charles Howell III
10:23 a.m. Adam Hadwin Adam Scott
10:34 a.m. Matt Wallace Lanto Griffin
10:45 a.m. Danny Lee Romain Langasque
10:56 a.m. Shugo Imahira Sungjae Im
11:07 a.m. Bernd Wiesberger Michael Thompson
11:18 a.m. Adam Long John Pak (a)
11:29 a.m. Rory Sabbatini Taylor Pendrith
11:40 a.m. Erik van Rooyen Tyler Duncan
11:51 a.m. Will Zalatoris Zach Johnson
12:02 p.m. Cameron Smith Rory McIlroy
12:13 p.m. Thomas Detry Dustin Johnson
12:24 p.m. Daniel Berger Lee Westwood
12:35 p.m. Renato Paratore Lucas Glover
12:46 p.m. Webb Simpson Viktor Hovland
12:57 p.m. Billy Horschel Tony Finau
1:08 p.m. Stephan Jaeger Jon Rahm
1:19 p.m. Louis Oosthuizen Joaquin Niemann
1:30 p.m. Bubba Watson Hideki Matsuyama
1:41 p.m. Brendon Todd Matthew Wolff
1:52 p.m. Xander Schauffele Thomas Pieters
2:03 p.m. Jason Kokrak Justin Thomas
2:14 p.m. Harris English Rafa Cabrera Bello
2:25 p.m. Bryson DeChambeau Patrick Reed


TV, streaming information

All times are listed in Eastern.

Saturday, Sept. 19

TV

NBC: 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Streaming

Go to usopen.com, Peacock app or DirecTV.
Peacock: 9-11 a.m.
Featured groups: 8 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Featured holes: 8:10 a.m.-6:45 p.m.
Featured groups: 1:15-6:30 p.m.
U.S. Open 360 (practice range and putting green with interviews, news conferences, bunker cams, analysis and features): 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Radio

PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 20

TV

Golf Channel on fuboTV (watch for free): 10 a.m.-noon.
NBC: Noon to 6 p.m.

Streaming

Go to usopen.com, Peacock app or DirecTV.
Peacock: 8-10 a.m.
Featured groups: 8 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Featured holes: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Featured groups: 1:15-6:30 p.m.
U.S. Open 360 (practice range and putting green with interviews, news conferences, bunker cams, analysis and features): 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Radio

PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.

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U.S. Open: Notables who won’t play the weekend at Winged Foot

We’re through 36 holes at the U.S. Open and Patrick Reed has the solo lead. But there are some big names who didn’t make the cut.

We’re through 36 holes at the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, and Patrick Reed has the solo lead at 4 under. Bryson DeChambeau is a shot back in second.

Rafa Cabrera Bello, Harris English and Justin Thomas are T-3, two shots back at 2 under.

Jason Kokrak is 1 under and that’s it, those are the six golfers who are under par in the 120th U.S. Open.

The West Course played much tougher on Friday, with DeChambeau’s 68 the best score of the day. Bubba Watson and Hideki Matsuyama shot 69, the only other rounds under par in the second round.

The cut came in at 7 over, so the low 60 and ties will return for Saturday’s third round.

Meanwhile, these are some of the notable names who are slamming trunks and jumping on planes on Friday night:

PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa bogeyed the eighth hole, his second-to-last of the day, and when he managed to only par the par-5 ninth, he found himself on the outside looking in. A 76-71 combo put him at 7 over, just the third missed cut of his pro career.

Justin Rose shot 73-74 and also missed the cut by one.

Defending U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland shot 74-74 to miss the cut by two at 8 over. Also at 8 over is Tommy Fleetwood.

Tiger Woods was 7 over just on Friday alone and finished his two days at 10 over, shooting 73-77 to miss the cut. Phil Mickelson finished 13 over after rounds of 79-74.

One of the 13 amateurs made the cut: Florida State’s John Pak.

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Tiger Woods collapses on Friday, misses U.S. Open cut at Winged Foot

Tiger Woods had a week to forget at the 120th U.S. Open as he returned to Winged Foot, site of his first missed major cut as a professional.

Winged Foot let the boys play during Thursday’s opening round of the 120th U.S. Open. On Friday, Winged Foot became the bully of the playground.

Tiger Woods lost his lunch money on the front nine and by the time he signed for a 7-over 77, his Nike shoes were hanging on the telephone wire. At 10-over for the tournament following Thursday’s 73, Woods missed the cut once again at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, the site of his first missed cut as a professional after the 2006 U.S. Open (also his first major following his father’s death).

Finding the fairway is mandatory for success at Winged Foot and Woods socially distanced from the short grass for the second consecutive round. Beginning his day on the back nine, Woods got off to a strong start with four straight pars. The final five holes of his opening nine were played to the tune of 5 over in E flat thanks to double bogeys on both Nos. 16 and 18.

U.S. Open: Leaderboard | Best photos

More misfortune awaited on the front nine with bogeys on Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6. It wasn’t until the par-3 7th, his 16th hole of the day, that Woods was able to make his first birdie of the round after stuffing his tee shot to just four feet. He followed suit with another birdie on his final hole of the week, the par-5 9th.

Woods has yet to announce his schedule for the rest of 2020 but will be the defending champion Oct. 22-25 at the Zozo Championship, held this year at Sherwood Country Club north of Los Angeles due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t forget about his title defense at Augusta National in November’s Masters, either.

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Legacy of Winged Foot cannot be undone in a day at U.S. Open

MAMARONECK, N.Y. – A day after the USGA watered down the U.S. Open and momentarily rankled the host club, Winged Foot was back in character. Amen. There was all kinds of anxiety here following the opening round, especially among the members lining …

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MAMARONECK, N.Y. — A day after the USGA watered down the U.S. Open and momentarily rankled the host club, Winged Foot was back in character.

Amen.

There was all kinds of anxiety here following the opening round, especially among the members lining the fairways in volunteer garb. After talking up the degree of difficulty for three days, 32 players came in at par or better. The average score of 72.5 was the lowest ever here in U.S. Open play.

What happened to the mystique of Winged Foot?

Justin Thomas played a memorable round and carded a 5-under par 65, a record low in here U.S. Open play.

The greens were incredibly receptive. The pins were readily accessible.

“It’s still Winged Foot,” said Thomas, who labeled his round among the best tee to green he’s played in a while. “You’ve still got to hit the shots.”

Many of the folks inside the gates here felt like the USGA was going back on a promise to let Winged Foot be Winged Foot.

“It was one of those rounds I felt like could have been a little lower than it was, but at the same time 67 is a good start,” McIlroy said on Thursday.

There is no question the USGA was in a difficult position. It’s tricky setting up a historical U.S. Open venue in a way that pleases the members and the players. There are logistical issues to deal with, like pace of play.

U.S. Open: Leaderboard | Tee times, TV | Best photos

Getting all 144 players around before sunset was a concern.

Even so, Winged Foot was not in a completely natural state after the greens were meticulously hand-watered.

The dew was already thick without any wind.

It was ultimately the decision that raised the most questions. The USGA got flamed after going too firm, too fast at Oakmont and Shinnecock Hills in years gone by.

Gradually dialing up the carnage is typically easier and less controversial.

“The U.S. Open is played out over four days,” said John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s senior director of championships. “Champions are not crowned on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. They hoist the trophy on Sunday afternoon after the last putt drops. We have a strategy in place in partnership with our Winged Foot colleagues and we have been jointly executing against it. We are happy with where things stand and look forward to watching how things unfold over the next few days.”

2020 U.S. Open
John Pak plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Winged Foot Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Xander Schauffele wasn’t complaining about the first-round setup.

“Too easy is not really it, honestly,” he said. “I think relative to this place, you know, some would say, and I’m sure the super and the staff here felt that, but I don’t know how many guys shot under par. I felt like I played my ass off yesterday and I barely shot under par, and today really felt like a U.S. Open. I can tell you that.”

Schauffele is right in contention with an even-par total of 140 heading into the weekend.

Majors are supposed to get harder as the week unfolds and that’s exactly what happened on Friday as Winged Foot came to life with all the menace of Jack Nicholson leering through a splintered door.

“Here’s Johnny!”

The legacy of Winged Foot cannot be undone in a single day. A memorable round by Thomas will soon be a footnote in history.

Mother Nature also came to the defense of the A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece. The wind came up right on cue Friday, adding credibility to any red figures on the leaderboard. A cool weekend forecast has the world’s best golfers bracing for drama.

“When I play well in these conditions, it’s a lot more enjoyable,” said Bryson DeChambeau, who surged with a second-round 68 and is sitting at 3-under for the championship. “It is comforting (on a day like) yesterday when you feel like you can go after it and wind isn’t affecting it that much. … If I had to truly look back on it, I would say that this today is a more enjoyable test after I’m done because it shows who executed the shots the best for sure.”

Settle in. There will be blood.

“It’s relatable,” DeChambeau added. “I think it’s relatable to a lot of players out there. They struggle with their game and they don’t hit the greatest shots, and they like seeing carnage. I’m going to look this afternoon and do the same thing, like, ‘Wow, that’s really difficult’, because I experienced it and I appreciate it.”

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Bryson DeChambeau: My ‘confidence is at an all-time high’ at Winged Foot

Bryson DeChambeau eagled his final hole Friday at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot where who many golfers are struggling putting.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

Bryson DeChambeau spent his day descending and ascending the leaderboard at the U.S. Open, but thankfully, there was one more up than down Friday at Winged Foot.

The six-time PGA Tour winner battled bogeys throughout his second round, but was fortunate enough to match each bogey with its own birdie and ended his round on a high-note, carding an eagle on the par-5 ninth.

The 27-year-old finished Friday 2-under 68 to sit 3 under for the tournament, one of a handful of fortunate players to sit in the red through 36 holes.

“Yeah, it’s definitely ebbs and flows, but I’ve been working hard on that recently and trying to keep myself level-headed no matter what, and I feel like I did a great job of that today,” DeChambeau said. “Even on 5, made a dumb bogey, just didn’t play the right distance and consequently hurt myself there. And then on 6, I just focused up and I was able to stay patient and execute a great drive and make two great putts there.”

U.S. Open: Leaderboard | Tee times, TV | Best photos

Starting on No. 10, DeChambeau began his round bogey-birdie-bogey. He made par on 13 and then continued the rollercoaster for birdie-bogey-birdie on Nos. 14-16.

After reaching the turn at even par, DeChambeau bogeyed No. 3, but corrected it immediately with a birdie on No. 2. He went bogey-birdie again on Nos. 5 and 6, followed by his eagle on No. 9.

“(Bouncing back) keeps your momentum going, I’ll tell you that,” he said when asked about matching each of his five bogeys with birdies. “I don’t really have too much more to say on that other than the fact that you need momentum to keep playing well in a U.S. Open, and that’s what I was able to do today.”

Coming off a first-round 69, DeChambeau walked off the course T-3, two shots behind first-round leader Justin Thomas.

Bryson DeChambeau on the 14th green during the second round of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

The U.S. Open is DeChambeau’s first event of the 2020-21 season. After finishing T-4 at the PGA Championship, he stumbled during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Ahead of the playoffs, he had nine top-10s in 15 events and just a pair of missed cuts. The reigning Rocket Mortgage Classic winner missed the cut at the Northern Trust, finished in 50th at the BMW Championship at 10 over and 22nd at the Tour Championship at 3 under.

At Winged Foot, of all places, DeChambeau has put his lackluster performance in the playoffs behind him. That’s largely due to his mental edge.

“I feel great,” DeChambeau said Friday. “Confidence is at an all-time high right now, driving it well, iron play is fantastic, wedging is getting better each and every day, and I’m putting it like I know I can. So very happy.”

Part of the reason DeChambeau was able to battle the bogeys Winged Foot threw at him Friday was that he’s working on being more patient with himself. A large part of that is a lot of “deep, long breaths” to re-center himself during rounds, but the other element is focusing on what doesn’t feel right and correcting it immediately like his wedges in the opening round.

DeChambeau said he spent Thursday evening after his first round making the adjustment to his wedges to avoid transferring the discomfort he experienced with them in the opening round to Round 2.

Thanks to Thursday evening’s adjustment, he didn’t.

“We didn’t practice (wedge shots) as well as I should have leading up to this tournament, but we made that adjustment and it worked out beautifully for me today. … I was flying everything 10 yards long consequently with my wedges and we recalibrated all of them today, and I felt like they worked out really well today,” he said.

DeChambeau, who last won on Tour in July, is looking for his second win of 2020 and first major championship.

If he keeps battling Winged Foot like he did Friday, he has a pretty good shot.

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Watch: Some of the wildest putts from the U.S. Open at Winged Foot

The rough at U.S. Opens always gets all the attention, and rightfully so. But the greens at Winged Foot? They are so tough.

The rough at U.S. Opens always gets all the attention, and rightfully so.

But the greens at this year’s Open at Winged Foot? They are so tough.

There are undulating hills, sometimes multiple ones on one hole. The ground is hard as a rock, punishing a miss by sending a ball far away. Extreme creativity ends up being rewarded, but it’s enough to make your mind melt.

Let’s start with a shot from Friday that punished Bubba Watson (who actually ended up having a pretty good second round with a 1-under).  Some serious creativity … but down it went backwards. Yikes.

And then there’s that epic Zach Johnson putt from Thursday:

This putt from Cole Hammer was impressive — right into a hill:

Look at where Dustin Johnson had to put this ball out of the sand:

There was this miss from Abraham Ancer. Welp.

Good luck the rest of the way.

U.S. Open: Bubba Watson lurking with thoughts on hometown ravaged by Hurricane Sally

Bubba Watson grew up in the Florida Panhandle that was ravaged by Hurricane Sally, which made landfall in his hometown on Wednesday.

Bubba Watson had a phone call to make after the second round of the U.S. Open to cancel a flight.

Watson, 41, strung together three consecutive birdies on the front nine and signed for a 1-under 69 at Winged Foot Golf Club’s West Course in Mamaroneck, New York, to improve to 1-over 145 and lurking at a major where he’s experienced limited success. Watson, a two-time Masters champion, had missed the 36-hole cut at the U.S. Open in five of the last six years.

“I had my plane ready to go home today just in case,” Watson said. “But now I’ll have to cancel the flight. So that’s a good problem to have, I guess, cancel the flight and be home late Sunday night hopefully.”

Watson also was anxious to get home to check on his family and community back home in the Florida Panhandle, where Hurricane Sally made landfall on Sept. 16, with ravaging winds and submerged some parts with more than 2 feet of rain.

U.S. Open: Leaderboard | Tee times, TV | Best photos

“My friends and family are all OK. My house, my mom’s house, our friends’ houses are all OK,” Watson said. “I know there’s a lot of boats that got messed up. I haven’t heard about my businesses yet.”

Watson grew up in Bagdad, Florida, (population 3,761) in that northwest sliver of the state that is part of the greater Pensacola area, on the Gulf of Mexico, and about 13 miles from the Alabama border. He lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Orlando earlier in his career but returned to his roots in 2016.

Ever since, Watson has made a large impact in his local community. For starters, he donated $2.1 million to Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart in Pensacola for an expansion of the facility where he was born and where there’s now a street known as Bubba Watson Drive. Watson also opened Bubba’s Sweet Spot, a candy and ice cream shop in downtown Pensacola, a car dealership, Sandy and Bubba’s Milton Chevrolet, a driving range, and is co-owner of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, a Class Double-A minor league baseball team. Watson said he’ll assess the storm’s damage next week.

“When it hit on Wednesday, the first text I sent my wife is, ‘Should I come home?’ Because again, golf is golf and life is more important than that,” Watson said. “Just trying to focus on this right now, but when I get home, obviously me and my wife, my family will do something. We can help Pensacola. We’d love to do something like (Houston Texans defenseman) J.J. Watt did a few years ago for Houston. Something like that would be tremendous. Just anything like that in that direction, just to help the community, lift the spirits of the community because I know there’s some people hurting for sure.”

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Watson and his family experienced a previous natural disaster in 2016. They own a second house and 11 acres in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, part of the Greenbrier Resort’s sporting club. Watson was there the night a 100-year flood dumped 11 inches of rain in just 5 ½ hours. He donated $250,000 to the relief effort and got his hands dirty as part of a local cleanup team.

“Sometimes in the midst of tragedy, in the midst of bad things, that’s what pulls it out of us the most, that good spirit and we a definitely witnessed it tremendously through the few weeks we were here helping and volunteering,” wife Angie Watson said ahead of the 2017 Greenbrier Classic, a former PGA Tour event there.

Watson said his family’s generator has made his Florida house a popular spot and friends have been staying at his guest house.

“People have been coming over for ice and different things to our house, just trying to keep the kids safe and everything,” he said. “Right now I’m trying to stay focused on a very difficult golf course instead of the very difficult situation at home, but my wife is holding the fort down pretty nicely, and again, we’ve been so lucky that we have a bunch of different families. We have a guest house and different things where we can bless people and help them as much as we can so far.”

It makes finishing his round with a double bogey on Friday easier to accept. Watson has been mired in a slump, recording only one top-10 finish in his last 14 starts and remains winless since notching his 12th PGA Tour title at the 2018 Travelers Championship. He was pleased with his ball striking, including ranking second in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-tee and fifth in SG: Approach.

“Even though I made a double bogey on the last hole, I still played good golf at a U.S. Open,” Watson said. “There’s so many bigger things out there right now, but I’m going to keep battling as much as I can.”

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Lynch: Brooks Koepka isn’t at the U.S. Open, but he’s ‘alive’ … and not watching

It’s in keeping with 2020’s dismal ledger that Brooks Koepka isn’t competing at the U.S. Open in Winged Foot. But nor is he even watching.

MAMARONECK, N.Y. — When the final putt fell in last year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Brooks Koepka could claim to have lost to only one man in the 117th, 118th and 119th stagings of the championship combined. He will still be able to make that claim when he arrives for the 121st edition of the Open next summer at Torrey Pines.

The 2017 and ’18 champion finished second to Gary Woodland in his bid for a three-peat in ‘19, but his shimmering run came to an abrupt end eight days before a shot was struck in ‘20.

“Unfortunately, I have decided to withdraw from next week’s U.S. Open,” he posted on Twitter September 8. “I’m looking forward to getting healthy and competing at 100% against very soon.”

Eamon Lynch

So while 144 of the world’s best golfers battled the conditions and the cut line at Winged Foot, the guy who used to be the best was laid up closer to next year’s venue in Southern California. Koepka is staying in a rented home in San Diego, where he is undergoing intensive rehab for knee and hip ailments. I texted the four-time major winner Friday morning, just as conditions were predictably toughening in the event that has defined his career.

Care to check-in, I asked?

“My check-in is that I’m alive,” he quickly replied. “I don’t want to take away from anything the players are doing this week.”

This has been an atypical year in golf, and it’s certainly an atypical U.S. Open Friday for Koepka, who is more accustomed to spending this day stalking leaderboards. Through 36 holes at Pebble Beach, he was five behind Woodland, and eventually finished three back in solo second. In 2018 at Shinnecock Hills, he was five back of Dustin Johnson and went on to win by one. A year before that he entered the weekend in a four-way tie for the lead at Erin Hills and cruised to a four-shot victory.

It’s in keeping with 2020’s dismal ledger that Koepka isn’t competing at Winged Foot. But nor is he even watching.

Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Brooks Koepka kneels on the eighteenth tee during the second round of the Wyndham Championship golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Koepka texted that he didn’t watch a single shot of the first-round action and only briefly checked the leaderboard late Thursday night. What might seem a surprising admission of disinterest is really in keeping with his competitive loner approach to his work. A lion who isn’t hungry doesn’t waste time watching others in the pride feasting. Which is not to say Koepka doesn’t have an eye on his next meal.

In that curt statement announcing his WD from WF, Koepka offered no specifics and no timeline for a return. It was the latest setback in what has been a miserable year for the former world No. 1. He missed several months after reinjuring his knee in South Korea last October, returned just in time to see the PGA Tour go into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, then had to withdraw from an early start back at the Travelers Championship when his caddie, Rickie Elliott, tested positive.

For a brief time however, the Koepka of old remerged as he finished T-2 in Memphis and played his way into contention at the PGA Championship at Harding Park. The old cage-rattling swagger was back too as he aimed for a third straight win. During a Saturday night TV interview he dropped a drone strike on his former friend Johnson, whom he trailed by two entering the final round, casting shade on DJ’s meager major tally. In the end, neither man added to his total. Johnson recorded his fifth runner-up finish in a major while his antagonist slumped to a 74 and a T-29 finish.

When asked by Golfweek a few days later if he intended to reach out to Johnson, Koepka replied, “That’s not something I’m planning on doing.” Since then, he has been beset with injuries and missed the FedEx Cup playoffs, which Johnson won for the first time.

While Koepka rehabs on the West Coast, the 120th U.S. Open continues on the east. Few competitors at Winged Foot will mourn the absence of a man who is perhaps the most old-style U.S. Open player in the modern game, one of those cold-blooded competitors who would think twice before even giving an opponent a Heimlich. This championship was once synonymous with stoic, unflappable types who went about their business with cool detachment. The Hale Irwins, the Curtis Stranges, the Payne Stewarts. If Koepka was here, he’d expect to win and wouldn’t be shy about saying so.

But he’s on a couch in California. So whose name does he think will be etched just beneath his on the trophy Sunday night?

“My pick from the start was Xander [Schauffele],” he offered. “It should suit him very well.” After rounds of 68-72, Schauffele is at even par and well-positioned entering the weekend.

So if he didn’t watch the first round of the Open, and won’t be watching the second, what is he doing outside of rehab treatments? Watching NBA playoffs, he confessed. “I’m really rooting for Penn National and DraftKings,” he wrote, a sly nod to the bets he has riding on games. “Need a good day out of them!”

Otherwise, his time is spent with his girlfriend, Jena Sims, a couple of her friends and a collection of their pets. “Glorified dog sitter,” he joked. “Add it to my resume.”

Of course, this rehab is all about adding an entirely different honor to his resume, one that is bestowed 58 days from now when the Masters hands out a green jacket. He had one arm in it last year before finishing second to Tiger Woods. On this U.S. Open Friday, Koepka’s only goal is to make it to the tee on Masters Thursday.

“All of this is for Augusta,” he wrote.

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