Tag: 2024 US Open

‘That’s absolutely gone’: Collin Morikawa chip shows the cruelty of the U.S. Open greens

Absolutely brutal.

Everyone who told you the greens at Pinehurst No. 2 were going to be brutal wasn’t lying.

We saw that in the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open on Thursday, with some golf balls that looked pretty good … until the hard, fast greens chewed them up and spit them out.

That happened to Collin Morikawa, who hit one from the sand and watched as it didn’t bite at all. Instead it rolled. And rolled. And rolled … all the way off the green.

Here’s Morikawa’s shot that rolled forever, along with some others who had trouble with the greens early in the first round:

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4 reasons NOT to bet on Scottie Scheffler to win the 2024 U.S. Open

Don’t do it!! Here’s why.

Rory McIlroy said it best the other day about Scottie Scheffler at the PGA Championship: The only thing that stopped the world’s top golfer from winning another major was “going into a jail cell for an hour.”

Sure, Rory was joking. But there’s some truth to the fact that Scheffler is on a heater like almost nothing we’ve seen before (see: Woods, Tiger). Since his T10 finish at the Genesis, he’s won five times in his last eight starts, including a green jacket at the Masters. He finished T8 at the PGA AFTER BEING ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE CRIMES!!

So, sure: you could bet on him to win at Pinehurst. But here’s why you shouldn’t:

1. His odds make it a bad bet

At +300, you’re not going to make much money betting on him. Yet golf bettors are pouring their money into him. There’s so much value elsewhere! C’mon!

2. The U.S. Open is a different beast

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Open is meant to confound and test golfers. The roughs are usually grown extra long. The putting surfaces are like ice. So betting on the favorite isn’t usually the best idea.

3. His putting might be a problem

This seems silly, but bear with me: he’s 71st on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting. Yes, he’s first in putting average, but that one gives me pause this week.

4. The field is huge

That opens it up for a lot of others to win it. That also means he’s facing the best of the best in the world.

So, yes: I’ll be taking my money elsewhere this week.

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2 U.S. Open videos show just how brutal the firm greens are going to be at Pinehurst

The greens this year are FAST.

The U.S. Open is the annual tough test of pro golfers, although Wyndham Clark put up a 10-under to win last year.

This year? At Pinehurst No. 2, we’ve seen the roughs looking, well, rough as we get set for tee times on Thursday, but the greens? They’re ridiculous.

How ridiculous? Clark called them “borderline,” meaning borderline unplayable. They’re ridiculously fast and firm, and with no rain in the forecast, there’s going to be no relief coming.

A pair of videos have gone viral showing just how unforgiving they’re going to be — if you don’t hit the ball exactly where it should go, it’s going to roll. And roll. And roll some more.

Here you go:

 

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The annual ‘How deep is the U.S. Open rough’ video is here from Pinehurst, and good luck, players

Good luck to the U.S. Open players.

It’s the other tradition unlike any other: In the week leading up to the U.S. Open, someone takes a golf ball and drops it into the overgrown, bushy, tall rough to show how punishing it will be. We saw it last year at Los Angeles Country Club, and we’ll see some of it at Pinehurst No. 2.

There’s a slight twist here, as you’ll see from the video below: there’s not what you might call a traditional set of rough. They have sandy wiregrass, with rough that will punish you if you avoid the bunkers.

Still, it’s … well, rough. Check out the video:

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