The 118th United States Open Championship came and went, for the most part, peacefully. It had more of a “Barbosal Championship” vibe than a Major vibe. The only thing that kept this US Open from being completely boring was the condition of the course and Phil Mickelson playing the third round like it was a Scotch-Scramble-Mr. and Mrs. Twilight at the country club (you know, where you get to pick up, throw, and kick your ball?).

It is too bad that such a prestigious tournament is being run by people who are apparently insecure about their event. The USGA was lambasted last year for setting up Erin Hills as “long, but too easy”. Brooks Koepka played some amazing, yet somehow uninspired, golf to post -16. While I saw Erin Hills as long and difficult, yet ultimately a course that could be tamed by shot-making; Others saw it as nothing else but a joke because of the scores. But I thought “These Guys are Good”? “Live Under Par”? Oh no, they are just playing juiced up golf balls and clubs, Thomas, this game is pretty easy with those at your disposal.

The USGA’s goal to make the US Open as difficult as possible seems hypocritical when you look at what their other initiatives. They want to grow the game of golf, so why make the biggest tournament of the year a showcase of the best players in the world struggling and looking miserable? How is setting up a course so that Scott Gregory, a young pro, goes out and shoots 92 a good thing for the game? What does that say to the guy who started playing a couple weeks ago? Well not much point in going to the range. This guy has played his whole life and couldn’t break 90. This game is too hard.

No, the US Open shouldn’t be like those PGA events where -24 usually wins. But it shouldn’t be so… un-fun. The difficulty of Shinnecock Hills (a historically difficult host of the US Open) got so into the heads of the players that they would hit bad shots, rather than hitting good shots that end up in bad spots. In that, they were so afraid of the course that the actual difficulty of the course was never on display.

I think the 2012 US Open at The Olympic Club is a good example of a difficult course, but where good shot-making was rewarded. It wasn’t a 7500 yard behemoth with 50 yard wide fairways like Shinnecock. Olympic asked you to hit shots from tee to green. It was tight, had lots of elevation to deal with, and good green complexes to obsess over where the correct side of the pin was.

It also didn’t get baked out and have to be saved.

If the USGA wanted Shinnecock to play difficult, then they should have let it dry out and let the carnage ensue. However, due to complaints from players on Saturday afternoon, the USGA announced that the greens would be “10–12 inches slower” for Sunday. As if they didn’t learn from 2004.

So they gave in, again. Watering the course led to much better scoring on Sunday. Which would have been exciting, if we didn’t know that the course was softened or if it was just as baked/firm as it had been the whole week.

The cherry on top of this dry yet soggy cake, is the eventual champion. Brooks Koepka. A golfer who has said himself that Baseball is his true love. Golf is just kinda something he does because he’s decent enough at it. He made shooting the lowest total score in US Open history look oh so mundane at Erin Hills last year.

In a way, I am envious of Koepka. He has such immense talent, but it seems he doesn’t even like golf that much.

What anyone would give to play the game like him.

He has won back-to-back US Open’s and he’s wishing he was playing right field for the Yankees. The one redeeming part about Koepka is his choice of putter: a Scotty Cameron. But anyways…

So much about golf is passion. Koepka doesn’t seem to have that. Yet, he still outplays all those passionate players. It’s frustrating.

ugh. Let’s talk about something else.

“I’ll just pick up, the guys behind us are waiting on the tee”

Not what I meant…

Okay, fine.

This whole fiasco has been so over analyzed, critiqued, and blown out of proportion. A guy who barely made the cut hit his ball before it ran all the way off the green.

No, not because the conditions were unfair and normally his ball wouldn’t had gone so far by. It was because he hit a bad putt. I think what Phil said sums it up:

‘I had wanted to do that for a long time and I finally just did it.’

There you go. He wasn’t making a statement, he wasn’t defiling the sport, and he wasn’t disrespecting anyone or anything (okay, maybe the USGA). Hell, he should be celebrated for keeping pace of play in mind.

Y’know what guys, I’ll take the two shot penalty let’s keep it moving.

This will never happen again. And if it does, then we can DQ that player. Until then let’s all just calm down, it’s Phil being Phil.

Don’t act like you haven’t done the same thing, only to say to your buddy “Uh… give me a 6”.