Unpacking Oakmont, the U.S. Open and ultimate Tour grinder J.J. Spaun
Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.
On Sunday, J.J. Spaun got off to a shaky start, mounted a comeback after a weather delay while his closest competitors collapsed, then made a 64-foot putt on the final hole in the pouring rain to win the U.S. Open. What were your thoughts on Spaun’s win and this latest U.S. Open?
Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): It really was the closest thing to a slo-mo train wreck as I’ve ever seen. The USGA loves to set up its Open courses to be tougher than any other venues, but when the weather turns bad, as it did, these Open courses just become indefensibly near impossible to play. I give JJ Spaun huge credit for being able to keep his ball in play, and his composure, and make two final birdies, including the bomb he dropped on 18. He truly WAS the last man standing. But this was more a test of endurance vs. skill, and I’m not sure that’s what the US Open should strive for.
Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): I enjoyed the US Open from start to finish. Forget about the difficulty for a second, this had everything: weather issues, rain, heat, delays, rules issues, lead changes galore, exciting finish, and a great Champion with a good story. I’m not sure what more you could ask for.
Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: Spaun got the break of a lifetime on #18 when Hovland hit his 2nd shot inches from Spaun’s. At that level, if a player hits a good putt ahead of another player, player two will invariably make a superb putt. Spaun paid his dues and received the benefit from those hard knocks all in the same round. He earned every accolade. What a tee shot on #17. The ruling on #15 for Burns has some controversy. At least two officials made the same call. I appreciate the fact that the rule was made right then and there, only to be re-decided later when a deceased USGA official intervened. Sam Burns acted professionally.
TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): What a grind! Impressive finish by Spaun, particularly the drives on 17 and 18. Birdieing the last two holes on that course to win is an epic finish for a journeyman pro who has come into his own this year. It’s nice to see guys like that win a big one and change their lives forever. My thoughts in the tournament are that it’s ok to watch pro struggle once a year, but that’s enough for me. Not that I need the winning score to be -30 on a weekly basis, but I don’t need to see guys miss the fairway by a yard and barely find their ball either.
Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: The USGA lied, again. Its mantra is not punishing golfers but identifying the best. The self-absorbed organization accomplished neither. Rory said it best when he asked about his goal Sunday: “Hopefully a round under four and a half hours and get out of here.” Watching all the missed 3-footers on greens stimping off the charts, solid shots rewarded with trips to 6-inch hay, the game’s best furious about the result, not their swing, was not good for the game or Father’s Day ambience. Looking forward to The Open, not the next U.S. Open.
Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine: There are still some life-altering moments in professional golf. Most of the time it’s all about some millionaire winning more millions but more than the money, Spaun’s victory vaulted him into the history books, into an elite level on the PGA Tour and likely onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team. It memorialized the efforts of a real Tour grinder with a great backstory including some maturing time on the Canadian Tour. Longshots aren’t supposed to win. Especially at Oakmont in the U.S. Open. Score one for the little guys.
Oakmont has now hosted the U.S. Open ten times and is usually considered the toughest. This year, only one player broke par. After the latest playing, do you think Oakmont is too tough or unfair?
Deeks: Yes, I do. Especially when pouring rain made it almost impossible to hack balls out of 6-inch rough, kept balls on 80-degree slopes, and landed balls in casual water with no relief from officials. This only makes the world’s best players look like 10-year-olds playing field hockey. It made for a compelling seesaw battle down the stretch, but I genuinely felt badly for anyone who got a bad bounce into the rough. I’m sure there were a lot of exhausted and bruised players at Pittsburgh airport on Monday morning.
Loughry: Oakmont is really tough, I like it, but maybe the rough doesn’t quite have to be this penal, an inch to a ½ inch less would still make for a very hard test.
Schurman: I love it! Players used every club in their bag. All putts inside eight feet weren’t automatic. Drive for dough and putt for more dough! There’s a brewing story of a player trashing the Locker Room. If true, it highlights the numerous criteria a champion must meet.
Rule: As I mentioned above, it’s ok to do once a year, and Oakmont presents the ultimate US Open test, so it’s a good host for that reason. I actually like the idea of graduated rough, which they experimented with years ago. So if you miss the fairway by a yard (especially during firm and fast conditions), you aren’t as penalized as the guy who drives it wayward. He may even get lucky ending up in an area that’s trampled down by spectators. Anyway, the course lived up to its reputation and was a good host for this tough test of golf.
Quinn: The USGA blazers must be happy. They are the only ones in the game that feel that way. The bad-luck bounces and wind escorted bogeys on links courses truly are the rub of the green. Oakmont — every inch of it — is contrived, the bounces and nuance manufactured by bulldozers not wind and nature. As a result, there are 4-day debacles like this one.
Mumford: Oakmont was beyond tough, especially in the wet conditions on Sunday. Some will argue it’s the same for everyone, but lucky and unlucky bounces played too great a role in the scoring. Luck removes skill from the equation. There’s no artistry involved. The best aren’t exhibiting their best under those penal conditions. It’s a Demolition Derby not a major golf tournament.
The leaderboard at Oakmont was jammed most days with only a few shots separating the leaders from those in 25th position. It further condensed on Sunday as leaders stumbled and at one point, five players were tied for the lead. While Spaun emerged as the winner, what other player impressed you the most?
Deeks: Only seven players broke par on Sunday, one of them being Rory McIlroy. Shooting -3 when he was clearly unhappy with everybody and everything, and just wanting to get home, was unexpected and commendable. But back to Spaun… he just hung in there, seemingly impervious to the slaughter going on around him, and just, as they say, golfed his ball. He was two-over for the day — not exactly champion-level — but, like the Dude, he endured. And that impressed me the most.
Loughry: Burns and Scott were impressive. I can’t imagine the patience you need to have to try and work your way around Oakmont. At any time, with one bad swing you could drop precious spots or shots. I really thought Burns was going to win, but I also thought on Friday Spaun would be there in the end (machine like precision off the tee).
Schurman: Two players come to mind: Sam Burns and Adam Scott. Both were machine-like for 68 holes. Burns got the worst ruling of all-time on #15, and Scott’s ball decided it liked two or three indescribable, nasty lies. I thought the Golf Gods were going to smile on Burns, given his play-off loss last week. Scott just got unlucky at the wrong time.
Rule: You’d have to say Robert MacIntyre, who doesn’t really impress with any particular part of his game, but he brought his A game on Sunday, shooting 68 to get himself into contention. When he putted out on the 72nd hole, I would have given him a good chance to win given the carnage happening behind him. But hats off to JJ Spaun for rising to the occasion. I was also impressed with MacIntyre’s reaction to Spaun making his putt on 18, it was genuine, he showed himself to be a good sport and I’m proud to have him as a former RBC Canadian Open winner.
Quinn: As the super stars and favourites smashed tee markers and assaulted microphones and cursed the golf gawds, on Saturday Adam Scott shot an astounding 67 at the ripe young age of 44. It is always surprising to hear repeated that he has won just one Major. He has been so good for so long that somehow that seems unfair. His self belief and work ethic and perseverance are beyond admirable. And that 67 was beyond impressive.
Mumford: Everybody who played in those awful conditions impressed me – perhaps Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland the most, since they hung in there for 72 holes and gave Spaun a push. They’re grinders too. Someone once said that avoiding big numbers is more important than making birdies, and that was so true at Oakmont.
