Last week's edition of the tourney again hinted at an inherent distrust of the USGA among pro golfersGETTY IMAGES
Many PGA Tour golfers believe the USGA "can't be trusted" after letting this U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills "plunge into avoidable yet all-too-familiar territory" over the weekend, according to Will Gray of GOLFCHANNEL.com. The "schism runs much deeper than a single error in setup" and in fact "threatens the core competency of the organization in the eyes of several of the players it looks to serve." Golfer Scott Piercy said, "When are they going to get it right? I just feel like they disrespect these historic golf courses. I think they disrespect the players, I think they disrespect the game of golf. And they’re supposed to be, like, the top body in the game of golf. And they disrespect it, every aspect of it." Golfer Marc Leishman: "They do what they want, and they don’t do it very well. As far as I’m concerned, there is no relationship (between players and the USGA). They try and do it. They do it on purpose. They say they want to test us mentally, and they do that by doing dumb stuff." Players who "took issue with the USGA’s tactics" largely had one "simple solution: put more of the setup choices in the hands of those who oversee PGA Tour and European Tour venues on a regular basis." The U.S. Open is the only one of the four majors that "struggles to keep setup shortfalls from becoming a dominant storyline." It all adds up to a "largely adversarial relationship, one that continues to fray after this weekend’s dramatics and which isn’t helped by the USGA’s insistence that they should rarely shoulder the blame." Golfer Pat Perez said, "They’re not going to listen, for one. [USGA CEO] Mike Davis thinks he’s got all the answers, that’s No. 2. And when he is wrong, there’s no apologies." Golfer Brandt Snedeker: "To say that the players and the USGA have had a close relationship would be a false statement. They keep saying all the right things, and they’re trying to do all the right things, I think. But it’s just not coming through when it matters" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 6/18).
HOSTILITY COMING TO THE SURFACE: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Brian Costa reports there is an "inherent distrust of the USGA among pro golfers that has been built up over years." That is one reason why some players were so "withering in their criticism of the course conditions on Saturday." Many players are "skeptical of the USGA’s aggressive approach to setting up championship courses to begin with." When the result is unfair it "merely inflames tension that already exists below the surface." What is "striking about the flare-up on Saturday is that the USGA knows its standing among players has been hurt by issues including U.S. Open setups to rules and equipment issues." It also is aware the "criticism hurts its reputation among the larger golfing public." The USGA has made a "concerted effort in recent years to improve relations," as top officials "meet with players at PGA Tour events in the spring to tell them what to expect at the upcoming U.S. Open." They also give "presentations on what they do with the revenue they earn from the tournament." However, "nothing matters more to pro golfers than having a fair chance to win the U.S. Open" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/19).
USGA DROPPED THE BALL: In Baton Rouge, Scott Rabalais writes the USGA "can’t seem to get anything right when it comes to the U.S. Open." The organization seems "incapable of avoiding controversy" at the tournament (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 6/19). In Toronto, Damien Cox writes the USGA "tricked up the golf course a little too much" and turned it into “carnival golf." The weekend "produced an event in which the USGA organizers were the stars." It became more about "pin placements and whether the greens should be watered to slow things down." Cox: "How tough is too tough? And what is the objective -- to prove the best of the best aren’t as good as they think they are? Is that what people really want to see?" (TORONTO STAR, 6/19). In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis writes the golf world would be a "better place if organizers didn’t have to rely on lightning-quick greens as their biggest defense against runaway scoring." That invites "big-time issues when the weather turns against you, as it did Saturday" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 6/19). In Cincinnati, Paul Daugherty wrote, "The USGA made its golf course the story, not its champion" (CINCINNATI.com, 6/18).
