SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The longest day in golf is not U.S. Open qualifying despite what many would have you think. It’s Friday of either the Open Championship or the U.S. Open, specifically when the first round is not completed on Thursday.
At long last, though, we’re at the halfway point, and the leaderboard narrative has taken shape: Namely, can a good-but-not-all-time player hold on to a sizable lead at a difficult golf course with — count ‘em — eight major champions in the top 10 chasing after him?
It’s maybe not the most interesting narrative, but it’s still a very good one, especially when the protagonist at the top is not the most beloved player in the world.
Hayden Martin and I discussed this and a ton of other stuff, including my experience on the grounds, on this podcast on Friday evening. Great pre-Round 3 listening!
Name drops today: Ralph Guldahl, Randy Jackson, Johnny Miller, Bill Simmons and OF COURSE Harry Higgs.
Today’s newsletter is presented by our friends at Garmin, who are generously giving away this Approach S70 watch to one of our readers.
All you have to do is be subscribed to this newsletter — which, if you’re receiving it via email, you are — and be the closest to guessing my step count on either this post or this one. Best of luck!
Thank you to Garmin for being a supporter of our work at the major championships (and for giving away a sick watch!) and now let’s get to the news.
Round 2 incubator leaderboard. Who will crack this weekend?
1. How should you feel about two-time U.S. Open champion, Wyndham Clark? Well, that’s entirely up to you, of course, and I can understand why it’s maybe one of these from many of you going into the weekend …
I’m not here to necessarily refute you feeling this way, and I have my fair share of frustrations or annoyances when it comes to Wyndham as well. He obviously has his demons and a sometimes juvenile behavior that is unique, even among a cohort of professional athletes that I’m not sure anyone would ever, as a group, describe as extraordinarily mature.
However, on Friday after his round I asked him about how people’s perception of him has changed since what happened last year at Oakmont (photo below if you haven’t seen it yet), and his answer was as much responsibility as I’ve heard him take to date.
Here’s what he said.
I've gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so. The thing that's unfortunate is that's not who I am, what happened last year.
I'm hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident. You know, I really feel like I can show people that I'm fun and outgoing, I'm fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment. Hopefully I can win those people back.
Yeah, I definitely feel like I'm in a better place. Hopefully a great weekend and great rest of the year, maybe I'll gain all those fans back
Wyndham Clark
Does that make me love him as a player or a person? No. But was I glad that he was (finally) self-aware enough to admit that he’s gotten grief and that he deserved it? Sure.
It’s not the biggest thing in the world, but it’s also not nothing. I’m still probably rooting for a 67-68 from Rory or Scottie to steal this event at Shinnecock, but I’m also not so obtuse to realize that I have been in Wyndham’s shoes and would love to have a grace extended to me that we seem so unwilling to extend to him.
Maybe that’s naive — it probably is given some of his other missteps including saying on air on ESPN that the Par 3 Contest at the Masters is good birth control — but that was what I left the course feeling on Friday afternoon.
[Jason here] Speaking of missteps, how about Kyle not even acknowledging Hovland's yes chef pants? Vik's rounds at Shinnecock will be forgotten but his fashion will live on forever through Stripegazer.
2. I was thinking about this while watching Miles Russell on Friday: Where have the excitable young players gone? Russell carries himself like he’s 33 years old. Same with Koivun, who will be paired with him on Saturday. When I was 17, I would have acted like an absolute lunatic on the golf course if I made a couple of birdies to make the cut at the U.S. Open. Russell (and pretty much every young player these days)?
Absolutely nothing.
And I get that he’s already been doing it for a long time and that his calm demeanor probably leads to better golf. But I do miss the enthusiasm of a teenager who can’t believe he’s competing in the U.S. Open. Guys seem to be acting (and getting paid) like pros at younger and younger ages, which is the right way to act and how I would want my own kid to act. So I’m of two minds there, I guess. But selfishly, I would personally love to cover someone who actually seems like a 17 year old kid playing in the United States Open.
Make 17 year olds 17 year olds again.
3. DJ is obviously not going to win, but his brief contention (before making an 8 on the 15th hole!) got me thinking about which player with fewer than five major wins has the best collection of major courses conquered.
Remember Bill Simmons’ old gambit about how MVP trophies should be different sizes depending on how good the season was? I think that but for different major championships.
You win a watered down U.S. Open at Congressional where guys are ripping balls back all over the place, you get a pocket-sized trophy. You win at Shinnecock when the wind is howling and the winning score is 6 over (not saying that’s going to be the case this week) and the trophy should be so big that you have to rent an extra jet to get it home.
Anyway, here are the contenders for best collection of major courses (max four majors won). And — with apologies to the Morris family — we’re only doing the last 100 or so years here.
The 4s
Ernie Els: Congressional, Oakmont, Muirfield, Lytham
Bobby Locke: St. George’s, Troon, Lytham, Old Course
Ray Floyd: Shinnecock, ANGC, Southern Hills, NCR Country Club (??)
The 3s
Spieth: ANGC, Chambers, Birkdale
Ralph Guldahl: Cherry Hills, Oakland Hills, ANGC
Scottie: ANGC, Portrush, Quail
Denny Shute: Pinehurst, Pittsburgh Field Club, Old Course
Henry Cotton: St. George’s, Carnoustie, Muirfield
Billy Casper: ANGC, Winged Foot, Olympic
The 2s
ZJ: ANGC, Old Course
Angel: ANGC, Oakmont
DJ: ANGC, Oakmont
Bryson: Winged Foot, Pinehurst
Retief: Shinnecock, Southern Hills
O’Meara: Birkdale, ANGC
Fuzzy Z.: ANGC, Winged Foot
Johnny Miller: Oakmont, Birkdale
Ted Ray: Muirfield, Inverness
This list was actually much more impressive and comprehensive than I thought it would be. I think my champ would probably be either Ray Floyd or Billy Casper. Although you could talk me into Ralph Guldahl, Denny Shute or Jordy Spieth.
Also, while researching this information on Friday, I ran into this sick, sick nugget about the 1953 U.S. Open …
Make everyone qualify for the U.S. Open every year. Make the U.S. Open great again!
Better luck next year.
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