10 Thoughts on Round 2 of the U.S. Open

If you haven’t joined yet, here’s the link to our Slack channel. It was cooking during the U.S. Open-U.S. soccer game window on Friday afternoon.

4. One thing that infuriates me is when guys take two clubs to the rough to see which one looks better behind the ball. That’s the most generous interpretation of what they’re doing anyway.

A less gracious interpretation is that … man, sticking multiple clubs behind the ball in the rough sure seems like it would mat the grass down so less of it gets stuck between the face and the ball and you have more control over what it’s doing. Lots of guys do it. Wyndham does it a lot. So does Scottie. I hate it all. Make it stop.

5. What would have surprised you more at the start of the week: If I told you that Joaquin Niemann made a 11 in his first round and still made the cut or if I told you that Jon Rham shot a bogey-free first round and still missed the cut?

Both were stunners.

Niemann was assessed a two-shot penalty for unseemly behavior on the course (my words) that — to his credit — he pushed back on but ultimately agreed with after the round. He hit two shots OB off the tee on No. 6 late on Thursday and was technically hitting seven off the tee (with the penalty). The shotcast is shocking.

Here’s Gabby, who did a great job going and digging up the details on what exactly happened after this that led to the penalty

She unfortunately got unfairly eviscerated for this information by Niemann’s team after Round 2. You can read about that right here.

Brief aside: Gabby rules, is a great reporter (far better than I’ve ever been) and I will stan for her and her work at all times. I don’t think this about everyone in golf media, but she’s the real deal.

Niemann — to his credit (but not his team’s!) — owned it after the round.

This was right after he bounced back with seven birdies (!) and a 65 on Friday to make the cut.

I’m not totally sure what to make of all of this. It was an impressive recovery that — as somebody on Twitter put it — might legit be the coolest thing Niemann has ever done at a major.

I think my takeaway here is actually that there is going to be a subjective ruling (or lack of a ruling) related to this player conduct rule Niemann was hit with that absolutely affects the outcome of a major at some point. Niemann’s team was arguing that other people throw clubs, why weren’t they penalized. Which seems like … kind of a fair point?

And while Niemann ultimately did agree that he should have been penalized, I’m fascinated to see how this rule is applied in future majors.

Someday Spieth will pass the so close baton, but to whom?

6. Rahm on the other hand went out and had to finish par-par to break 80. What the heck, man? Just a horrific, horrific performance from the easy side of the draw.

Might be time to reevaluate some things with Rahm. I will probably continue to ride for him as incredibly underrated, but this was a total own goal when 1. He was in the mix through the first round and 2. He needed to have a great year at the major championships. Extremely unexpected, especially how well he’s been playing of late. And yeah, I know it’s LIV, but he’s still been broadly a lot better this year than either of the last two seasons.

7. I walked with Wyndham’s group for a while on Friday morning, and it’s jarring in person how far left he aims on some of these holes. He definitely knows his swing and what he’s trying to do, but I gasped out loud on the 12th when he took a line that looked about 40 yards left of what was ideal. This ball ended up in the fairway, partially because he fades the heck of it but also because the wind was howling left to right.

More of an observation than anything else and something to watch for on the weekend depending on which way the wind is blowing. Conditions were easy in 2023 when he won at LACC so I’m interested to see how he handles an arena this weekend that should be faster and firmer than it was the first two days, and hopefully just as windy.

8. 🚨 Harry Higgs at 1 under! 🚨 And he gave an all-time presser after his round. I tweeted out the full video of him talking about how he nearly walked off the course at U.S. Open qualifying but for whatever reason stayed with it and made it in as an alternate. He said on Friday that this helped change his attitude and that he’s still learning what it means to be great.

Be more relatable!

… all these guys that do this consistently and win all these deals, I think they just make the choice to do that all the time. … Those guys wake up and do the work and choose to act and believe that they are the best.

That is so good and such a good reminder of how important it is to carry around confidence in our given lives and/or professions. Not arrogance, necessarily, but it’s OK to say “I believe that I’m a good dad” or “I believe that I’m a good writer.” That’s OK!

And doing so can be so helpful in actually living it out, in using the gifts that we were given for the good of those around us.

I BELIEVE THAT I AM GOOD

9. Last note from me … I walked the back with Rory-Ludvig-Tommy on Friday, and it was a total delight. Those three swing it so differently but so wonderfully, and it was fun to see them all try to hit such different and unique (and difficult shots).

Some things that stood out to me.

• I think Ludvig might hit it higher than Rory, who hits it insanely high.
• Ludvig is a unit. Obviously big but also sneaky thick. Looks like a D3 hooper.
• Tommy’s flighted down, held off shot is marvelous. He kind of leans into it with just the slightest hint of lag. I couldn’t recreate it in 10,000 tries.
• Ludvig hit maybe the worst shot he’s hit in his entire life with his 3 wood on 16. The tracer doesn’t even begin to do it justice.

• Tommy hit maybe the best shot of his (or anyone else’s) entire life with a driver off the deck on his second into 16. One of the purest, flowiest swings I’ve ever seen. Driver-driver-wedge. Easy hole. 😂 
• Rory is probably going to end up losing this tournament by 2-4 shots. He will look back on the back nine on Friday as the reason why. Three bogeys in a row followed by a clunky double at 15. Not a disaster, but definitely a disappointment given where he was on the board.
• It’s still stunning to me how long he is. Noticeably longer than even Ludvig, who is 10 years younger and flushes. We talk about it a lot and still probably underrate it.
• Rory’s speed on the birdie on 14 was somewhere between, “Oh sh**” and mach 3.

10. It’s the dust that does it for me. I don’t really know why. These little brown and gray flecks and specks that swirl and float away all over the property.

Late in the day, the light bobs and weaves its way through this dust that is spitting off these dunes, and for whatever reason, this bizarre art form makes major championship golf feel like major championship golf, at least for me.

This is not rational, it’s maybe not even sensible. But it is these scenes that make the entire week seem like almost a different sport than the regular PGA (or any other) Tour.

Three of the best in the world chased someone everyone was rooting for them to catch on Friday. They strode around and over and ultimately through those minute pieces of sand and mud that have seen a thousand swings several times over.

They emerged in the end, covered in the stuff.

Replete with a thin layer which served as a temporary reminder that everyone eventually must dig it out of the dirt. Or maybe, perhaps, it is this dirt that digs it out of them.

Thank you for reading and participating in all of this. Thank you for supporting us so that we can do things like attend the U.S. Open at Shinnecock and try to write and draw about with as much feeling and joy as that place and this tournament both engender.