The most unconscionably pathetic display of putting by a professional golfer I've ever seen. Twenty-six putts through 13 holes.
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Mickelson played the birdie holes +2. He'll be lucky to finish tied with Tiger.
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That ruling I talked about w/ Stricker yesterday is looming large now. It was Els at Oakmont in '94 bad.
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Here's a picture.

It's sitting on a small patch of green, but there is sand a foot in front of it and around all sides.


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BRUTAL.

We'll see if they can master this course tomorrow.

Day is still in the hunt. In fact I would say anyone +8 is still in the hunt.
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Played easier as the wind died down in the evening, but still very difficult overall. Looks like only Horshel and Mickelson at -1 going into tomorrow.
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Phil played the easy holes terribly and the difficult holes well today. I guess you can't expect much different with him.
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To play 7-13 +2 and 14-18 -1...WTF

That's why Phil is so goddamned frustrating...and fascinating.
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I had a sneaking suspicion it would play tougher than we all thought. I have a friend who's actually played Merion along with a few other US open courses, and stated it was probably the toughest he's played.

Outside of Oakmont of course, which is brutal.

One a side note, I may have a chance in a few weeks to make a trip to Tulsa and play Southern Hills. Only problem is, the wife and I are expecting our first mid to late July/Early August. So I'm not sure I'll get to make it.
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They funnel fairways at US Opens. The guys try to squeeze as much distance as they can instead of laying back and playing it to the widest part.
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Which is a dumbass strategy. Most of these guys hit 8-irons 170+. There is no reason why most of those guys couldn't have hit 6 iron off the tee at 10, and they still would have had a wedge in their hands.
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Well, not really. Those are the holes you HAVE to score on. You have to make birdies there, or atleast try.

And with those greens and the slope, you can't do it consistently with 8 irons.

So I get it, but if you're hitting iron off the tee, you damn sure have to hit the fairway. Most are hitting 3 and 4 irons there, which they will hit about 230 to a 24 yard wide fairway. It's not really a tough shot, it's not easy, but it's one that they should be able to do pretty regularly.
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On a hole like 10 you can hit 6-iron, gap wedge.

What this week has proven, more than anything, is that most pros should probably be carrying 3 and 4 hybrids.
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I think most guys are going to hybrids lofted about at a 2/3 iron. I always carried a traditional 2 iron thinking the hybrids were an old man shtick. Finally converted myself and glad I did.

However, the only problem I have with a hybrid is that you really have to try hard to work it either way. They're built to fly straight, which is actually tough for those guys to like to do.

Its one thing I hate about the new "game". Guys with new technology don't/can't work the ball and hit golf shots. They work to have a preferred shot and thats what they hit, no matter what.

I love watching guys work the ball, especially on the range. Frankly, I would rather sit and watch tour guys hit balls on the range and/or work on their game, than I do watching them play.
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Unfortunately, that's exactly the kind of club the modern player needs. A forgiving hybrid that he can just point and shoot, especially for a course like this.

Getting too cute with their shots is precisely why they're missing so many fairways. Aim in the middle of a 25 yard fairway and you can hit a 10 yard pull and be more than safe. Aim at the edge and double cross it and you're fucked. Aim at the rough and hit it straight and you're hacking it out.

I actually think Mickelson made a poor choice in driving clubs. He would have been better off, IMO, to hit a 13* driver with a 43" shaft than that Frankenwood. The COR is going to be larger, so it's likely to travel farther, and that clubface would be more forgiving than a fairway wood tuned down so far.
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