South African Gary Player is a golfing legend, and rarely does he criticise the sport that has been his life. But the 79-year-old has unloaded on Chambers Bay, the course for the 115th US Open.
“It’s one of the worst golf courses I’ve actually seen in my 63 years as a pro,” he said on Yahoo’s Grandstanding podcast.
“… I mean the man who designed this golf course had to have one leg shorter than the other.”
Chambers Bay is only eight years old, born out of a quarry. Those Roarers who watched the television coverage would have wondered about the brown fairways, and the minefield greens that were also mainly brown.
The set-up reminded of the old saying, ‘Drive for show, putt for dough’.
“The man” Player referred to who designed the course is Robert Trent Jones Jr, widely respected all over the world for his course design.
Jones responded to Player’s criticism, saying, “I’m open to constructive criticism, but to make it personal is something I can’t understand…
“I don’t need to enter a public debate with Gary Player.”
But what about the greens, described by Patrick Reed as like “putting on broccoli”, or world number one Rory McIlroy who added, “it was more like putting over cauliflower”?
“Some of the greens were not well-laid,” replied Jones.
Which strongly supports the widespread criticism as to why Chambers Bay was selected in the first place when there are hundreds of magnificent golf courses in the USA where there wouldn’t be one scrap of criticism.
Billy Horschel, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia are among the growing band of golfers glad the week is over.
“I think a lot of players, and I’m one of them, have lost some respect for the USGA and this championship this year for the greens,” complained Horschel, the reigning FedExCup champion.
“… I’m a really good putter as well and I have not had a great week on the greens. And it’s not due to the fact that my stroke is off or my speed is off, I’ve hit a lot of really good putts that have bounced all over the world.”
Poulter took to Instagram, writing, “It is disgraceful that the @USGA hasn’t apologized about the greens… If this was a regular PGA tour event lots of players would have withdrawn and gone home on Wednesday, but players won’t do that for a major.”
Garcia said, “This is a great championship with great history. The US Open deserves so much better than this. It hurts to see what they have done to the course. These greens, come on, let’s be honest, you can’t say they are good. It’s just not right.”
If there was one golfer who would add considerable weight to those comments, it would be Dustin Johnson.
He stood over an 11-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole that would have given him his first major, a birdie would have earned him an 18-hole play-off today with Jordan Spieth, a three-putt and he’d finish in a tie for second.
He stunningly three-putted, and to this point hasn’t complained about the greens.
I’ll leave the final word to a caddie who wanted to remain nameless. He was asked what should the USGA have done to make the course better?
“Left it a quarry.”
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