Many in the golfing community affectionately refer to the Old Course at St.Andrews as 'The Old Lady'. This works in a literal sense - it's the oldest golf course in the world - but also in a metaphorical one. You see, 'The Old Lady' garners the sort of respect and reverence usually reserved for 'The Old Lady' of your family. It's fawned over in the same way your grandmother is, every aspect of their life meticulously taken care of.

Chambers Bay is different; it's more Moody Teen than Old Lady. Any time you became too comfortable, any time you felt you understood its many intricacies and quirks, you'd be desperately splashing out of a bunker before you could blink. Sometimes, seemingly for its own amusement, it would take your perfectly struck 8 iron and cast it 40 yards away from the intended target. This would perplex and frustrate many, those used to plying their trade on pristine fairways and perfect greens couldn't grasp this style of golf. 

Only a particular type of golfer could emerge victorious at this unique venue. Jordan Spieth is exactly that kind of golfer. His unique ability to not allow emotions to factor in to his game is rare for someone of his age - he became the first person to win The US Open before the age of 22 since Bobby Jones in 1923. There was no clearer illustration of this than his final three holes. On 16 he curled in a beautiful, arcing putt for birdie that was met with a fist pump and an emphatic ‘come on’. A celebration, yes but not the sort of unbridled joy that some would show on the cusp of their first US Open. Then 17 came and his situation changed again. Considering the magnitude of the moment he may well have played the worst hole of his short but spectacular career; he duffed a 6 iron off the tea and missed a four-foot putt, eventually leading to a double bogey to push him in to a tie for the lead.

To gather your emotions at this point and get yourself in a position to win the tournament is truly remarkable. There are maybe a handful of professional golfers that have the mental fortitude to overcome such a setback and play the final hole how Jordan played it. He drilled his second shot on the par five 18^th over 280 yards, his ball eventually settling 15 feet from the hole. He wouldn’t make the eagle putt but he would tap in for the birdie that would win him the Championship.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention poor Dustin Johnson, the man who handed victory to Spieth with a three putt on 18 that will live long in his memory. Johnson has had more near misses than The Road Runner, finishing in the the top ten at a Major Championship 9 times with a few unfortunate implosions along the way. I hope for his sake that his time comes because having that 18^th hole as one of the lasting memories of your career would be tough to digest.

In the end though, The US Open found itself a worthy winner. A course that required great putting and an even greater mindset got both in the form of Jordan Spieth. 

US Open Day 4 Notes

•          What could have been – Rory McIlroy looked like he was mounting a serious challenge at one point, he was -2 under overall and -6 for the day but he couldn’t muster up enough over the closing holes to really put pressure on anyone. He missed too many makeable putts throughout the whole tournament, if he’d have even been 10% better on the greens he might have walked away with the trophy.
•          Oosthuizen – After a first round 77 you’d have hardly blamed the South African if he’d have packed it in and got ready for a weekend at home. However, he stuck with it as best he could and, after three fantastic rounds including a 67 on Sunday, ended up only one shot back.
•          The course. Oh, the course – I’m not afraid to say that I loved it. It was criticised ad nauseam before, during and in the moments after the event. Garnering the majority of the complaints were the greens (although calling them green might be generous, browns is probably more accurate). They may not have been the greatest surfaces but I can’t really feel sympathy for anyone when the course plays the same for everyone. Those that got on with it and accepted the challenge were the most successful. It was different, it was fun, it made for a fascinating final day. I don’t know what else we can ask for.

Winning what’s in the bag

Driver: Titleist 915D2 (9.5 degrees)

3 Wood: Titleist 915F (15 degrees)

Irons: Titleist 712U (3 iron), Titleist 714 AP2 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM5 (46-08 F Grind, 52-08 F Grind, 56-10 S Grind and 60-04 L Grind)

Putter: Scotty Cameron 009 Prototype

Ball: Titleist Pro V1X

Harrison Ryle

harrison.ryle@foremostgolf.com