I'm a big fan of players going out and winning golf tournaments. I'm not a fan of carnage and the last player standing is just the guy who didn't have another tough hole to play. Let us look back on some great shots over the years that won the U.S. Open. Corey Pavin hit his famous 4-wood to six feet on the 72nd hole to seal his first and only major in '95. Steve Jones almost holes his 7-iron on the 72nd hole on the fly in holding off Tom Lehman in a great duel in '96. Ernie Els hits a brilliant 4-iron on the 71st hole at Congressional to help win second U.S. Open in '97. My point is that usually the winner of our great national championship plays a great final round and proudly hoists that trophy as having outplayed the field. Now don't get me wrong about one thing. Graeme Mcdowell played very well on the weekend to win the U.S. Open. But he didn't have a great round or a signature shot that will define this Open. Unfortunately, this Open will be defined by the course which is not always a good thing.
I've never seen a par 5 in which tour pros would gladly take par without any hesitation. The 14th hole was an outright embarrassment. Ernie Els hit a shot that landed one step short of pin high but on the wrong section of the green and it ended up thirty yards off the front of green. The USGA eff'd up but they'll never admit it. They also had the audacity to trick up the seventeenth hole to the point that par played like a birdie. My point is that good shots were not rewarded on 14 and 17 today and that is not fun for the player or the fan. Graeme McDowell didn't win this tournament any more than a handful of players lost it. Yes, McDowell will go down as the U.S. Open champion. But this tournament wasn't won in major fashion and Mike Davis and the USGA are to blame.
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