Lessons Learned from Day 1 of the U.S. Open (Part 1)
June 17th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
The first day of the 2011 U.S. Open has finally come and gone, and after all the predictions and fanfare, we can finally sit down and take a look at what we know, not what we think we will. Here are a few lessons that the Essex Golf team took away from Day 1 at Congressional.
Major Champions Win for a reason
Ever since the disappearance of a certain Eldrick Woods from the game of golf, the race for every major has been wide open. Recent “unknown” winners include Y.E. Yang, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Graeme McDowell. While some may find it surprising to see them at the top of the leaderboard, to others, it is just as expected. Most people had never heard of these golfers when they won their majors, and many didn’t expect to hear from them again. However, as much of a fluke as any of their victories may have been, golf fans have to keep in mind the fact that winning a major in golf is one of the hardest accomplishments in golf. Beating out a field of 150 other contestants while maintaining a high standard of play through four days is incredibly tough. And all four of these “no-name” winners managed to do it. The fact that they won at all should be the greater consideration here, not the fact that that win will probably be their only one. These men all won for a reason, and are showing up in round one to show just what it was.
The US Open might be a good time to break a slump
The U.S. Open isn’t quite known for its low-scoring or its easiness on players. In fact, it is quite the opposite. So why do some players break out of slumps during the U.S. Open? For one, its hard not to get up for this. For most golfers, if they could win just one major, it would be either the U.S. Open or the Masters. With those kind of stakes on the line, everybody focuses just a bit more. Also, the Open is usually won with a score around par, or slightly above or below it. In the last few PGA tour events, the winners scores have climbed to upwards of minus twenty. Those who are struggling with their game are left in the dust. However, this is not the case at the U.S. Open. There is less pressure to make birdies, and players can focus on playing solid golf and getting up and down for par. In a tournament where pars and bogeys are move valuable than they usually are, those who aren’t pin-hunting may find it a good chance to turn things around. On day one, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, and Graemme McDowell all managed to break out of unusually serious slumps and post good numbers. We’ll see if they are able to keep it up for the next three days.
Sometimes bogey is a good score
As we said in our previous statement, sometimes bogey is a good score. This is something that amateur golfers can take away from the Open. Sometimes it’s actually quite refreshing to see the pros struggling like the rest of us. When given the opportunity to make a miracle shot to save par, hold on a second, think about it, and pitch out to the fairway. After driving his tee shot into deep grass, Phil Mickelson wedged out and got himself no closer to the hole. While he left himself a tough test for par, he had a very manageable shot at bogey. Sometimes playing it safe is better than taking the risk and ultimately getting more than you had bargained for.
Don't sleep on Louis Oosthuizen.
These guys are good. All of them.
Today’s leaderboard is filled with names that you’ve never heard of. Amateurs, Europeans, and local qualifiers who managed to fight through the excruciating qualifying process just to get the chance to tee it up at Congressional. If you’ve ever stood behind the range at a Tour event, you realize that all of these guys are good. Extremely good. And there isn’t that much that separates them. Watching Phil Mickelson hit shots in the range isn’t that much more of a life-changing experience than watching David Toms. At every golf tournament, the number of players who have the capability to win is staggering. What separates the greats from the average players is both the ability to perform week-to-week, and the ability to perform for four days straight. Anybody can shoot a 65 in the first round. But only a few can follow it up with three more similar performances.
Don’t sleep on the underdogs
So the leaderboard is filled with names that a lot of people have probably never heard of. And most people aren’t concerned with this, as they know that within a day or two, most of those names will be gone. But who ever heard of Charl Schwartzel before he won the Masters? Or Louis Oosthuizen before he won the British? While the majority of these “no-name” players will eventually realize just where they are and buckle under the pressure, there will be a group of them that embrace it and keep playing their game. Make no mistake, on Sunday, there will be atleast one of these “unknowns” near the top of the leaderboard. And everybody will be rooting for him.
