USGA's Davis On Tee Shift: “In the case of Sunday it certainly made them think at a very important time in the championship."

Jay Coffin on USGA Executive Director Mike Davis' Morning Drive appearance where he talked about bouncing the trophy ceremony heckler and the 16th hole setup Sunday.

“We think one of the elements of the test for a national championship is the ability to react at the moment to a golf course setup,” Davis said when he joined “Morning Drive” on Tuesday. “While we don’t want inconsistencies with green firmness or green speeds we like the idea of mixing up teeing grounds because it really does make them think.

“In the case of Sunday it certainly made them think at a very important time in the championship. In some players case it made a difference.”

Comments

[G-Man]

I don't like how Mike Davis and the USGA set-up the US open for only one type of player - ball-strikers. Most of the players used diver 2-3 times every round. I feel for it to be a true test of Golf - there has to be a number of holes that challenge and provide scoring opportunities for every type of player. And it should require you to hit a number of different shots, including driver. Not just two irons and hybrids off of every tee. I think it would be a better tournament if there were at least 5 or 6 holes where players can be aggressive with shots and not be penalized for attacking a pin or pulling driver. If there are holes where the fairway is super tight like 18, then the pin should be in an area where it can be attacked and a player is rewarded for hitting the fairway. If the fairway is wide and easy to hit for a long hitter, then the pin should be tucked with a high risk/reward short iron. The USGA does not practice balance. While I do enjoy watching the pros challenged, they need to be a little more creative with course set-ups. And, I'm sorry but creative does not mean shaving banks and slopes around the green so that a shot is forced toward a hazard - THIS IS TRICKING UP THE COURSE!

[e]

webb is lucky he didnt have to play ANY holes with the lead on sunday...

as pressure free as a major win can be

lol @ watching videos of your son while the leaders throw up on themselves

[Tighthead]

I generally like the Davis set ups, but part of me thinks he should just set the course up and stay quiet. Let the course and the championship speak for itself.

Same goes for Matthew Weiner explaining every episode of Mad Men online.

[BrianS]

Isn't scouting out the tee / pin positions part of the caddie's job ? Even just by watching the broadcast - it was on for over 2 hours before Furyk teed off, they mentioned it many times how short it was going to play.

[gphoss]

@tighthead, I couldn't agree more. The cliche about referees is something along the lines of, you know they're doing a good job if no one is talking about them. Similarly, I have nothing against Mike Davis, but it seems to me that the setup should not be the story. The golf course and the players should be the story. Then again, perhaps the USGA's setup is the story because they aren't doing what they need to do the other 51 weeks of the year in terms of equipment regulation so that Olympic can stand on its own without need for baking out these courses, building and moving tees, building bunkers, relocating fairways, etc.

[ol Harv]

Davis is a flusstered ex-player not good enough to make it as a pro and way too much time on his hands allowing him to control every aspect of this major. IMO Davis has a bigger ego than even Finchem. This guy gets a woody every time a player mentions the words "great set-up". These courses don't need a great set-up man. They can fend for themselves, that's why they are the greatest courses in the country. Stop the effing MANIPULATION dude.

[China Golfer]

Totally agree with that, old Harv.

I never understood why in the past (pre Congressional) Davis was viewed as some kind of Midas of the golf course tweaking world. All he did in those days was add a bit of common sense (graduated rough etc). It was hardly revolutionary but I guess when the USGA do something with common sense it's newsworthy.

I think that has changed. Forgetting Congressional for a minute, Olympic was a dog's dinner. Overkill. Davis and his setups always seem to be a story, which is wrong anyway (aside from Carnoustie in '99 who ever talks about the setup of an Open Championship Course and who knows who is responsible for preparing them?).

I'm sure he's a nice enough fellow and media savvy etc but I think he'd have been better off just leaving the course alone.

[hawkie]

Geoff : You spend a great deal of time microanalysing course setup, so you believe Mike Davis should be quiet about how he sets up a golf course?

[CBell]

My four cents:

1) I don't agree that the shaved-collar-hillside option constitutes a trick. I see it as a different kind of hazard, forcing a player to make a very careful decision on his approach: Be conservative and settle for (perhaps) a difficult two-putt par or be aggressive and risk losing a stroke or more to the 40-yard rollback "hazard."

2) As for the 16th, I don't like the idea of surprising players with an unannounced option for the tee. It brings into play a different landing area, which in turns requires a different kind of drive, and possibly even a different club within the 14-club limit. If all possible tee locations had been announced ahead of time, then I don't mind. (Perhaps they had.)

3) In any case, I respect Davis's stubborn insistence in testing a player's analysis, discipline, and patience. Also, I like the fact that the Open tends to be the least putt-centric tournament of the year. I'd love to see the stats, but the only U.S. Open I remember being won by the hottest putter was Goosen's at Shinnecock.

4) I think it's important for Davis to be accountable for his decisions. By discussing his strategy, he is contributing to a conversation about architecture, design, and the challenge of the game. Not to discuss it would strike me as arrogant and sort of August National-ish. "It is our policy not to to discuss..." blah-blah.

[ol Harv]

But CBell, how can you have it both ways. How can you have a soft front of the green or in front of the green and then have it firm up by the flag. So Ernie hits it short, obviously he missed the shot, but there was no jump forward like it was on Thursday and Friday. That means the course was manipulated and that's bull@#$%.

[Elf]

This open set up was not about ball striking. It was about scrambling

[Animal Kingdom]

Surprising them with a tee location seems fair enough, but not if a final group is on the clock and risks a penalty shot if he takes an extra 30 seconds thinking about the shot.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Els hit a horrible shot. Give me a break. Players were not bouncing the ball onto that green - there's a big slope in front.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Oh, and AK, he wasn't on the clock. He'd just been warned (twice).