U.S. Open Ratings "Tank"

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The headline on this Media Life Magazine story: "Without Tiger, U.S.Open ratings tank."

Toni Fitzgerald writes:

Woods exited the tournament on Friday after shooting 12 over par for two days and missing the cut by three strokes. Thus Saturday’s Tiger-less third-round coverage of the U.S. Open on NBC averaged a 3.2 household rating, according to Nielsen overnights.

That was the lowest Saturday average since Nielsen began measuring the tournament in 1982. It was down 27 percent from the previous year, when Saturday averaged a 4.4.

Sunday’s final round averaged a 5.1, down 12 percent from a 5.8 the previous year, when Woods finished second. It was the lowest-rated final round in three years and second-lowest-rated since 1994.

NBC’s two-day average of 4.2, if it holds when final ratings are released later today, would be the worst two-day average since 1988 and tie for second-worst ever.

MacDuff's Post Winged Foot Fed Ex Cup Standings

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fedexcuplogo.jpgRemember, he's not giving extra points for the majors. Tiger's 43rd. Good thing the deal doesn't start until next year.

 

1    Mickelson    22459        14
2    Singh    20134.37        15
3    Furyk    19587.5        13
4    Gf. Ogilvy    18487.5        12
5    Toms    16196.87        11
6    Weir    16021.87        13
7    Van Pelt    15940        17
8    Glover    15879.16        12
9    Pettersson    15758.33        14
10    C.Campbell    15587.5        13
11    Pernice    15525        12
12    Donald    15189.37        10
13    Appleby    14987.5        12
14    Oberholser    14637.5        13
15    Pampling    14622.5        13
16    A.Scott    14575        10
17    Olazabal    13862.5        10
18    Sabbatini    13754.16        12
19    Cink    13696.33        12
20    B. Quigley    13375        11
21    Immelman    13287.5        10
22    Z.Johnson    13075        11
23    Goosen    12937.5        10
24    Bohn    12913.33        13
25    Mayfair    12654.16        13
26    Funk    12600        13
27    Gay    12525        12
28    Purdy    12375        12
29    T.Clark    12285        12
30    Vn Taylor    12137.5        10
31    Verplank    12037.5        10
32    Senden    11600        10
33    Imada    11505        12
34    Love III    11412.5        11
35    Herron    11222.5        11
36    Els    11140        11
37    D.Wilson    11112.5        12
38    Lehman    11075        11
39    Ames    10862.5        8
40    Hoffman    10862.5        11
41    Parnevik    10767.5        12
42    Sluman    10762.5        14
43    T.Woods    10659.37        6
44    Harrington    10575        9
45    Choi    10537.5        10
46    Villegas    10337.5        11
47    Jerry Kelly    10325        9
48    RS Johnson    10305        10
49    Poulter    10062.5        10
50    Watney    10025        11
51    Warren    10012.5        10
52    Crane    9885        11
53    Wetterich    9775        7
54    Leonard    9683.33        11
55    D. Howell    9587.5        8
56    Palmer    9466.66        11
57    J.Ogilvie    9345        10
58    Howell III    9187.5        14
59    JJ Henry    9162.5        9
60    Garcia    9112.5        8
61    Waldorf    9087.5        11
62    Bryant    9075        9
63    F.Jacobson    9062.5        8
64    Rose    9041.66        11
65    Chopra    8992        11
66    Jobe    8905        10
67    Estes    8837.5        9
68    Maggert    8812.5        9
69    Allenby    8775        8
70    Bertsch    8750        11
71    Hart    8680        9
72    G. Owen    8662.5        9
73    Rollins    8537.5        9
74    Couples    8437.5        10
75    Austin    8425        13
76    N.Green    8415        11
77    Baird    8242.5        8
78    Micheel    8162.5        9
79    Azinger    8162.5        10
80    Franco    8112.5        9
81    Barlow    8062.5        10
82    DiMarco    7959.37        9
83    Sean O'Hair    7912        10
84    JB Holmes    7908.33        8
85    Stricker    7850        6
86    Flesch    7807.5        13
87    Lonard    7787.5        10
88    Lowery    7700        10
89    S. Maruyama    7462.5        9
90    Calcavecchia    7367.5        13
91    Branshaw    7325        8
92    Beem    7293.75        9
93    J.Smith    7225        8
94    Faxon    7125        10
95    Langer    7079.16        9
96    Olin Browne    7075        12
97    Pavin    7062.5        7
98    Sindelar    7037.5        10
99    Sutherland    7012.5        9
100    Bjornstad    7005        9
101    Cook    6962.5        7
102    Baddeley    6962.5        8
103    JL Lewis    6937.5        11
104    Bub Watson    6850        7
105    Goggin    6675.25        6
106    Slocum    6475        9
107    Kenny Perry    6450        8
108    Fischer    6425        9
109    M.Wilson    6415        7
110    Gronberg    6350        7
111    Triplett    6275        7
112    Pat Perez    6262.5        7
113    Barron    6218.75        8
114    Cabrera    6162.5        6
115    Curtis    6125        10
116    Andrade    6082.5        8
117    B. Haas    6050        8
118    Geiberger    6037.5        8
119    Br.Davis    5992.5        8
120    Durant    5987.5        11
121    Gove    5737.5        6
122    Leaney    5712.5        7
123    Atwal    5650        6
124    Gore    5525        6
125    David Duval    5525        7
126    J.Byrd    5500        4
127    Ws Short Jr    5462.5        11
128    Armour III    5387.5        7
129    D.Clarke    5275        5
130    Mahan    5225        10
131    Westwood    5187.5        5
132    Matteson    5037.5        7
133    S.Jones    4980        9
T134    Kaye    4962.5        8
T134    Overton    4962.5        8
136    Lickliter II    4950        7
137    Petrovic    4925        7
138    Gamez    4800        8
139    Jimenez    4712.5        4
140    Kent Jones    4637.5        7

Golf World Game Story and Cover

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gw20060623_cover.jpg Golf World put Phil on the cover with a tiny photo of Geoff Ogilvy. Here are some of the highlights from John Hawkins's game story:

The shot you never saw (because NBC's camera malfunctioned) was a shot you may never want to see, but first, back to the 18th tee. While Mickelson was cleaning up his par on the 17th green, his longtime caddie, Jim Mackay, asked a network cameraman for an update on the status of Montgomerie, who had just completed his round two groups ahead. The NBC guy made sure he had understood Mackay's question correctly, then told him Monty had double-bogeyed the 18th to finish at six over. He was two back.

As Mickelson pondered his final tee shot of the week, Montgomerie's score was posted on a leader board to his left. The crowd went nuts, which might have been all the confirmation Lefty needed, but had he forgotten about Ogilvy, still holding steady at five over? And if Mickelson indeed thought his lead was two strokes, why on earth would he hit a club that had betrayed him the entire afternoon--a club with which he had missed to both sides throughout the back nine?

And, there was our beloved Monty...

It led to the fatal 6 and what could have become the dumbest move of Montgomerie's bluster-filled career. Upon reaching the scoring area, located off a breezeway of the Winged Foot clubhouse, Monty, according to several eyewitnesses, shoved a New York State Police officer as he stomped through the door. Captain Michael Kopy, a zone commander for the NYSP, confirmed the contact, saying, "There was a collision that occurred as the [unidentified] trooper was escorting the Mickelson family out [to the 18th green]. At this point, there was nothing more than a collision in a congested area associated with the event."

In other words, no charges will be filed. A USGA official who saw the incident said the officer involved expressed vocal objection to the contact, saying, "I don't care who he is, he can't touch an officer of the law." According to the USGA official, the state policeman "inflamed the situation" and added, "Monty showed great restraint. I'm not sure he would have in his younger days." (Montgomerie left Winged Foot before he could be asked for comment, and subsequent attempts to reach him and his agent, Guy Kinnings, were unsuccessful.)

And regarding the strategy on 18...

 Mackay talked Mickelson into killing an 8-iron with his mulligan from the Champions Pavilion--Phil had wanted to hit a 9-iron there. It splashed down in a fried-egg lie near the back of the front-left bunker. Behind the 18th green, Phil's wife, Amy, and his parents, Phil Sr. and Mary, weren't sure exactly what was going on, but they knew the news probably wasn't good. Desperate for information amid the massive, largely clueless gallery, Amy turned to a guy standing nearby who was receiving text-message updates from his home.

Her husband had to get up and down from the sand. His fourth rolled through the far side of the green. His chip ran past the hole. Game over. Amy teared up, hands on her cheeks, then called her nanny, asking her to take the Mickelsons' three young children home after they had arrived ready to celebrate. "I didn't want them to be here if it was someone else's moment," Amy said. "I figured it was better if they [left]."


More Bivens Wit And Wisdom

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Sal Maiorana offers a Q&A with Carolyn Bivens in advance of the Rochester tournament.

Q: How has the transition to your new job gone?

"The transition has gone surprisingly well.

Yep, swimmingly.

The players have been very supportive, we have a very good staff,

what's left of them...

and I would say we as an organization are very healthy. The challenges as we move forward are to be able to capitalize on all the interest and the buzz around the LPGA and to convert that into something that turns into a business success for the women."
Q: You came into a pretty good situation, thanks to the highly successful tenure of your predecessor, Ty Votaw. How do you maintain that?
"Ty gave us the foundation with the Five Points of Celebrity and Fans First, which actually makes it possible for us to move beyond that. We will never lose those two initiatives, which means with every rookie class we will go back and reteach and reinforce that, but we'll move on from that to being a real international organization.

I bet you can't wait to find out what that means...

That brings with it a whole different set of issues when you talk about the fact that we own the hospitality marketplace, if you want to say that's our marketing point of differentiation.

Ah, now I get it!

We are an international organization, and it means international players have to at least have a handle on conversational English to be able to interact with pro-am partners and do defending champion media days. It means that the U.S. and European players have to at least have conversational Japanese and South Korean skills when we're playing there. We'll take the Five Points of Celebrity and the Fans First and make that international."

Oh yeah, I can see Natalie Gulbis taking Korean classes!

Q: What are some of the key initiatives that you have targeted to put your fingerprints on the organization?

"I want to continue to enhance the marketing ownerships that the LPGA has on hospitality.

Marketing ownerships?

If a company wants to entertain its very best clients or its very best prospective clients, I want them to know that there's no better way to do that than to host them at an LPGA tournament and have their customers participate in a pro-am. There are a lot of different ways you can go about that. I also think there's a very unique opportunity to market these women in ways that no one ever thought of.

These Girls Rock! 

Q: With the Women's British Open on shaky ground, is there any chance that the Rochester tournament could replace it as the LPGA's fourth major championship?

"I think that right now the LPGA, the players, the organization itself is changing so much, I certainly would never say never about anything. When we go through and benchmark best of class, whether it's tournaments and how they're run, how volunteers are trained, Rochester continues to rank in the top and epitomizes best of class."

We're benchmarking!

Q: Where do you stand on the issue of Michelle Wie and her future on the LPGA Tour?
"Michelle, with the guidance of her family, has decided to turn professional and to not belong to any tour, and frankly I think that's a good thing.

Oh just super for the LPGA!

A few years ago women didn't have a choice to make a living at golf. Because there have been pioneers who have come before Michelle, including Annika (Sorenstam), who made her way into a men's event, and a number of others going back to Babe Didrikson who did that. I would never close off doors, I think it's fine to do it a different way.

Plus, closing off doors can get you in trouble with the fire marshal.

She can play six tournaments through exemptions and two majors, and I have no doubt that's what she'll do. And I will say, and I have said before, that Michelle is going to have to win just as the other stars have. Just being almost good enough isn't good enough,

Uh...forget it...

and the world builds stars and the world tears down stars. Michelle is one of the most talented and most charismatic young women that you will ever meet, and I think we're very fortunate to have her playing women's golf."
Q: With the restructuring of the PGA Tour's television contracts, where does the LPGA fit into the mix?

"Our contracts with ESPN and The Golf Channel were just renewed last year and they have four more years. What we're looking at with the new talent that's coming in, we may choose some different distribution outlets. Now what do I mean by that?

Oh, do tell.

Because of the fans that follow Morgan (Pressel), Paula (Creamer), Christina (Kim) and Natalie (Gulbis), they consume media from different distribution channels than the fans did for Nancy Lopez, Jane Blalock and some of the others. Very few of them are going to sit down and watch two hours of coverage on Thursday and Friday. They may TiVo it, and watch it in about 40 minutes. It also means pushing scores through a cell phone, or through a Webcast. Those things have become much more important. I would say that no sports organization can rely on the traditional media to do all of their marketing, and you'll see us take a very holistic approach at the kinds of marketing and the forms that it takes and the distribution channels that we use over the next few years."

Consuming media and marketing holistically. Calling Whole Foods!

What are your thoughts on becoming the LPGA's first female commissioner?

"The responsibility, I feel, is to the organization and to the players. As they went through the search process and as I went through the interview process we did not talk about that, and I can't imagine any business organization would talk about whether they wanted a man or a woman. If you're not looking for the skill set that you need and outlining what has to happen with the organizations, what are the goals and objectives, then it doesn't make any difference. Nobody is going to measure up. I've been asked what it feels like to be the first female commissioner. I don't know what it feels like to be a male commissioner so I don't really know.

Hey, at least she's honest. 

Ogilvy Follow-Up Stories

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Andrew Both writes about Adam Scott passing up a seat on Ernie's jet to return to Winged Foot for the finish.

Mark Coultan also reviews Sunday's proceedings, and it includes a photo of his parents toasting the win.

Damon Hack in the NY Times catches up with Ogilvy in Manhattan while he makes appearances.
"He said, 'Congratulations,' " Ogilvy said yesterday in an interview in Manhattan. "He was pretty shaken up about it. He was almost as sad for the fans as he was for him. He's going to remember that one for a while."

If Mickelson never adds a United States Open trophy to his case, the double bogey on the final hole that hastened his demise and elevated Ogilvy to a one-stroke victory will linger in golf's annals. But to view the championship in Mickelsonian terms obscures the back-to-back pars that Ogilvy dug out of Winged Foot's turf, from the greenside rough on No. 17 and with a delicate 6-foot putt on No. 18.

"I knew if I missed it, I had no chance," Ogilvy said of his putt on 18. "I knew if I made it, it would make him have to par the last hole, which is not the easiest thing to do in the U.S. Open. You never know what's going to happen, especially on the last hole."

Ogilvy on Letterman

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Clearly, Bill Sheft is missed at Letterman, as Geoff Ogilvy did the "Top Ten Things That Went Through Geoff Ogilvy's Mind After Winning The U.S. Open."

Here's the link to the video that will only be found today (click on Comedy Clips), while the text of the list is posted here and copied below. (The Outback line is much funnier hearing Geoff read it, and unlike most athletes who appear, he recites the Top Ten flawlessly!).

10. "This is one of those things you never forget like seeing John Daly in the locker room naked"

9. "I wish I hand't put all my money on Phil Mickelson"

8. "Even I've never heard of me"

7. "Now I can take a vacation from the grind of playing golf all day"

6. "Crap - - I'm gonna have to go on Letterman"

5. "After all these years, I can finally use my 'World's Greatest Golfer' mug"

4. "I can quit my day job at Outback Steakhouse"

3. "What would Reteif Goosen do?"

2. "I hope this victory isn't overshadowed by America's world cup excitment"

1. "Thank you, Balco!"

Mackay On Sunday's Decisions

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Thanks to reader Noonan for this Mark Cannizzaro exclusive chat with Jim "Bones" Mackay, Phil Mickelson's longtime caddie.

"There was never even a consideration about hitting anything but driver," Mackay told The Post yesterday. "Phil hits his 4-wood no more than about 240 yards. A 4-wood into a 10- to 15-mile-per-hour wind uphill is going to go about 225 yards. There was no possible way to hit 4-wood long enough to reach the dogleg if he missed the fairway."

Mackay said Mickelson, who had hit just two of the previous 13 fairways, and he were well aware of what was taking place ahead of them.

"We saw [Geoff] Ogilvy hit his second shot and were guessing that he hadn't put it on the green because he didn't look thrilled with it and we never heard the crowd roar," Mackay said. "With [Colin Montgomerie], we heard from TV guys that he had a 10-foot putt for a five, and 60 seconds later we heard the crowd groan.

"So we knew that 4-over was going to win the tournament, and Phil was not playing for a tie."

 Mackay pointed to the fact that the reason Mickelson kept using driver was that it gave him a better chance to get the ball onto the green.

Timeline On Phil's Shot(s)

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us open icon.jpgThe Golf Channel is re-airing the final two hours of the U.S. Open telecast Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST and again at 11:00 p.m.. 

Here's a recap, with a few things you might want to look for Tuesday night when Mickelson reaches 18 tee (for all 70 million of you Golf Channel subscribers homes reached).

I'm using TiVo's clock here, not a stopwatch, but the general times should be enough to give an impression how quickly this transpired (when you consider how long Mickelson and "Bones" usually debate shots):

6:51: Ogilvy's second shot into 18 is from only 145, and he catches it so crisp that the ball spins back off the green. My initial impression was that it landed near the top of the upslope and simply didn't quite reach the plateau, and then rolled back. On second viewing, he remarkably put too much spin on it.

6:52: Phil tees off, the blimp shot shows the enormous merchandise tent hugging the tree line. Up at the green, NBC has a stellar camera view of the brutally difficult shot facing Ogilvy.

6:56:30: Ogilvy surveys to hit his incredible wedge shot, Phil is walking forward to see the 18th green while Bones and the USGA's Mike Davis are among those doing crowd control.

6:57: Mickelson reaches a point where he can see the green, and is "looking up ahead" according to Dan Hicks.  We see Ogilvy's amazing wedge shot

6:58:30: Ogilvy makes the incredibly difficult 5-6 footer (it looked longer this time around). Cut to Phil who  acknowledges something Bones says as they walk back to their ball to play the second shot. As they walk, Bones offers a yardage, Mickelson turns to check the line he wants to take.

6:59: They arrive at the ball, Phil looks at his shot, Bones is picking up the bag that is over in the graduated rough and when he arrives, says something that NBC's mikes pick up. The crowd's "go Phil" calls make it impossible to make out what is said. Bones then gives a yardage and Phil pulls the club with almost no discussion. Bones moves away.

7:00: Phil hits his second shot that hits the tree. The crowd rushes forward as do officials and Mickelson.

7:01: Phil has surveyed up ahead and is now walking back to the location of what will be his third shot as crowd order is being restored. As he's walking back to the ball, a kid asks "can you sign this," to which a few people tell him "not now," and Phil does give the kid a quick look. Bones, meanwhile, is looking for a yardage, while photographers and someone with a small digital video camera on a tripod are set up behind Phil.

7:02: Bones says he has 65 to the front, Phil asks are you "thinking this or 9?" I believe Bones says something like "65 to the front means 73 to the hole" and then very clearly, "I'm definitely not thinking 9 at all." Phil says "okay," and within seconds pulls the trigger on shot 3 that buries in the greenside bunker.

It's amazing to see how two professionals who grind out the decision making, take so little time to engage in their normal debate on either shot. The situation was certainly chaotic, but it is fascinating to see how the U.S. Open pressure took even these two elite professionals out of their routine.

Also, I'm having a hard time letting the tent placement go even though I'm thrilled that Ogilvy was the beneficiary of the USGA's greed, as evidenced by this post and follow up commentary from someone who was there.

Check out these Google Earth images of 18 at Winged Foot, taken in early spring before the tree leaves have returned. Envision the lovely Champions tent where Phil's drive hit and then bounced backwards (and to the right). Try to picture that drive not hitting a tent, and I'm pretty confident it ends up in 11 East's fairway with a much better view of 18 West's green.

 230136-363337-thumbnail.jpg
(click image to enlarge)230136-369262-thumbnail.jpg
(click image to enlarge)

 

 

 

 

Now, I'm not bringing this up to pick on the USGA's iffy tent location selection or the fact that they've been allowing corporate hospitality to get so close to play since 2000 at Pebble Beach.

Okay, I am.

But ignore those questions, and simply consider if Mickelson would have had a much easier shot into 18 had his tee shot not hit the Champions tent, and had been allowed to end up somewhere on 11 East?

In the 1929 Open? Absolutely.

In 1984? I don't know if the trees were too thick, or what the USGA had in the way of tents on 11 East. But somehow, I suspect there wasn't a giant corporate tent so close to play.

McCleery's TV Review

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golfobserver copy.jpgPeter McCleery's Golfobserver.com review of NBC's telecast:
What ranked as one of the more boring TV golf marathons suddenly turned riveting in the last hour or so. Before that, Johnny Miller & Co. failed to explain for the most part exactly why Winged Foot was playing as difficult as it did. Was it the narrowed fairways? The slow, bumpy greens? Did it make sense for a course to play almost as difficult 32 years later as it did in the infamous 74 Open? We never got any answers from watching NBC or ESPN during the long four days of coverage.
And...
NBC's big letdown was when Mickelson drove 70 yards left into the hospitality area on 18, NBC couldn't come up with a low-behind camera angle to reveal the exact nature of his predicament. It was a wild scene with Mickelson and his caddie warning spectators to move out of harm's way. We knew he was in trouble, but it wasn't clear what was in front of him or between him and the green. It came as a surprise, then, when Roger Maltbie told us he hit a tree with his second shot--we never saw the results (were was a blimp receive shot?), until Mickelson hit a similar, slashing third shot. With the tournament on the line, one would have hoped for a more revealing shot or multiple angles, but Mickelson was apparently so far off line that NBC couldn't scramble any better than the fast-fading runnerup.

The pictures were generally spectacular. Even the grand old Winged Foot clubhouse seemed to sparkle. None of the commentators stood out, but at times they could have said less and allowed us to eavesdrop on the players and their caddies' conversations.

This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse (Apologies To SI)

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Greg Stewart in the Peoria Journal Star writes about a Meeks like setup debacle in qualifying Tri-County Junior Boys Championship!
"They almost missed the green with some of those," Wayne Hammerton, following his grandsons, said of cups cut a flagstick from the fringe on several holes.

The apparent culprit was a grounds-crew employee, which left tournament director Terry Ridgely and Madison pro Gene Petty passing the buck.

"We might not get any low scores with the way those pins were set," said Ridgely.

"That's the way they used to do it for the Publinx," said Petty.

But this wasn't a qualifier for the U.S. Public Links Championship. It was a tournament that had entrants as young as 12 years old, many of them playing tournament golf for the first time. Later in the week, I spoke with the man who set the controversial cups, an 11-year employee of the golf course who asked that his name not be used.

"For us, it's a big deal to get the golf course set up correctly," he said. "But I played the other day with a kid who drove every green on the back side. My mouth was on the ground.
And here we go, the money quote.
"There's not much we can do to lengthen this golf course and the old guys would kill us if we grew the rough. About the only thing we can do to make the course more challenging is make the greens faster and put the pins in tough spots. I just hope we didn't tick too many people off."

Probably not. But in the interest of growing the game by creating positive experiences, I would think the tournament committee would be more involved with course setup and save the Sunday pins for the finals.

Ogilvy's Impact in Australia

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Thanks to Graeme for this Richard Hinds commentary on Geoff Ogilvy's win, the weird TV switchover and the possible impact on Australian golf.

A brilliant chip-in for a par at the 17th. An exquisite pitch to the last after his drive had rolled into a divot and his approach was short. And, finally, a testing short putt that found nothing but net.

That final pitch, particularly, was the stroke of a player who possesses sound technique, strong self-belief and wonderful imagination. The type of shot you learn growing up in the middle of the famous sand belt, a half-wedge from the back fence of Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

In that environment, and as part of the Norman Generation, Ogilvy was inspired. A lot more Australians might now be inspired to watch him and his very talented contemporaries perform.

Interesting Observations From The 18th Grandstand

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Reader Charlie Bell posted this below on the thread about initial thoughts on Sunday's play but I wanted to highlight it as it helps explain a few things about the fan reaction, and about the comments of Walter Driver in the championship ceremony. Thanks for sharing your observations Charlie

Insider's observations from someone who was in the left-hand bleachers on 18 for the last two hours. The experience was FAR MORE BIZARRE for us than it was for the players.

1) Few if any of the 4-6000 spectators in the 18th hole bleachers - including me - knew THE RESULTS of the tournament until more than 6-7 minutes after Phil's final putt. This is incomprehensible, but it is the truth. Because of the blackout on radios, cells, etc. not a single person in the left-hand side bleachers (2-3000) knew that his shot to the bunker was his 3rd rather than his second. I certainly didn't. When he missed the chip, there was no major groan and when he made his putt there was little consoling applause. We were convinced that he'd merely bogied, there'd be a playoff, and it was a tie-is-like-kissing-your-sister feeling in the crowd.

At no time was any buzz other than that of "Are you coming to the playoff tomorrow?" When we saw the awards tables being placed on the green we concluded that the USGA was going to offer thanks to all, announce the low amateur (Though we didn't think any survived the cut - puzzling), and announce the starting time and logistics of the playoff.

Only after the 4th sound-check (I'm assuming there was time for a dozen commercials) did we see Ogilvy emerge from the clubhouse. We still didn't even imagine that Phil had double-bogied. Around that time, the final leaderboard was updated (or at least someone on our side of the bleachers read it) and we began to speculate on what might have happened.

Another couple of minutes passed and Phil appeared, and everything at last came into focus. Many people had left the 18th green only to learn the outcome, we're sure, as they walked back to the shuttle bus pick up point. Indeed, we ourselves didn't learn the details of the Champions' tent, the tree limb, and the failed cut-slices until half an hour after it was over, as we debriefed others while waiting for the bus.

So for us, not only was the USGA's "course setup" atrocious for the fans, but our experience was actually even more surreal than that of Monty, Geoff, and Phil. We were witnessing history - and had no idea of the present!

2) Walter Driver pointedly said the Furyk and Monty would not be there to receive runner-up recogition because they had left the premises. Perhaps we shouldn'd read too much into it (after all, they figured they'd finish 3rd) but it seemed like a too-hasty departure and definitely diminished the occasion.

3) The greens were horribly bumpy. The fairways looked smoother (and faster!) than the 1st green, which we walked upon on our way out. Even being slow on Sunday the contours made them treacherous. We watched the 9th hole for a long time, and saw putt after putt misread or mis-hit. To make a par required truly superior golf.

U.S Open Reads: Late Monday Edition

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us open icon.jpgSteve Elling with an excellent final day game story.

Dan Daly, who earlier in the week picked on players for whining, calls the Sunday setup and finish a train wreck.

This is what you get when you booby-trap Winged Foot the way the USGA does. Unforgiving fairways, ankle-high rough and postage-stamp greens -- coupled, of course, with U.S. Open pressure -- are a recipe for disaster.

Hunter Thompson considered the Kentucky Derby "decadent and depraved." Me, I'm beginning to wonder if the U.S. Open is un-American. I'm not saying this because the last three winners have been a South African, a New Zealander and now an Australian. I'm saying this because, well, America is about risk. It's about getting on a boat in 1620 with your malnourished family and scant belongings, sailing across the Atlantic to the New World and not being entirely sure you won't fall off the edge of the Earth. It's not about dialing back on your driver, trying to punch your ball into a narrow fairway, then hitting to the middle of the green and lagging your putt -- if you're lucky -- somewhere in the vicinity of the hole.
But this, alas, is what the Open has mutated into, a four-day Carnival of Caution that too often brings out the worst -- and the wuss -- in golfers. Sorry, but America isn't about breaking even, about level par. America is about loosening your top button and going for it. If America was about breaking even, the French franc would still be legal tender in New Orleans.
Andrew Gross believes Winged Foot lives up to the hype after only 12 sub-par rounds were played and quotes several players lauding the setup. 
"I think the course is hard, but it's playable," said Stewart Cink, who was 2-over for the day and 15-over 295 for the tournament. "I think it's the best setup the USGA has ever put up for us, and Winged Foot is the best course."

John Huggan says that Kenneth Ferrie justified the USGA's decision to hold a European Tour qualifier, even if 24 players didn't show up. And he gets in a fun joke about Ferrie's weight loss at the end.

An Advertiser story catches up with David Graham to hear his thoughts on Ogilvy's win.

Finally, Ed Sherman writes that the next U.S. Open coming to the midwest will likely not be in Chicago, but instead at the yet-to-open Erin HIlls. David Fay says "wow" about the course and offers this:

"My crystal ball isn't that good," Fay said when asked about Olympia Fields' chances. "We might have to say, `Olympia Fields, you had a successful U.S. Open, but we only have so many years.' We have a crowded dance floor now. It's a difficult thing to say no to a club that you know can host an Open. You don't want any bruised feelings."

"We were very impressed with the course," Fay said. "It's a great piece of land. It has the potential to be a very special place."