Video: Measuring Muirfield Village's Greens

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There was a lot of post-third round conjecture about Muirfield Village's green speeds and firmness this year, with the Stimpmeter speed of "15" bandied about. I'm not sure if they've reached that any time this week, but with the breezes and meticulous grooming that is possible.

What is interesting, however, is the level at which the green speeds and firmness are now documented. Earlier in the week we were out shooting course videos and ran into Paul Vermeulen of the PGA Tour, who kindly showed us a new device concocted by fellow agronomist Tom Brown to measure firmness.

Merion: "It is a golf-themed Mardi Gras wrapped within one of the year’s biggest sporting events — all encircled by nine miles of chain-link fencing."

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It's still more than a week away, we have trophies to hand out at the Memorial and NCAA along with U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying on Monday, but Bill Pennington files a nice Sunday NY Times table-setter for the U.S. Open's return to Merion.

He touches mostly on the difficulty that is placing an open at such a small venue and the role Haverford College played (including an emergency tarp hanging to help the baseball field)

“The college is not a golfing community, so some people were taken aback at the size of what was coming,” said Dick Wynn, Haverford’s vice president for finance, who was involved in the negotiations with the U.S.G.A. “But we wanted to be good neighbors, and as everyone learned that Merion is like a golf museum to golfers, we wanted to help the event come here.”

The college received more than 100 free tickets to the Open, which have been useful for institutional fund-raising. Other tickets have been raffled off to the college community.

There is also a nice video accompanying the story:

Cal's Dream Season Ends A Day Short Of Title

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Ryan Herrington reports on the heartbreaking 3-2 loss for Cal to Illinois, costing them a chance at a title they seemed destined to win. Individual winner Max Homa lost a 20-hole match to Thomas Pieters that ultimately decided the outcome. Tracy Wilcox's photo gallery tells the story too.

Interesting that so many are upset by the NCAA's match play format, but I'm not sure how it's "fluky" or "unfair" for a team to win a match in this format. You have five opportunities and if you don't win at least three, well, you probably were just beat by the other team. I'm not seeing the luck element in play here!

Illinois faces Alabama in the final and Ron Balicki previews the match.

Dodt On His Two Aces In One Euro Tour Round: "It's all luck."

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I've been searching for video of Andrew Dodt's two European Tour holes-in-one at the Nordea Masters, but no luck.

Here's a Golfweek item on the 1-in-67 million occurrence and thanks to reader Gene, Dodt's post round remarks.

Q: Can you tell us about the two holes in one…the feeling,the clubs and what you did off there?

A: We teed off on 10 and the 11th hole was the second hole of the day. I think it was 190 yards, not much wind and it was a perfect six iron for me. I saw a little draw in there and as soon as it came out I knew it was going to be close. We didn't quite see where it went, it could have been a little short or hit the flag and went somewhere else. It took a couple of seconds before we realized it went in. That was a pretty cool feeling, at that point. I made some birdies during the round and a couple of bogies but I was going the wrong way in terms to making the cut. We got to the 7th hole, which was our 16th and once again, perfect yardage, a little bit down breeze, a perfect little draw and straight at it and it fell in as well. To do it in one round, that's incredible.

Q: But you have done holes in one before?

A: Yeah, I've had two in tournaments and five in practice.

Q: Yesterday, you shot 77 I think, what was the feeling this morning? Was it a good feeling that you had or….

A: I felt pretty relaxed today. I knew I had to shoot a low score to make the weekend. After I got that pretty hot start and made a few birdies in between it was just good luck. I knew I had to make that putt on the last to make the round count to make it to the weekend.

Q: How much skill and how much luck is there to hit a hole in one.
(Laugh from Andrew)

A: Yeah, surely it's more luck than skill. Yes, you have to hit it in the right direction and use the right club but it's all luck.

Q: Did you realize that the putt on the last hole was to make the cut?

A: Yeah, I knew I'd be close and I said to my caddie, "Yes, I think we have to hole this putt." I read it perfectly and it went right in the middle.

Q: Did you think that if I got another hole in one I could make the cut?

A: I don't want to say no, because I actually did think would it be possible to do it again. And it didn't happen in the middle of the round and we got to the 7th (hole), it was pretty short, warm, downwind, 8 iron…and I still can't get my head around it.

Q: You obviously have figured out the secret, so could you tell us what it is?

A: I couldn't make a putt all day, so I started going at the flag and see if I could get them in that way. Yeah, so, incredible…

Jack On Muirfield Village's Heavily Bunkered 18th: "It looks like something I had to do to protect the hole."

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Okay, now that Jack Nicklaus has said what we all know to be the case, the 18th at Muirfield Village doesn't look as good as it used to look. But it's not Mr. Nicklaus' fault that players were taking a short cut thanks to modern equipment, so he liberally sprinkled bunkers to maintain relevancy for the finishing hole at the Memorial. A lot of bunkers.

And now he acknowledges in this Rusty Miller note, too many.

"Every time I look on television, I look down and see all those bunkers along 18 and I don't think it's a pretty look," Nicklaus said, referring to right side of the landing area beyond a walnut tree. "It looks like something I had to do to protect the hole. All the other holes on the golf course are basically played the way they were designed. Eighteen is the only hole where they are able to circumvent the design. They take it over the corner and get it out there.

"To me, the finishing hole needs to be stronger."

Monday after the Memorial, Nicklaus will meet with superintendent Paul Latshaw to evaluate the tourament and the club will proceed accordingly. Nicklaus told the press Wednesday that a new tee could extend the hole by 30 yards to return the driver to relevancy on the finishing hole.

Though Latshaw did tell me the timing could be anywhere from ASAP to a few years from now depending on what Mr. Nicklaus says. With the Presidents Cup looming this fall, I won't be surprised if the new 18th tee is built sooner than later. The added bunkers?  That may take a bit longer to deal with.

Video: The Mood For Merion, 10th Hole Flyover

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Considering just how difficult the par-3 9th could play, there is always the slim possibility that the 303-yard par-4 10th plays statistically easier.

As the flyover narrator notes, the hole is driveable by the entire field but will require a strong right-to-left shaped shot and a stomach for risk to do so. It may be just as fun to see who lays up or comes up with the best strategy to play to this 40-yard deep green.

Butch Says "By By" To Twitter After Watney Tweet

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Instructor Butch Harmon has retired from Twitter following an unfortunate missive sent out about his pupil Nick Watney who posted Memorial rounds of 82-77.

Alex Miceli with the details of Harmon's offending comment--"Must be having some personal problems"--and a response from Watney.

“Interesting,” Watney said coming out of the exercise facility at Muirfield Village. “No comment.”

After the Tweets were vanished, Harmon announced his retirement from the social media platform.

Dogs Eating Out Of $50 Mikasa Pasta Bowls And Other Golf Tournament Home Rental First World Problems

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Dan Geringer talks to a Main Line real estate broker named Sara Moyher about the travails of renting homes near Merion for U.S. Open week.

She also reveals the inflated rents that neighbors of Merion expect for their palatial estates, and her own experience from the Aronimink/AT&T National years. Thanks to reader Len for sending this in.

"I went out and bought new sheets and towels," Moyher told the Daily News. "I needed them anyway. Our renters had a dog, and the dog ate out of my $50 Mikasa pasta bowl. That's the worst thing that happened. We went to Sea Isle for the week, and it was great. We were happy as heck, man."

So Moyher, who spent thousands to develop her own website and has rented 15 of her 47 listings at $3,000 to $8,000 for the Open, was surprised at some homeowners' overblown expectations.

"Some people told me, 'The only way we'll rent our house is if we get 10 grand,' " Moyher said. "I told them, 'You won't take 8 grand? It's free money.' People have given up 8 grand like it's 20 bucks. Turn their noses up at 8 grand? I'm sorry, it just cracks me up."