Roundup: Royal Portrush Open Championship Announcement

Brian Keogh was there for the announcement and points out that the earliest The Open will return to Royal Portrush is 2019. It sounds like it'll take longer.

Alistair Tait reports on the press conference as well and the always depressing news that the course will be getting The Treatment.

“Without going into detail, we will be spending several million pounds to bring the course and infrastructure up to where it needs to be to host Open Championship,” Dawson said.

“It’s a long time since 1951. The game has moved on. Like all of the other Open venues, we’ve had to look at the course to ensure that it provides the sort of test that an Open Championship should provide. The course can certainly do that but with some alterations, not just from a playing point of view but the also the whole infrastructure surrounding an Open Championship.”

The full R&A press release is here.

Here is R&A Chief Inspector Peter Dawson talking about the announcement:

Update on 2014-06-17 01:59 by Geoff

**Keogh files a more extensive post on the press conference and some of the interesting things said about the politics of Northern Ireland.

“As the first minister has said, the political situation here has caused some reputational damage,” Mr Dawson explained, “I think everyone knows that, but we are very happy that that is in the past… If we thought there was a security problem here we wouldn’t be making this announcement.”

The announcement was the fruit, not of months, but of years of negotiations between the three interested parties and there are still several I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed before a date can be set.

However, Mr Dawson admitted that two things tipped the balance in favour of returning to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951 — the sell out 2012 Irish Open and the planned course changes.

“One was the success of the Irish Open and the evident strength of the fan base for golf in Ireland and secondly it was the day with Martin Ebert, the architect here, that we finally thought, ‘This is how we can do this’,” he said. “Those were the tipping points for me from a golf perspective and an event perspective.”

TV Roundup: 3.3 Overnight Rating, NBC's Classy Goodbye, Joe And Greg Debut Their First Fist-Bump!

Ed Sherman reports on the U.S. Open final round's 3.3 overnight rating down 46% from last year's 6.1 at Merion when Phil Mickelson battled Justin Rose.

Austin Karp noted on Twitter that the better comparison is to 2011 when Rory McIlroy was a runaway winner. Still a steep drop.

Better comp for US Open: NBC got 5.1 overnight for McIlroy 8-stroke win in 2011. Also on Fathers Day. So this year down 35% compared to that

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) June 16, 2014

Sherman also reviews the telecast and calls NBC's farewell "understated, classy" and says the network deserved better than a runaway winner.

As a result, NBC did an understated, classy farewell to its signature tournament. - See more at: http://www.shermanreport.com/no-tears-no-drama-but-a-lot-of-class-nbc-espn-sign-off-on-final-u-s-open/#sthash.vcaixnYf.dpuf

As a result, NBC did an understated, classy farewell to its signature tournament. - See more at: http://www.shermanreport.com/no-tears-no-drama-but-a-lot-of-class-nbc-espn-sign-off-on-final-u-s-open/#sthash.vcaixnYf.dpuf

John Strege reviews NBC's final U.S. Open telecast where other than an Inside Baseball jab at the end thanking USGAers David Fay, Mark Carlson, Sandy Tatum but not Mike Davis:

The credits rolled, after which Hicks came on one last time. He noted that NBC had broadcast 650 hours in those 20 years, “and every second of it has been a true labor of love. It has been an honor and privilege to document our national championship of golf for all of you. We’ll miss doing that, but as we bid one last U.S. Open goodbye form Pinehurst, we’ll never forget how much fun this 20-year ride has been. Good night from Pinehurst.”

To its credit, NBC tactfully had avoided any mention of its Open denouement during the golf, leaving the stage to Kaymer. Only once did it hint that the end was in sight.

Karen Crouse stopped in the NBC truck and filed a NY Times look at all that goes on in the control room, profiling the men who headed NBC's broadcasts: Tommy Roy and Tom Randolph.

“Producing 10 hours of live golf is the greatest diet in the world,” Roy said.

His workday starts before he arrives in the truck. Roy stops by the driving range to see what players are wearing, the better to identify them on the monitors. He studies their mannerisms to improve his own performance. That is why Roy doesn’t worry about cutting to a shot of Jim Furyk when he first steps up to a putt: He knows Furyk will back off it.

Roy could empathize with the Open’s 36-hole leader, Martin Kaymer, who said it was not easy playing the first two days with Keegan Bradley, whose pre-shot routine is an elaborate body tic. It’s difficult, Roy said, to perfectly time a cut to a golfer whose pre-shot routine is unpredictable.

“Go to Elvis,” Roy shouted, referring to a deck on a replay machine. For Roy, there is no such thing as a brilliant mistake.

Back to Sunday here at Pinehurst...the past...

And the future...love the overbite for added oomph!

Speaking of fresh and innovative, Buck and Norman appeared live doing a third round recap. Unfortunately, a reader says that version is not the one that made it online. A reader caught it and backed up the DVR and transcribed the scrubbed intro from the studio host to Joe Buck.

It's certainly fresh! Not sure about innovative.

The guy threw it to Buck with this:

"Okay okay we get it.  Struggling to find time for the US Open,  well with the World Cup, and no Tiger, and a massive lead by a great player, who I am sorry – doesn’t exactly scream excitement.

But what if I told you the leader Martin Kaymer slipped a little, would that get you excited?"

12 years.

Update on 2014-06-16 20:13 by Geoff

**ESPN's Thursday numbers were only slightly down compared with recent years, which suggest that a blowout had people turning the dial. Or whatever we do these days.

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – 0.9 U.S. rating, average viewership 1,136,473 – compares directly to 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, same time slot, 0.7 U.S. rating, 890,481 average viewership.
 
2013 – U.S. Open at Merion (PA), weather delay, noon-3 p.m. – 1.0 rating
2010 – U.S. Open at Olympic (San Francisco) – noon- 3p.m. – 1.3 rating

5-7 p.m., the first hour on ESPN2, second hour on ESPN – 1.0 rating, 1,320,858 average viewers

2013 – Merion, on air 5 p.m. – 7:41 p.m. – 1.6 rating
2012 – Olympic, on air 5 p.m. – 10:15 p.m. – 1.3 rating

Update on 2014-06-21 17:31 by Geoff

**Friday 2014 U.S. Open numbers...

9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – 0.9 U.S. rating, average audience 1,081,929
 
Down from 2013 U.S. Open at Merion – same time slot – 1.3 rating, 1,672,526 average audience
 
5-7 p.m. – 1.2 rating, 1,621,291 average audience
 
Down from 2013 at Merion, same time slot – 1.7 rating, 2,458,378 average audience

2014 U.S. Open: Your Kneejerk Reactions

I'm going to be hunkering down filing some things for Golf World, but before we get into some deeper questions about the week, I'm curious what the overall impression was of the U.S. Open?

Yes, it was not an interesting finish because of Martin Kaymer's dominance and the inability of players to score on a day that the USGA intended to make scoreable. I still contend you can't beat players up for three days and expect them to put on a birdie barrage, and despite the claims of a compromised setup Sunday, the course held its own. Maybe too much.

On-site the week was a home-run, with only a water truck as a USGA oversight for the dusty paths. Otherwise the course, operations and facilities ran beautifully. Kudos to all who put in long days.

Anyway, overall thoughts on Pinehurst welcomed!

Guide: 2014 U.S. Open Final Round This And That

Seems 76% of you think Martin Kaymer will win, and why not, he's looked unbeatable and has bounced back after hiccups.

I've just taken a quick tour of the course and sweated off today's swell breakfast. The course is "setup for scoring," according to Mike Davis though after so much defensive golf for three days, it'll be interesting to see if players bite at the two tempting driveable par-4s. That's right, two!

The third and 13th are the ones, with the 13th possibly only requiring a 3-wood. So think the par-3 6th at Merion, only easier.

Weather is perfect, forecast is sublime and there are some nice stories on the leaderboard should Martin Kaymer struggle. But it's hard to see that happening.

Your final round starting times are here. Leader Martin Kaymer goes at, gulp, 3:35.

TV and Radio times here and don't forget the feature group and other digital options online.

Leaderboard.

Hole locations.

Erik Compton: "Somebody Who Could Win This Thing."

Dave Kindred on two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, teeing off in the second to last group Sunday at Pinehurst and trailing Martin Kaymer by five.

From Kindred's column:

Erik Compton had made five birdies in seven holes and, suddenly, surprisingly, he had introduced himself as More Than Just a Good Story.

"I'd been flying under the radar," he said, "and I was laughing at my caddie because I heard some guys cheering my name."

On the game's biggest stage, Compton had become Somebody Who Could Win This Thing.

For some background reading and viewing on Compton, here was Jim Moriarty's superb Compton profile from 2008 and Gene Wojciechowski's 2010 profile.

And a YouTube tease from the Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel feature on Compton from two years ago.

Update on 2014-06-15 14:33 by Geoff

**Good stuff from Compton post round in Brian Wacker's piece, including more details from the stories repeated last night on the telecast and Live From telecast. There was also this about his home course:

Melreese Country Club, the course Compton practices at home in Miami, will rip out its fairways and greens next month. To prepare them for the renovation they were sprayed with Round Up four weeks ago to kill the Bermudagrass. Doing so just happened to create the same firm, fast conditions Compton has faced this week at Pinehurst No. 2 -- particularly on Saturday when just two players broke par, Compton being one of them.

“He joked to me, ‘Hey, these greens are slower than Melreese,’” Compton’s coach Charlie DeLuca said. “It worked out perfect.”

During the Memorial Tournament Compton also met the fiancée of the man whose heart he now carries. “She came up to him; it was a surprise,” Compton’s mother Eli said. “It got quite emotional.”

Update on 2014-06-15 14:35 by Geoff

**Another great one from Steve Elling.

Course Setup: “The USGA listened, unfortunately.”

That was Martin Kaymer's assessment of the course setup Saturday at Pinehurst where players felt the hole locations were pretty consistently as difficult as they could possibly be.

Ryan Lavner reports for GolfChannel.com.

But on Saturday, “I think they used the hardest pins they could possibly use on almost every hole,” Jordan Spieth (72) said. 

Said Matt Kuchar (71): “In practice rounds you guess where you think the pins will be and you kind of say, ‘Well, that’s too severe; they won’t put them there.’ And sure enough, that’s where the pin is. It seems to be year after year, and you should know better by now.”

Jim Achenbach has more extensive comments from Kuchar, who many times said he felt the course was teetering on the edge of going over the top.

Kuchar on Sunday's final round: "It (the course) teeters on unplayable … They've got it at the edge, and I'm sure they'll push the edge. I'm hoping a few pin placements are a little kinder tomorrow after they saw what went on today, but I'm not sure I'll get my wish."

Roger's Cart Driver Arrested For Brushing Highway Patrolman!?

Jeff Rude with the wacky story of Roger Maltbie's cart driver possibly giving a North Carolina Highway Patrolman's foot a love tap and getting arrested for it.

The driver has been Maltbie's on-course driver at Pinehurst U.S. Opens before.

“This is a new one,” Maltbie said walking down the 11th fairway. “I’ve been to a couple of rodeos and a county fair and I’ve never had this happen.”

Police said the driver was in the Moore County Jail on Saturday night in nearby Carthage.

Maltbie said he has been friends with the man since his rookie year on Tour. The North Carolinian also drove for Maltbie at the 1999 and ’05 U.S. Opens at Pinehurst.

One witness said the cart brushed the officer. It’s clear the mistake the driver made in not stopping when ordered. But it’s uncertain whether he knew a law officer was screaming for him to stop the cart.

Update on 2014-06-15 17:04 by Geoff

**Sam Weinman follows up with a post and photos by Charles Laberge.

Guide: 2014 U.S. Open Third Round This And That

I tore my self away from the excellent media dining--a few drips of heavy cream explains the sheer brilliance of the scrambled eggs and I believe I'm the first to report based on conversations with the chef--to walk Pinehurst this morning.

The setup team of Mike Davis, Jeff Hall, John Bodenheimer and championship committee chair Dan Burton were kind enough to share a few thoughts on what figures to be a lively day. The wind has shifted to a north wind, opposite of the southeast zephyr of the first two days. The par-4 7th tee is up 48 yards with a front right hole location supported by a backstop. That means drives on the left side or those driving almost past the green can wedge back to a pretty easy location. It's a 315-yard shot to the flag from the tee. The hole yardage is 371.

The par-5 tenth tee is also up significantly and again, downwind, so look for the course to give them fits early in the round and the birdie opportunities to arise starting around the 7th. The greens have plenty of moisture to make it through the forecasted winds and overall the course looks absolutely stunning. While it may look browned out on TV, I'm confident the women will get to play a comparable course next week (with a few more divots and ballmarks than normal).

Your third round starting times are here. Leader Martin Kaymer goes at, gulp, 3:25.

Do note the extremes pairing at 3:14 as pointed out by reader Lloyd: speedster Brandt Snedeker and slowster Kevin Na.

TV and Radio times here and don't forget the feature group and other digital options online.

Leaderboard.

Hole locations. Note the 7th.

Update on 2014-06-14 16:25 by Geoff

**Course Setup Notes For Saturday's third round:

Weather Conditions Affecting Course Setup: We luckily avoided showers last evening, so with less humidity today and a light breeze out of the northeast (opposite of prevailing southwest wind), the course should see firmness similar to Round One. If northeast breeze continues, the long par 4s (2, 4, 12 and 16) will play into the wind, while the 7th hole (drivable) and two par 5s (5th and 10th) will be downwind.    

Green Speeds – Today’s green speeds are averaging 12½ feet on the USGA Stimpmeter.

Total Course Yardage for Saturday (tee marker settings to flagstick) = 3,665 yards out; 3,757 yards in = 7,422 total yards

Hole-by-Hole Information:

Hole 1 – 411 yards; the hole location is in the back-left portion of the green; putts from the middle of the green will be fast; shots missed over the green will be a relatively easy up and in.

Hole 2 – 515 yards; the hole location is in the back portion of the green.

Hole 3 – 394 yards; tee markers have been placed on the back teeing ground; the hole location is on the top-right back portion of the green.  

Hole 4 – 542 yards; tee markers have been placed on the back teeing ground; the hole is located in the back-center portion of the green; the hole should play into the northeast wind.  

Hole 5 – 530 yards; tee markers are placed on the front of the three back teeing grounds; the hole is placed in the dangerous front-left portion of the green, bringing the severe left fall-off into play.  

Hole 6 – 224 yards; tee markers have been placed on the middle teeing ground; the hole location is in the back-left portion of the green.  

Hole 7 – 371 yards (315 yards tee markers to flagstick); tee markers have been moved up 48 paces; the challenging front-left hole location is just above the bunker on a plateau; players will have a few options off the teeing ground: (1) lay up in the normal drive zone, but be faced with a tough second shot into the tucked hole location, (2) cut the right corner and play short and left of the green to give a better angle into the hole location, or (3) attempt to drive the green.

Hole 8 – 480 yards; the hole location is on the front-left portion of the green, bringing the severe fall-off on the left of the green into play.

Hole 9 – 198 yards; tee markers are placed on the back teeing ground; the hole location is in the back center of the upper left half of the green.  

Hole 10 – 589 yards; tee markers have been moved forward 30 paces; playing downwind, the hole should be reachable in two shots for some players; the hole location is up on a plateau just over the front-left bunker.

Hole 11 – 486 yards; the hole location is placed up against the right undulation; putts from the back portion of the green will be affected by this mound.

Hole 12 – 489 yards; tee markers are on the back teeing ground; the hole will play into the wind; the hole location is in the back-left portion of the green; most putts will have a right-to-left break.

Hole 13 – 362 yards; the hole is placed in the narrow front-right portion of the green; putts from the center of the green will be very tricky and will be affected by a pronounced undulation that ties into the back-right bunker.  

Hole 14 – 479 yards; the hole is positioned in the far back-center of the green bringing the fall-off behind and to the left and right into play.

Hole 15 – 199 yards; tee markers have been placed on the back teeing ground; the hole is placed on the flat plateau several paces over the false front.

Hole 16 – 531 yards; the hole should play into the breeze; the hole is located in the far back center of the green.

Hole 17 – 186 yards; the tee markers are placed on the middle-left teeing ground; the hole location is halfway back on the far right side of the green.

Hole 18 – 436 yards; the hole is placed about a third of the way into the green on the left side, where the green subtly falls away toward the center trough.