(Booth) Bifurcation At The U.S. Open!

The Forecaddie says Fox is taking a different approach to the U.S. Open this year at Shinnecock Hills, with two lead teams(ish) featuring Joe Buck and Paul Azinger, along with another team of Shane Bacon and Brad Faxon.

Loomis explained what viewers can expect to see at Shinnecock Hills in June: “On Thursday and Friday at the U.S. Open there will be hours when it’s just Shane and Brad, and hours where it’s just Joe and Paul. On the weekend, there will be times where Joe and Paul will get two holes, Nos. 1 and 2, and Brad and Shane will get two holes, Nos. 3 and 4. It adds up to 10 holes for Joe and Paul, eight for Brad and Shane. Because people don’t see us all year, it allowed us to be a little simpler in figuring out who’s talking for the viewer.”

Congrats to Shane on the big vote of confidence! It must be the Shotmakers bounce!

Not Even A Due Date Yet: Jason Day Already Expecting To Miss U.S. Open For Birth Of Third Child

Breaking new ground in telegraphing a non-entry to one of golf's major, Jason Day has decided he's likely to miss the U.S. Open next June to witness the birth of his third child. A due date has not been set.

From an unbylined AAP story:

"Although I've had some good results at the US Open, Ellie and I are really excited about our third child and I want to be there to support her," Day told AAP.

"I'm not missing the birth."

Day boasts a superb record at the US Open - finishing runner-up twice in addition to three top-10 finishes and will explore every opportunity to be there.

"Once we know the due date, I would have to see what my options are," he said.

Is this option on the table: not bringing it up again in 2017?

Update on 2017-11-07 03:55 by Geoff

**We discussed on Morning Drive.

Shinnecock Update: Restored But Also Narrowed

Golfweek's Bradley Klein visited Shinneock Hills as the legendary layout prepares to host the 2018 U.S. Open.

He is the first expert on site to comment on the recent narrowing revealed by Jaime Diaz at Golf World and writes:

A recent push to narrow the fairways marginally has seen the grounds staff convert seven of the layout’s 50 acres of shortgrass to rough. The idea is to create more strategic twist and turn to the fairways consistent with Flynn’s plan and to bring more fairway bunkers closer to the line of play. Fairway widths are still on the relatively generous side for U.S. Open, 28-34 yards in the championship landing areas. But their delineation pays close attention to the lay of the land and the role of airway bunkers.

Erin Hills Fallout: Shinnecock Hills To Be Narrowed After Restoration Widening

In light of the recent brouhaha over player comments at TPC Boston's forced layup that caused driver-hugging players to go down another fairway, Jaime Diaz concludes for Golf World that recent distance gains are going to keep leading to more setup and design dramas. He says the big picture of recent course setup issues suggests "a day of reckoning is coming."

Much of that conclusion is based on this disheartening news out of Southampton.

Next year the U.S. Open is going to a Golden Age classic, Shinnecock Hills, artful in the extreme, but also shortish. It’s the kind of venue that is most at risk of being overrun by the modern game.

In the last few years, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw restored the course. The fairways were widened (up to 60 yards), the greens expanded, and trees were removed. Visually, the result was spectacular, and the club’s members have loved the changes.

The USGA, too, initially sang the restoration’s praises, but recently officials have reconsidered their original setup plans at Shinnecock. The fairway width—done to create more strategic angles and options—was deemed too wide (perhaps in the wake of Erin Hills). Native fescue rough is now being planted on the edges of the fairway to narrow them back down. The course won’t be as narrow as it was when it held the championship in 1986, 1995 and 2004, but it will be narrower than what was originally planned on for 2018.

Why? Diaz concludes...

So that the art of Shinnecock can be brought out rather than overrun, the decision was made that long and crooked has to be punished.

In an odd way I wonder if such a high profile change to such a high profile course this late in the game is being implemented with the full knowledge that this reinforces the need for a variable distance ball?