USGA News Conference Offers Insights Into The PSA's We'll Be Tired Of By Friday, Effort To Prevent Lost Balls, Distance Update

The USGA’s annual U.S. Open news conference this year was a roundtable went 47 minutes and highlighted initiatives, corporate sponsors, the high rough and the distance issue.

We learned about the “cadre of social media influencers” helping to bring the tournament to everyone who can’t be there. So there was some humor.

I enjoyed this from John Bodenhamer on why the opening pairing was selected:

We can't wait for two local players, a little special start tomorrow. Brandon Wu from Scarsdale and Danny Balin from White Plains will hit the first shots off the 1st and 10th tees tomorrow morning when we start, and we're pleased by that.

Warning, there is now a brand anthem that you’ll be tired of by Sunday. From Craig Annis, Chief Brand Officer:

Rounds have been up. Golf courses are busy. And it's required us to think about the role that we play in helping to make the game more accessible and welcoming for everyone.

And so what you saw at the beginning was our new brand anthem, for all golf is and all that it can be. It really talks a lot about the special connection that golfers have to the game and what the game means to them. That's a message that we're going to continue to deliver throughout this week and beyond.

They sure love to spend money on PSA’s and early-retire good people. Charming. Wait, what, there is more?

There are two others that I want to share as well. The first is a spot that we're calling "openness," which not only talks about the openness of our championship and the history with that, but also the commitment that we're making as a leading governing body and golf organization to make the game more open, more accessible, and why that's really important.

We’re going to get a public course golfer to fill that empty seat the Executive Committee? Ah I got excited there for a sec.

And then the third is an ad that features Michelle Wie, our champion, as the narrator, and it's an advertisement that's in partnership with SheIS Sport, focused on their "women worth watching" campaign. And it just shines a light on the importance of people celebrating, tuning in, watching and supporting women in sports broadly but also specifically women in golf.

The partners at Barstool can help promote that one!

And now the winning score question…

BETH MAJOR: Another WebEx question for John. You mentioned letting Winged Foot be Winged Foot. Can we expect anything different from 2006, and do you expect an over-par winning score?

JOHN BODENHAMER: You know, I think there will be a few things different because it's September, but that question leads me back to something I read, I spent a lot of time with the club historian here, a wonderful gentleman by the name of Neil Regan, and he shared a quote with me a week or so ago that when asked a similar question back in 1929, before the U.S. Open then, and a member of the media said: Are you going to make Winged Foot tough? Are you going to put all the tees on the very backs of the tees and tuck all the hole locations in the nooks and crannies of the putting greens? And Tillinghast just turned and said: We're not going to outfit Miss Winged Foot in any different way than she otherwise would be. No fancy clothes, no special jewelry, just a simple calico dress, and no furbelows -- that's right, furbelows, I love that word -- and just wash her face up for the party, and she'll be good enough.

And that really is what has inspired us to think of Winged Foot being Winged Foot.

Not sure that pairs up with the “women worth watching” campaign…

As for the rough this week, Bodenhamer answered a logical question about efforts to mitigate lost balls with so much rough and no fans. I’m glad this has been given thought given the conditions and even fears a lost ball could decide the Open:

JOHN BODENHAMER: That's an interesting question. That's something we thought, put a lot of thought into, and we have -- we have got a good game plan. It's not entirely different from what we normally would do for a U.S. Open with volunteers, and we call them stationary marshals or ball spotters, that will be strategically positioned at certain parts of the course.

We have done research in the practice rounds leading up as to where balls are going. We have actually charted that. We know where the more difficult areas of some of the rough grass is. So we're positioning people that way.

We have got about a dozen or more bodies on every single long hole. We have got somebody signalling from the tee into the fairway, and we have got people up on the hole. We have even gone to the extent of bringing in some of the wonderful Winged Foot Golf Club caddies who are doing this on a daily basis when they're here, and they know this golf course better than anybody.

We feel great about the opportunity we have given to find golf balls this year, and we're going to do a great job of it.

That’s good news as any golfer knows there is no worse feeling and it certainly does not make for good TV.

As for Winged Foot’s future in a U.S. Open-rota world, Bodenhamer offered this endorsement:

This is not what they signed up for. And it's just been a real testament to perseverance on Winged Foot's part, and we could not be more grateful. And I assure you that will be recognized within the USGA.

Regarding the idea of “anchor” sites—American for rota—CEO Mike Davis offered this:

As I said, the USGA did research, we talked to a lot of players, we talked to past champions, and there was a consistent theme that they want to go to our greatest U.S. Open sites and they want to go there more often.

So really John and team started first with Pinehurst working on that. So I think let's let the future play out, but there are some treasured sites, as John has said. We have got Nick Price, who was a world No. 1 on our Board of Directors and sits on our Championship Committee, and he has said, you know, it does matter where you win your U.S. Open. And I think we, John and team, all of us took that to heart. And so that's what we're looking at right now. So as they say, stay tuned.

And the proceedings wrapped with a distance question. In case you didn’t know it, there’s more study and dialogue to come. Also known as, we’ll get to it.

And at the very heart of this, the USGA and the R&A do believe that, long-term, we think something needs to be done about distance, because we believe it's going to continue to increase. All the data would suggest that. We don't think that's in the best interests of the game, but we also acknowledge that there are a lot of different sectors within the industry. There's the golf courses that are really the things that have been impacted the most, that have taken the brunt, that have had to spend billions of dollars to continue to change because of what's happened with distance.

But then there's the other things, there's the elite players, there's the recreational players, there's the, you know, individual golfer. We want to make sure the game is enjoyable. We want to make sure it's sustainable. We didn't get here overnight. It took over a hundred years. And our belief is, if we collectively as an industry look at this and say, what is in the best interests of the game long-term, we're going to get there.

So essentially what we did when COVID came out is we have just delayed this project, but we believe -- or in the first quarter of next year we'll put out what's called an Area of Interest Study, which really are the topics we want to engage with the industry. We want to engage with elite players, with equipment manufacturers, with golfers, with golf courses. We want to do it on a global basis and then continue to look at this. Because, again, at the heart of this is what's in the best interests of the game long-term.

Uh, Ok Files: Old Course Hotel Claims American Golfers Less Likely To Hit One Sideways Than Scots

Thanks to reader Brian for this Caroline Wilson story where the Herald writer tells us American golfers are less likely to hit balls into the Old Course hotel than Scots.

This “news” comes as the hotel has filed for netting to protect the Jigger Inn’s outdoor revelers from incoming golf balls after all these years.

The five-star hotel, which is owned by Herb Kohler, a bathroom hardware magnate from the US, has historically had a problem with wayward balls hitting its walls and it seems Scottish golfers may be mostly to blame.

According to hotel bosses it is the American golfers who are able to add enough curl in their stroke to prevent it hitting the walls of the hotel, which borders the famous 17th ‘Road hole’. Scots golfers, are said to be more likely to hit the building.

A hotel source said: “They have to hit it over the green sheds which is part of the hotel. It is famous and notoriously difficult.”

And we know those Scots all just hit it a few feet off the ground!

The story does seem to be talking about a pair of different tasks here: hitting over the faux railway sheds from the Road hole tee, versus slicing one into the actual hotel.

This all came up because The Jigger Inn is far down the hole and more in play for a shanked second. Nonetheless, to protect outdoor diners while the indoor portion is off limits, they’ve asked Fife planners for permission to safeguard folks from the wayward Scottish golfers…

Plans for a 14 metre long and 4.7 metre high safety net have been submitted to Fife Council, with applicants the Old Course Limited formally requesting a temporary relaxation of planning permission to put the barrier up until at least November.

Normally specific planning consent would be required to put up a fence or wall exceeding two metres in height.

How Playoffs Have Made U.S. Open Memories And 2020's Odd Setup (Should It Happen!)

Martin Davis considers the role playoffs have played in creating epic U.S. Open memories. While I don’t agree with some of the sentiments expressed in the story questioning the end of Monday 18-hole playoffs—one unnamed voice calls it the equivalent of a pop quiz—the new format remains befuddling after so many years of lectures about the importance of 18 holes to decide a tie.

The USGA settled on two-hole aggregate playoffs when The Open and PGA Championship use three holes (The Masters remains sudden-death). The two-hole setup is especially curious this year given the natural three-hole loop and this:

If a playoff is required at Winged Foot, it will be decided by a two-hole aggregate playoff on Holes 10 (a par 3 of 214 yards with the deepest bunkers on the course) and 18 (a dogleg left par 4 of 469 yards to an elevated, well-bunkered green) immediately after play. If the playoff results in a tie, play will continue on a hole-by-hole basis on Holes 10, 11 (a short par 4 of 384 yards) and 18, repeated, if necessary, until a champion is determined.

So in the aggregate playoff setup, the 11th hole providing a natural bridge to the 18th tee will be skipped, but in sudden death it would be used. Presumably the two-hole idea is for television, but it sure chips away at the championship’s cache, particularly when it’s so obviously setup for a perfect three-hole playoff.

Above is the overhead of the holes in play, with the 10th at the bottom. That’s 10, then a cart drive to 18 tee, but in sudden death the sequence would be 10-11-18. Ok.

NY Times: "No Fans at the U.S. Open Changes Golf’s Revenue Picture"

Paul Sullivan of the New York Times considers what the loss of normal U.S. Open revenue means for the various initiatives receiving USGA support. The story, as with others on the topic, mentioned a general number of $165 million in tournament revenue with $70 million in profit.

The two entities mentioned that got my eye:

Girls Golf, which works with girls to teach them golf and life skills, was hit with a double whammy in March. It receives $1 million from the U.S.G.A. and the L.P.G.A., the governing body for women’s golf, which halted its season in March.

“We didn’t really know what was going to happen,” said Nancy Henderson, chief teaching officer and president of the L.P.G.A. Foundation. “Our initial focus was our Girls Golf sites weren’t able to do programming in person, so we moved a lot of it online.”

While grants from both organizations came through, Ms. Henderson remains worried about next year. “That’s the big question,” she said. “You don’t know if you’ll be back to a new normal.”

Regarding the new normal and the sites hosting, there is a startling change in fees for 2020 host Winged Foot. According to Bryan Marsal, the chairman of the 2020 U.S. Open, the club will see only about 10% of what was expected.

“Our compensation was based on the number of fans that came to watch the tournament, plus the amount of merchandise that was sold in the merchandise tent, plus the corporate tents that were sold and the rental of the property,” he said. “We’ve had a 90 percent reduction in the revenue going to the club.”

2020 U.S. Open Flyover: Eighteenth At Winged Foot, The Putt That Changed Golf History And The Restoration

If you’ve watched early week coverage from Winged Foot, you know the 18th green just has something special going on. I don’t recall that sense the last time the West hosted in 2006. So we’ll chalk up that eye-catching quality to the restoration work reclaiming both shape, size and artistic flair to this historic location.

John Fischer takes us back to the putt that changed golf history and forced a 1929 U.S. Open playoff. Carve out a few minutes to go back to his moment, which now is easier to visuale in 2020 thanks to the green reclaiming its identical look.

The 12-foot putt that Jones faced on the 72nd hole was downhill on a fast green, with a left-to-right break. Jones took a few extra seconds to look over the putt. The gallery had swelled to 7,000, some standing back as far as the knoll in the 18th fairway to get a good view of the green.

Jones decided on his line and aimed 1½ feet above the cup. He stroked the ball amid dead silence from the huge crowd. The ball slowly rolled down the slope and seemed to hesitate at the edge of the cup. The gallery let out a collective gasp. Then, after seeming to hang on the lip, the ball fell into the cup. Thunderous cheering and applause followed. Jones had done it. He had tied Espinosa.

If you want to keep going back, why not get a little Grantland Rice in your life. His dispatch well after that day and one of the last things he authored.

The USGA also posted this nice recap of 1929 with club historian Neil Regan prominently featured.

The last flyover provided by the USGA and Deloitte to whet our 2020 U.S. Open appetite shows the 469 yarder seemingly discouraging driver off the tee due to the sharp bend left. Then again who knows in this wacky world of totally natural physique overhauls.

A good tee shot sets up a short-iron second to the masterful green, with its false front, roles, swales and difficulty. The 18th presents elements we’re not used to seeing: fairway bunker on the outside of the dogleg, and a seemingly left-to-right second where the greenside bunkering is on the outside left. A grass wall guards the right where you’d normally expect sand.

Hit pause on the flyover to soak up the green and imagined where the holes might be cut. There are some new beauties since the last time the tournament visited Winged Foot.

We Need A Deeper Range: U.S. Open Fencing Getting Mid-Week Expansion!?

Despite years of planning and the USGA’s extensive data on distance, it appears Bryson DeChambeau’s U.S. Open driving range work will force a Tuesday evening change to Winged Foot’s temporary fencing.

I'm told the USGA plans to move the netting back on the temporary range set up on the East Course. Bryson was bombing balls over it in the direction of parked cars. Send him out there with the scissors and add it to the list pic.twitter.com/1ritnMO25H

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) September 15, 2020

I’ve independently confirmed from two sources the veracity of Brendan Porath’s Tuesday Tweet based on an email to members.

The temporary range was not deep enough for today’s triathletes who’ve been armed with launch monitors, plant-based diets and conforming non-conforming equipment. And now the fence must move.

If you know anything about the USGA, you’re aware of the planning, refinement and expense that goes into a U.S. Open site preparation. Rarely does something like this happen. They’ve done this before.

But if there is any greater lunacy indicator on the rapidly expanding carry distances in elite golf, this might be it.

If there is better evidence of being totally outsmarted by players, equipment makers and technology, this might be the capper.

My sources say cars on the other side of the fence were in danger, a situation many golf courses have had to address at great cost and all to not tweak the rules or bifurcate them.

In the message to members, the club’s U.S. Open Chairman reported DeChambeau was the primary inspiration for moving the fence and range tee markers back. Cars, he said, were in danger. And not just the ones randomly parked on course as advertisements, but real courtesy cars.

Maybe this will do it?

Ratings: ANA Inspiration Edges Safeway But Not Even The Villages Was Watching

We have a lot going on in American sports. It’s an unprecedented situation and sports ratings have been all over the map. But golf has retained its audience and even shown increases while most sports are seeing declines.

Then there was last week.

The final round of the LPGA’s second major and the 2020 Safeway Classic aired up against NBA and NHL playoffs, the first NFL Sunday, U.S. Open tennis finals, and major league baseball. Then there is cordcutting. And a pandemic. Still, not even at The Villages, where Golf Channel reigns with the non-coveted demo Americans, were many watching last weekend.

Golf Channel’s airing of the ANA and season-opening Safeway were lightly watched in the way Korn Ferry and Tin Cup reairings of reairings are watched.

The numbers from Showbuzzdaily.com are embedded above, with the previous week’s Tour Championship-Monday finish omitted (but covered here).

To note: the ANA’s final round .29 led the week, with the Safeway finale decided to take on NBC’s Sunday Night Football and, lost. in a ratings equivalent 99-0 score. In the first quarter.

Light On Deep, Hidden Meaning: USGA Announces Tee Times For 2020 U.S. Open

Lee Wybranski’s logo edition print.

The groupings are out and even with the field reduced to 144, it’s hard not to notice the size of those tee time windows. Times start about 12 minutes after sunrise and barring a shockingly fast pace of play, the last groups out will be playing well past sunset. Friday’s cloudy forecast suggests a Saturday morning finish is possible.

But hey, they’re playing a U.S. “Open” at Winged Foot, so what’s not to love?

Here is the field “by the numbers” for those wondering how many former U.S. Open Champions and how man Pub Links runner-ups made it.

Some themes are discernable but nothing like years past.

Of course, without fans I’m not sure why I’m even highlighting groups worth singling out to watch!

USGA Announces Tee Times For 120th U.S. Open Championship
 Sept. 17-20, 2020, Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y.
 
All Times EDT
Thursday (Sept. 17), Hole #1 / Friday (Sept. 18), Hole #10

6:50 a.m. / 12:10 p.m. – Brandon Wu, Scarsdale, N.Y.; Curtis Luck, Australia; Ryan Fox, New Zealand

Rise and shine!

7:34 a.m. / 12:54 p.m. – Brendon Todd, Watkinsville, Ga.; Harris English, Moultrie, Ga.; (a) Davis Thompson, St. Simons Island, Ga.

Because they don’t see enough of each other, volume 1.

7:45 a.m. / 1:05 p.m. – Paul Waring, England; Victor Perez, France; Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa

Because they don’t see enough of each other, volume 2.

7:56 a.m. / 1:16 p.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Patrick Reed, Houston, Texas; Jordan Spieth, Dallas,Texas

A long year gets longer.

8:07 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, Calif.; Justin Thomas, Louisville, Ky.; Tiger Woods, Jupiter, Fla.

Because they don’t see enough of each other, volume 3.

Thursday (Sept. 17), Hole #10 / Friday (Sept. 18), Hole #1

6:50 a.m. / 12:10 p.m. – Daniel Balin, White Plains, N.Y.; Greyson Sigg, Augusta, Ga.; J.C. Ritchie, South Africa

Don’t know who you are, but please play fast.

7:23 a.m. / 12:43 p.m. – Martin Kaymer, Germany; Jimmy Walker, Boerne, Texas; (a) John Augenstein, Owensboro, Ky.

Didn’t see that one coming.

7:56 a.m. / 1:16 p.m. – Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C.; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Jason Day, Australia

Ok, Sergio has legit gripe on this front if he’s in fast play mode.

8:07 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Adam Scott, Australia; Justin Rose, England

That, is a very nice grouping for those three and never underestimate good company for your prognosticating.

8:18 a.m. / 1:38 p.m. – Ian Poulter, England; Patrick Cantlay, Jupiter, Fla.; Steve Stricker, Madison, Wis.

Patrick, take your time walking off the tee.

8:29 a.m. / 1:49 p.m. – Adam Hadwin, Canada; Mackenzie Hughes, Canada; Corey Conners, Canada

All three from Canada, get it.

Thursday (Sept. 17), Hole #1 / Friday (Sept. 18), Hole #10

12:32 p.m. / 7:12 a.m. – (a) Lukas Michel, Australia; Lucas Herbert, Australia; Matt Jones, Australia

Because they don’t see enough of each other, volume 4.

1:05 p.m. / 7:45 a.m. – Gary Woodland, Topeka, Kan.; (a) Andy Ogletree, Little Rock, Miss.; Shane Lowry, Republic of Ireland

It seems like they won about 4 years ago, grouping.

1:16 p.m. / 7:56 a.m. – Bryson DeChambeau, Clovis, Calif.; Dustin Johnson, Jupiter, Fla.; Tony Finau, Salt Lake City, Utah

As if Bryson needed incentive to swing harder.

1:27 p.m. / 8:07 a.m. – Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Paul Casey, England; Jon Rahm, Spain

The Sun Devils!

1:38 p.m. / 8:18 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, Calif.; Matthew Wolff, Agoura Hills, Calif.; Viktor Hovland, Norway

The Sooners! ;)

Thursday (Sept. 17), Hole #10 / Friday (Sept. 18), Hole #1

1:05 p.m. / 7:45 a.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, England; Daniel Berger, Jupiter, Fla.; Branden Grace, South Africa

Sleeper pick group.

1:16 p.m. / 7:56 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, England; Kevin Kisner, Aiken, S.C.; Abraham Ancer, Mexico

Sleeper pick group 2.

Johnny On Crappy Shots, Phil's Booth Appearance & NBC Getting The U.S. Open Back

Adam Schupak at Golfweek asks all the right questions in part one of this chat with Johnny Miller, who, frankly is missed as analysts increasingly cheer-lead and coddle.

There was this on calling a crappy shot a crappy shot:

GOLFWEEK: Have you become softer and less critical when you watch the PGA Tour now that you’re no longer in the broadcast booth?

JM: I don’t know if the word is critical. I see things that the other guys don’t see. When I see those things, I want to share them with the public. If it’s a crappy shot, it’s a crappy shot, it’s nothing personal. If I say it is a great shot, I want people to think, dang, Johnny, thought that was a great shot.

Like in the 2006 U.S. Open, we saw Phil (Mickelson) make two mental errors. You don’t have to play it like you’re on a white horse prancing up to the green. Poop it up there with a 3-iron, hit a 4-iron somewhere around the green, up and in or worst-case scenario you’re in a playoff. That was the biggest fall apart in that U.S. Open on the last hole in history. Harrington bogeyed the last three holes to lose by two. Furyk bogeyed the last hole. Mickelson made double bogey. Montgomerie got hosed, I thought. He had to wait for like 5 minutes. I thought he got such a bad break there. Then he chili-dipped it short of the green and didn’t get it up and in. Never has the last hole had so many scenarios. It was just incredible. That course is tough. Oakmont and Winged Foot must be the two toughest courses in tournament golf.

Ah…let’s get Johnny on Zoom this week! Or Comcast Business Solutions. Or whatever it takes!

GW: What did you think of NBC reacquiring the U.S. Open broadcast rights?

JM: If I had known that, I might have gone another year. It wasn’t like I had to retire.

Oh?

I’m happy for them. I don’t know how committed Fox was, but NBC is turning out the guns to make it a fantastic Open. Tommy Roy and Tom Randolph are like savants when it comes to TV golf and they’ll make it back to where it should be.

And on Phil Mickelson’s 2020 PGA Championship whirlwind booth visit that had (most) viewers wanting more:

GW: What did you think of Phil Mickelson’s guest appearance in the booth with CBS at the PGA Championship?

JM: They asked me who do you think could do a good job the way you like to see it done, and I said Tiger and Phil and I think Phil is even more outspoken. Both of those guys with their intellect and pedigree, Phil, I thought, was fabulous on TV. He’d probably like everyone to go home and he’d do all the jobs. Phil’s an amazing guy. He can talk. He doesn’t say, ‘In my opinion,’ but he can talk. All the great players are a little that way in they think they know it all and they make good decisions, which is a mark of a champion.

Well, mostly good decisions. Outside of Winged Foot.

COVID-19 WD's: U.S. Open Loses Players Of USGA "Family", "Pedigree"

I realize the branding folks have taken over so the chance John Bodenhamer issued these exact words is slim. But when a player withdraws from the 2020 U.S. Open due to a positive coronavirus test, is it really necessary to highlight his good USGA stock?

Hopefully Scottie Scheffler and Sam Horsfield never experience symptoms. The condolence quotes on their WD’s announced Sunday and Monday, respectively.

“We are sorry to lose a member of the USGA family in this year’s U.S. Open field,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “Scottie has had a phenomenal rookie season and we look forward to welcoming him back to the U.S. Open Championship for many years to come.” 

Eh….”sorry”, “losing” and “family” member in 2020 just not a great ring to it.

“Sam has had an excellent year on the European Tour, winning the UK series to earn a spot in this year’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot, and we are disappointed to lose a player of his caliber from the field,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “Sam has a wonderful USGA pedigree and we look forward to watching him play in future U.S. Open Championships.”

Horsfield played for Great Britain & Ireland in the 2017 Walker Cup. The R&A pedigree is strong in this one, too!

Besides the obvious health concerns for both young men, each was high atop lists of players with the potential to contend off of their stellar 2020 seasons. And those good USGA genes.

Players Vote Dustin Johnson Their POY In ______ Contested __-__ Vote

Suspiciously predictably, Dustin Johnson was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year by his peers.

Vote totals were not available as of this posting, or ever.

Last week the PGA of America’s point system had Johnson a distant fifth in losing Player of the Year to Justin Thomas. 

For Immediate Release:

FedExCup Champion Dustin Johnson voted 
2020 PGA TOUR Player of the Year 

Scheffler voted PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – The PGA TOUR announced today that Dustin Johnson has been named the 2020 PGA TOUR Player of the Year as voted by the TOUR’s membership for the 2019-20 season. Scottie Scheffler was voted 2020 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year.

PGA TOUR members who played at least 10 official FedExCup events during the 2019-20 season were eligible to vote.

Johnson, 36, of Jupiter, Florida, won the FedExCup for the first time in his career, winning twice in the FedExCup Playoffs and three times on the season. The three victories, which came at the Travelers Championship, THE NORTHERN TRUST and the TOUR Championship, tied Johnson with Justin Thomas for the most on TOUR and marked his fourth season with at least three wins. Johnson moved to 27th on the all-time wins list with 23 career PGA TOUR victories and extended his streak of consecutive seasons with a win to start his career to 13, becoming the fourth player to reach that mark (others: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods). 

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, my congratulations to Dustin Johnson on being voted the 2020 PGA TOUR Player of the Year by his peers, the ultimate compliment a player can receive,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Dustin made it known throughout the season that the FedExCup was a priority and his performances in the FedExCup Playoffs were nothing short of spectacular with two wins and a playoff runner-up at the BMW Championship. His demeanor and athleticism on the course make it look very easy, but behind the scenes, he’s worked incredibly hard coming back from injury and his 2019-20 season speaks for itself in further bolstering his World Golf Hall of Fame resume.”

"The Meaning of Winged Foot: The club’s exceptional courses aren’t the only thing that set it apart"

Golf.com’s Michael Bamberger filed a long list of thoughts and memories of Winged Foot. Contributions are shared from Davis Love, Jim Nantz, Dan Hicks, Dave Marr, Sandy Tatum and Dave Anderson, among others, with cameos by Al Espinosa Jackie Pung and Tommy Armour.

From the piece, filed while waiting for his COVID-19 test.

Dave was a peach. Years later, by dint of alphabetical seating in different press boxes, we sat near one another. Dave, who died in 2018 and wrote some mega bestsellers, loved Winged Foot, wrote about it often and would have been just the kind of Winged Foot member Butch was talking about. But Dave was happy playing on his side of the Hudson River, at Knickerbocker, a Donald Ross course in Tenafly, N.J. As a reporter, Dave got stuff nobody else did. In 2006, the last time the U.S. Open was at Winged Foot, Dave captured this little exchange between Tiger Woods and Mike Davis for the benefit of his readers. This is how he wrote it and it’s perfect:

“When are you going to get the greens faster?” Woods said.

Davis wasn’t sure if Woods was serious or joking, but it didn’t matter.

“What you have,” Davis said, “is what you’re going to get.”

I am nearly certain Tiger was joking. That’s how his sense of humor runs. Also, the Winged Foot greens have so much slope. They’re always fast. There are many stories about four-putt greens in events major and minor there. Likely some five-putt greens, too.

2020 U.S. Open Flyover: Seventeenth Hole At Winged Foot

Stretched to 504 yards in anticipation of modern agronomy make drives go longer, Winged Foot West’s 17th bends in the opposite direction of the preceding par-4.

In the NBC conference call, lead announcer and member Dan Hicks tapped this as one of the holes he’s most interested in seeing.

But there's a new tee at 17 which is joined along the same teeing ground as 13 East. It’s brand new. It was put into play when they did the restoration on both the East and the West Course, and it plays over 500 yards from back there. 17's a gorgeous hole. That big Christmas tree that sits short right of it off the tee, which used to kind of protect the golfers that were coming up the other way from 12, is gone. So you see the entire hole, the slight dogleg to the right just kind of out in front of you, it's a gorgeous hole. They put some new bunkering down the right side, they added a couple bunkers down there that are going to test the guys from trying to bomb it over that. So that hole sticks out.

The green shape is another beauty and I hope the front right is pinable:

No. 17 at Winged Foot is a 504-yard par 4 with a green that was expanded in the 2016 course restoration by Gil Hanse. In the final round of the 2006 U.S. Open, Geoff Ogilvy chipped in to save par en route to his victory.

In collaboration with @DeloitteUS. pic.twitter.com/8NQYhGD32P

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) September 12, 2020

"Golf sees huge upswing with women and young adults"

Yahoo Finance’s Melody Hahm shares all sorts of amazing data on the upsurge in golf participation, lessons and sales.

It seems, again, that extra time and the safety of outdoor exercise in a beautiful setting is driving the boom and not any of golf’s PSA-fueled initiatives or the PGA Tour Commissioner’s claim of playing a part. Maybe that data is coming.

In the meantime, Hahm writes:

According to research from the National Golf Foundation, there have been notable increases in participation among juniors and beginners, along with returners, as golf has positioned itself as a healthy way to pass time during this crisis.

“The number of junior golfers (ages 6-17) could increase by as much as 20% this year, a potential COVID-related bump of a half million golfers by year’s end. During a time when many other activities were on hold, including youth sports in many instances, we’ve also seen increases in the number of beginning and returning golfers of about 20% during the first half of 2020,” NGF editorial director Erik Matuszewski told Yahoo Finance.

And this…

Nationally, rounds of golf were up 19.7% year-over-year in the month of July, marking the biggest increase ever for a high-volume summer month since NGF started monthly tracking in 2000. This reflects an increase of approximately 10 million more rounds than in July 2019. In August, rounds were up 3% nationwide over the same period in 2019, after climbing from a 16% year-to-date deficit on April 30.

"Witnessing the Massacre at Winged Foot in the shadow of Hale Irwin"

Super work by Mike Dougherty tracking down Hale Irwin’s 16-year-old caddie from the 1974 U.S. Open for this Westchester Journal News profile.

Peter McGarey is 62 now and traveling from Scottsdale with his son to volunteer at the 2020 U.S. Open.

McGarey randomly drew Irwin and got the experience of a lifetime watching the eventual three-time winner prevail in the “massacre.”

But they did have one early week issue.

“Hale was very nice, very strict,” McGarey said. “He was disciplined and expected the same from me. There was a set of expectations. I’m sure it was on Monday, I wanted to see Arnold Palmer. You wore those blue jump suits and Hale’s name was pinned to my back. Palmer was coming up to nine green so I was waiting. I had the bag with me and Hale grabbed the back of my jumper. He was not very happy.”

Irwin laughs about it now.

“Who wouldn’t want to watch Arnold Palmer?” he said. “We all did. I got to know Arnie better and better over the years. He was a great man and I don’t blame Peter one bit.”