Expert Picks: Cadence Bank Houston Open

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In a PGA TOUR career that lacked the sort of highlights he may have envisioned for himself, Jim Jamieson could at least point to one that carried enormous personal satisfaction. At Sunset Ridge Country Club on the outskirts of Chicago, Jamieson in the summer of 1972 was a local kid, playing in front of family and friends from his hometown of Moline at the Western Open. Though he built an impressive eight-shot lead through 54 holes, Jamieson only had to look up and down his gallery to realize what was at stake that Sunday. “I couldn’t let them down, but I’ll admit I was nervous when I started,� Jamieson told reporters after closing with a 69 to finish at 13-under 271 and win by six. He choked back his emotions and kept accepting congratulations from well-wishers. “I’m still in a Twilight zone.� It would be the only win in Jamieson’s nine-year PGA TOUR career, but the relative quiet of his pro success isn’t what defined the man who died Wednesday at 75. Instead, Tony Navarro – a longtime caddie who grew up in Moline and considered Jamieson a sort of mentor – gushed about “a real sweetheart, a gentleman� and a moving force to bring the PGA TOUR to their hometown area. “He was very much a part of starting the Quad Cities Open (now the John Deere Classic),� said Navarro. “All of us in the area were very proud of him for that and happy that he brought it here.� Having advanced from the caddie ranks at Oakwood Country Club in Moline to star for Oklahoma State’s 1963 NCAA Championship golf team, Jamieson made it onto the PGA TOUR in 1969 at the age of 26. His relatively late start is owed to a reason that few young golfers could relate to – Jamieson served a military stint in Vietnam. Jamieson played the bulk of his 236 tournaments between 1969 and 1977 when he broke a hand and decided to retire. His best season was 1972, when he won the Western Open and a few weeks later produced his best finish in a major, tied for second, two shots behind Gary Player at Oakland Hills in the PGA Championship. He was 15th on the money list that year, then was inside the top 60 in 1973 and ’74, but 1975-77 was a rough stretch for Jamieson and he chose to accept a job at the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The area became home for Jamieson, who befriended his predecessor at the Greenbrier, Sam Snead. “That gave him a lot of stories to tell,� laughed Navarro. “And Jim did love to tell stories and listen to stories. He was a nice man.� When he triumphed at that 1972 Western Open, Jamieson became the first Illinois golfer to win that tournament since the legendary Chick Evans in 1910. So important a win was it for Jamieson that he took $2,000 of his $30,000 first-place prize and donated it to the Evans Scholars Foundation. Years later, Jamieson was inducted into the Quad-Cities Sports Hall of Fame and put his PGA TOUR career into perspective. “I didn’t have enough killer instinct,� he told reporters. “But golf has really been good to me. I have no regrets.�

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ERIN, Wis. – An old proverb says that stolen bread tastes sweet, which explains why Brandt Snedeker’s birdie on the 490-yard, par-4 eighth hole was so delectable. He made 3 after missing the fairway. Making birdie from U.S. Open rough may be the definition of unjust gain. “I did feel guilty,â€� Snedeker said after Thursday’s 70. “This is never going to happen again, so I might as well enjoy it.â€� Soft greens allowed shots like Snedeker’s to stay on the putting surface. Players took advantage of those conditions Thursday at Erin Hills to shoot the sort of low scores that one isn’t accustomed to seeing at a U.S. Open. Birdies were abundant at Erin Hills, with Rickie Fowler’s 7-under 65 serving as Example 1A. He tied the record for lowest opening score (in relation to par) at the U.S. Open. Fowler had plenty of company in red figures. Eighteen players shot under par in the morning wave. Members of that contingent ranged from major champions to unproven qualifiers Kevin Dougherty, Davis Love IV and Tyson Alexander, who all shot 71. Wide fairways allowed players to mash tee shots like Mike Trout, and recent thunderstorms made the greens receptive to approach shots. Thursday’s westerly wind aided players on some of Erin Hills’ hardest holes, as well. “We had enough room to drive it.  And if you’re driving good, you can make birdies, because the greens were rolling perfectly,â€� Snedeker said. He hit driver on all but one hole (the short par-4 15th was the exception), and he wasn’t the only player to unsheathe the driver 13 times on Thursday. Some of Erin Hills’ fairways are 60 yards wide, and the springy fescue grass helps balls bound farther down the short grass. That’s why players could tame a course that played 7,845 yards. Even several difficult hole locations couldn’t slow down the scoring. The plethora of low rounds was reminiscent of another U.S. Open venue’s debut two years earlier. Twenty-five players broke par in the first round at Chambers Bay, and the lead also was 65. The first round at Erin Hills was a dream scenario for the players, who are accustomed to being punished by U.S. Open courses, but, as Snedeker joked, it may have been a nightmare for the USGA, which is known for sadistic setups. “The course was as receptive as it’s going to be,â€� said Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 67. “I never really tried to make a birdie. … They just seemed to happen along the way.â€� A course traditionally plays its easiest in the first round, getting progressively firmer as the week progresses before reaching its crescendo of crispiness. Jordan Spieth conquered a baked-out Chambers Bay with a winning score of 5-under 275, and Snedeker said that he would gladly accept a similar score this week. Mother Nature may not allow Erin Hills to play to its pugilistic potential, though. Thunderstorms are in the forecast starting Thursday evening, with an 80-percent chance of precipitation Saturday. Wind is the other defense at Erin Hills, but it was relatively calm Thursday afternoon and it isn’t forecast to blow harder than 20 mph. “It was absolutely ideal, it really was,â€� Snedeker said. First impressions are of the utmost importance, and Erin Hills made sure to give players a warm Wisconsin welcome.

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