The U.S. did not let up on Day 2 and the Ryder Cup is within reach

ERIN, Wis. — Following concerns by some U.S. Open players that Erin Hills’ thick seedhead fescue was too penalizing, maintenance crews on Tuesday morning cut back the tall grass on four holes. That didn’t stop the discussion, though, especially since the decision was not met with universal approval. Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, two of the favorites this week, each said the generous fairways at Erin Hills were more than enough to compensate for the fescue bordering the original mown rough. They were surprised to hear the fescue has been reduced at hole Nos. 4, 12, 14 and 18. “We have 60 yards from left line to right line,â€� McIlroy said. “You’ve got 156 of the best players in the world here. If we can’t hit it within that avenue, you might as well pack your bags and go home. These are the widest fairways we’ve ever played in a U.S. Open.â€� Added Spieth: “I don’t think the golf course is unfair, by any means, because of the fescue. We have a wide enough area to hit it and you need to drive the ball well in order to win a U.S. Open.â€� The issue came to light on Monday after a social media firestorm that included Kevin Na’s Instagram video in which he tossed a ball into fescue, took two swings, then lost his ball. Others also worried about losing a ball on a shot just a few yards from the fairway. Justin Rose, who has a favorable impression of Erin Hills, noted that “this hay is more than a stroke penalty because there may be nowhere to drop it.â€� Physical concerns also were voiced. Jon Rahm noted that he didn’t want to practice any shots out of the fescue for fear of injury. “No need to injure my wrist this week before I tee off,â€� he said. USGA Executive Director Mike Davis acknowledged Monday that the fescue was “thicker than maybe we would have anticipated.â€� The wet spring weather in Wisconsin was a contributing factor, as was the irrigation pattern of the fairways. Some of the irrigation water sprinkled into the fescue closest to the fairways, thus creating the most penal areas. Paul Azinger, the 12-time PGA TOUR winner who is the head analyst for Fox Sports’ coverage this week, visited Erin Hills three weeks ago and said the fescue then was “brutal but manageable.â€� His reaction when he saw the course again two days ago? “Oh my god. That has really grown.â€� He described the fescue on the right side of the 12th hole as “impossibleâ€� and that the right side of 14 was “like a joke, dude. There’s Lyme disease waiting to happen in that.â€� But those areas are not reflective of the entire course, said one of Erin Hills’ architects, Dr. Michael Hurdzan. He noted that the majority of the fescue on the course was thin and wispy, with just 5-8 percent of the thicker variety. Hurdzan suggested the fescue was not any different than some native areas that players encounter at the Open Championship. “If this was gorse instead of fine fescue, we’d all say, well, it’s just gorse,â€� Hurdzan said. “But because it’s grass, somehow we feel it’s an unfair penalty. I don’t think we should.â€� Davis said the USGA had already cut back on the fescue within the last week, so Tuesday’s actions apparently were not the first time adjustments were made. But the timing made it seem like a reaction to the complaints. The issue might not be as polarizing if the fairways weren’t so wide. According to Davis, the fairways are 50 percent wider – and sometimes double the width – than generally seen at traditional U.S. Open courses. He noted that the 10th fairway could fit “three fairways at Winged Foot,â€� which will host the U.S. Open for the sixth time in 2020. In order to maintain architectural integrity, the USGA was determined to keep the fairways wide. But some of the holes will be playing into a crosswind, creating concerns that tee shots could still find their way into the fescue. “By and large, we feel that the hitting area for the holes is wide enough and it will be a good test,â€� Davis said. “If you hit it wayward, it’s penal – no doubt.â€� That’s fine with McIlroy. “I get that it’s thick or whatever, but it’s a hazard,â€� the 2011 U.S. Open winner said. “… It’s a U. S. Open. It’s supposed to be a tough test. And if guys can’t put it into play within a 50-yard zone, I don’t think they’ve got much to complain about.â€� Spieth acknowledged that the fescue created “essentially two water hazards – two hazards on each side of every single hole. You have a wide enough area in between to where it’s fair and yet tough. But if you hit it into that stuff, there’s a chance you just have to hit back to the fairway with pretty much taking a penalty stroke.â€� Azinger suggested the USGA might be more concerned than pace of play than simply making the course a less penal for players. Having walked to areas where marshals were attending fairways, Azinger noted that it would be tough to track a ball heading into the fescue, thus increasing the possibility of lost balls. “That’s probably as high a concern as anything because you have pace of play issues if you are losing balls,â€� Azinger said. “The marshals are handcuffed if that happens and you have a lost ball. That’s going to wreck the pace of play. I have to believe that that was what they took into consideration more than playability.â€� No matter the reason, Azinger was glad to see Na’s video. “He did the USGA and the U.S. Open a great service by drawing attention to the severity of what we got this week,â€� Azinger said. “People criticize Kevin Na but I thought he was brilliant.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

Shane Lowry chipped in for an eagle at the par-4 ninth hole. Nice, right? Then he did it again at the par-4 10th.

Click here to read the full article…

Whether your fantasy golf season starts this week or started last October, every gamer is raring to go for this week’s first major, the Masters. The Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia will host for the 82nd time as a loaded field will test every theory, analysis, rumor, trend and stat known to gamers. There’s not a doubt in my mind that this is the most popular major, by some distance, for gamers and golf fans alike. The former Fruitland Nurseries course is as familiar and comfortable as an old T-shirt to gamers and golf fans alike. Each year, we get to know the layout just a little bit better than the year prior, and that familiarity makes us all experts. We all know putts break to Rae’s Creek, a draw is better than a fade and the tournament doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday, right? Augusta National will welcome 87 players this week including last week’s winner Ian Poulter, the last man into the field after his victory at the Houston Open. The field hasn’t been this compact since 1997 when 86 players teed it up to witness the coronation of the new “King.” Things have changed just a bit over the last 20 years. The course has since been “Tiger-Proofed” and updated for modern equipment and technology. The course will play as a Par-72 at 7,435 yards for the 10th year running, according to the official scorecard. After the 2006 renovation, the next two editions were played at 7,445, before settling on the current yardage. Greg Norman (1996) and Nick Price (1986) share the course record, 63. Branden Grace set the major championship scoring record last year at Royal Birkdale with 62. The tournament record is 270 posted by Tiger Woods (1997) and Jordan Spieth (2015). Jason Day holds the major championship scoring record of 20 under par at Whistling Straits in 2015.  TALES OF THE TAPE Speaking of 2015, it was a record-setting performance in multiple ways for Spieth. He is the only golfer to reach 19 under par at Augusta National Golf Club to this day and only a bogey on the final hole saw him fall back into a tie with Woods for the tournament record. He incredibly circled 28 birdies, breaking the old mark by three. He led wire-to-wire, becoming only the fifth player in Masters history to do so. The last to accomplish this feat was Raymond Floyd in 1976. The commanding performance was one for the ages, but it was helped out by the conditions during the week. The course played soft and wet, and the winds were non-existent, resulting in the top five players all posting double-digit scores under par. Justin Rose made 25 birdies, tying the old record, and lost by four shots! Of the 55 players to make the cut, 32 finished in red figures. Even though the scoring conditions were ripe, no player posted all rounds in the 60s. No player ever has. Spieth looked well on his way to repeating in 2016 before hole No. 12 made another in the history books. Spieth found the water from the tee and his resulting drop and eventually made seven, a quadruple bogey. His lead turned into a three-shot deficit and Danny Willett took home his first major championship and TOUR victory with a perfect, bogey-free 67 in the final round. With blustery conditions and chilly conditions, only six players were under par for the week. Spieth was looking to join Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) as the only repeat champions. Instead, it was the Englishman who joined Charl Schwartzel as the only players this century to make the Masters their first victories on the PGA TOUR. Schwartzel (66), like Willett, also had the round of his life on Sunday in 2011, as he birdied the final four holes, the only player to do so to win the Masters. Garcia finally found the extra gear he was searching for in his previous 18 editions at Augusta National, as he won in a playoff against Rose. The Spaniard joined his heroes Seve Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal after making up a two-shot deficit with six holes to play to catch Rose and force a playoff, the 18th in tournament history. His 19th Masters and 74th major championship finally saw him cross the finish line first. Garcia’s ball-striking has always been his calling card and it was on full display. Nobody remembers any of the putts he made on the back nine because they were all inside five feet! The average winning age of a Masters champion was just over 35; Garcia was 37. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25 in each statistic on the 2016-17 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete in the Masters. * – Finished inside the top 10 at the Masters since 2013. Greens in Regulation Rank Golfer 2 Kyle Stanley 3 *Paul Casey 4 *Jordan Spieth 8 *Sergio Garcia 9 *Dustin Johnson 11 Gary Woodland 13 Patrick Cantlay 16 *Hideki Matsuyama 17 Tony Finau 21 Jon Rahm 25 *Justin Rose Bogey Avoidance Rank Golfer 1 *Jordan Spieth 3 *Paul Casey 4 *Dustin Johnson 5 Chez Reavie 6 Patrick Cantlay 7 *Ian Poulter 8 *Matt Kuchar 11 *Rickie Fowler 13 Webb Simpson 14 Jon Rahm 15 *Hideki Matsuyama 17 *Sergio Garcia 18 *Marc Leishman 19 Pat Perez 21 Justin Thomas 22 Tony Finau Par-4 Scoring Rank Golfer 1 *Jordan Spieth 2 Justin Thomas 3 *Paul Casey 4 *Hideki Matsuyama 4 Jon Rahm 6 Tony Finau 6 *Justin Rose 6 *Rickie Fowler 6 Francesco Molinari 6 *Dustin Johnson 6 Chez Reavie 15 *Ian Poulter 15 *Daniel Berger 15 *Matt Kuchar 15 *Sergio Garcia 15 Xander Schauffele 15 Kyle Stanley Par-5 Scoring Rank Golfer 1 *Hideki Matsuyama 3 *Dustin Johnson 5 *Phil Mickelson 5 *Rory McIlroy 7 Tony Finau 7 Patrick Cantlay 7 Jon Rahm 11 *Rickie Fowler 12 *Charl Schwartzel 12 *Justin Rose 12 *Charley Hoffman 18 *Jordan Spieth 18 Pat Perez 18 *Marc Leishman 18 Kyle Stanley 18 *Jason Day 24 Gary Woodland 24 Justin Thomas Gamers who use ONE SET of data to determine their paths won’t last long in any formats. Using absolutes doesn’t work either. There are too many factors, including having human beings behind the wheel, that make these declarations silly and unnecessary. For example, there is an old thought that you have to hit a draw to win the Masters. Jack Nicklaus won six green jackets, the most ever, playing a fade. Another misnomer is great putters win at Augusta. They sure do and they sure can. Does anyone rattle off Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Danny Willett or Sergio Garcia as great putters? Well, they’ve won five of the last six here, and Watson has won TWICE, so that theory is also flakier than a pimento cheese sandwich left in the sunshine. There are many reasons why experience counts this week, but I’ll also point out a few examples of how it might not. This isn’t a course players can drop by and play as much as they like when they would like. There are finite opportunities to get acquainted if you’re not an annual attendee. I’ll point out Paul Casey (T6), Jason Day (T2), Jordan Spieth (T2) and Thomas Pieters (T4) have vanquished this theory. Heck, Day posted 12-under that included 64 and 68 in his first trip and didn’t win. That’s a record by the way for low score from a first-time participant. If you head back to 1979, Fuzzy Zoeller is the only player to win on his first try after 1950. Schwartzel, Spieth and Willett all won on their second try. Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson needed three. Experience is the trend but it doesn’t disqualify those without. Augusta National challenges every facet of the game and every club in the bag, but rewards excellent golf shots while punishing marginal ones. The multi-tiered greens are difficult to attack from the first cut, where the golf ball won’t hold any spin. Once on the greens, being below the hole is imperative to scoring, as the greens can run at any speed they would like. The risk-reward holes of the back nine remind us that Bobby Jones wanted action coming down the stretch to identify a champion, but it’s interesting that 22 of the last 27 winners have come from the final pairing. The five exceptions have all been since 2007 and include Zach Johnson (2007), Schwartzel (2011), Watson (2012), Scott (2013) and Willett (2016). There are ALWAYS exceptions to the rules! With uneven lies everywhere besides the tee boxes, elevation changes, closely-mown areas, nuanced greens, swirling winds and immense pressure on the weekend, even the best, most-experienced players (see: Garcia, Sergio) can and will struggle. I lean on the experience angle this week not to identify the winner, but rather to figure out who’s going to be lurking Sunday. I just want a chance. I can’t project 66 from Schwartzel or 67 from Willett on Sunday, so I’m searching for the most likely candidates. I’m leaning on players who know when to attack and from which spots and who might have learned a few lessons over the years. I’m leaning on guys who won’t get confused over which way a putt breaks or what the roars across the property could mean. I need guys who won’t care who is charging up the leaderboard or who the crowd is rooting for. Their names stick out like sore thumbs below and there’s a reason for that. Course Ratings: 2015: Fourteenth-most difficult of 52 played; 0.536 strokes above par. 2016: Third-most difficult of 50 played; 2.421 strokes above par. 2017: Second-most difficult of 50 played; 1.887 strokes above par. Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings will give you more juice for the week so make sure you stop by. It’s also who I trust with the weather each week so pay attention! NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation. CONFIDENCE MEN Selected golfers with multiple cuts made sorted by rank on the tournament’s money list. BUILDING CONFIDENCE Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success. OTHER SIGNS OF CONFIDENCE Sorted by most recent top 10s, selected golfers for whom it’s been a few years since their last.

Click here to read the full article…