Pond Scrum: For one day, Everyman’s shot at Open stage
The aficionados were wearing out the refresh button on their computers and smart phones.
Monday was one of the most exciting days of the year for true believers and shoot-the-moon dreamers, be they kids or curmudgeons. Its the day the U.S. Open stages its sectional qualifiers, effectively the last chance to crack the 156-man field for next weeks 111th iteration at Congressional Country Club.
If the numeral assigned to this years Open looks like a row of O.B. stakes, then its a fitting figure for our weekly Pond Scrum protagonists, European Tour correspondent John Huggan and CBSSports.com senior writer Steve Elling, who have pumped a few written foul balls into the trees themselves.
It was only Monday, but its the craziest one of the year in golf, when a legion of pros and amateurs take a crack at landing a spot in the Open field with a daylong survival test conducted at locales across the country.
Of course, it was a busy weekend in the professional ranks, too, from the House that Jack built to the site of last years Ryder Cup in Wales.
Like with Mondays sectional qualifiers, theres lots of ground to cover, so lets get this match started.
For truly hardcore golf junkies, the Open season began Monday with mens U.S. Open qualifiers all over the country, from California to Florida, and theres even a British Open qualifier in the U.K. What is it about these grinding 36-hole marathons that are so romantic to some?
El when star players dont bother trying. Vijay Singh hasnt missed a major in over a decade and he couldnt be troubled to attempt to qualify? Last year, the USGA extended him a special exemption into the U.S. Open, and some of us rightly questioned it. A year later, he cant bother to try to earn a spot on his own? Vijay Singh playing 36 holes in a day, thats about a million less shots than he would hit in a typical practice session, right? Get out there and earn your spot like the rest of the dreamy-eyed, wanna-bes and grinders.
Huggan: For me, it isnt so much the 36-hole aspect of it all, more the fact that so many of these overpaid prima donnas have to qualify for the national championship. I rather enjoy all of the whining that goes with such a salutary fact. The downside is that, if they dont shoot 65 or less in Round 1, most of them clear off home.
Elling: You played at a pretty high level as an amateur in the U.K. Did you ever play in a qualifier for the Open Championship? If so, what was it like? I have covered a few qualifiers in Florida over the years, and its an amazing amalgamation of pros and amateurs in search of the brass ring. Just making it to the Open is good enough for many of them, a reward in itself. The democratic process defined, on two continents. Love it.
Huggan: I wish you hadnt brought that up. Yes, I had two goes at qualifying for the Open. In 1983, I missed by two shots and in 85, I missed by one. My approach to the last hole in 85 landed on a sprinkler head on the edge of the green and bounced all the way over the green into very long grass. Three to get down and miss by one duly followed. That evening remains a blur to this day.
Elling: Oh … my … god. I had no idea. Sounds like a seminal moment in your life. A wise guy might suggest it was a defining moment. But not me. I am above making such a cruel suggestion.
Huggan: I woke up the next morning lying on the floor of the lounge where I was staying. I was covered in dirt. My friends later told me I had last been seen in the field across the road from the house, howling at the moon. All of which came as news to me.
Elling: Guess those Open qualifiers are not for the faint of heart. Or liver. That might be the funniest story related in the five months weve been doing this exchange. Glad it was at your expense and not mine.
Huggan: Indeed, it was a heartbreaker. Especially as I was never that good a player and unlikely to get another chance like that. I do enjoy the egalitarian aspect of the qualifying process, though, even if it has been sadly diluted over here over the last few years. Too many exemptions these days.
Elling: Not long ago, multiple major winners Greg Norman and Nick Faldo both endured 36-hole sectional qualifiers to cement spots in a U.S. Open after their status had faded. They both played in shorts. Faldo didnt even wear a belt, and cracked that he was trying to beat the Florida heat by carrying as little weight as possible, like a mountain climber cutting his toothbrush in half. Theres almost always a tremendous story at these sectionals, somebody who comes from obscurity to the national stage.
Huggan: I never did make it … not that Im bitter. Yes, some poor bugger always makes a triple at the last to miss by one.
Elling: Last year, former teen sensation Ty Tryon and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton both made it through the sectionals. Tryon even made the cut at Pebble Beach. How can we not root for these guys? Teens, geezers, rising stars, shooting stars, faded stars … the Opens are there for everybody if they can make it through the qualifiers.
< the romantic and touching stories of the more unlikely participants. And long may that continue.
Elling: These qualifiers also tend to remind us how fleeting stardom can be, and how some never quite close their grip on that elusive top rung. Thomas Bjorn is entered in the British qualifier, and hes seeking a return trip to Sandwich and Royal St. Georges in July, where he should have won the Open title nearly a decade ago, but left a couple of shots in the sand. Ah, what might have been for the bald-domed Dane.
Huggan: The big story over here will be whether or not Monty can make it into his 22nd consecutive Open. Judging by his rubbish play at the Wales Open last week, Im not sure I has withdrawn.
Elling: Hate to hear that about Bjorn, who won earlier this year and seems to be on the mend with his game. Well, the upset St. Georges winner, Ben Curtis, is exempt and still coming. It will mark the first time he has ever defended a title on the same ground where he hoisted the trophy. His two PGA Tour titles went belly-up before he could return the next year and defend.
Huggan: There are those who wish that the same could be said of Royal St. Georges, which is no ones favourite course. Thats favourite with a “u,” of course.
All hail Steve Stricker, the Big Cheese from Wisconsin and the top-ranked American player in the world at No. 4. As he said to Jack Nicklaus after winning the Memorial Tournament on Sunday, “It wasnt pretty.” With Stricker, is often isnt, but it was his fifth win in the last 24 months. At 44, is he too old to win a major?
Huggan: The trouble with Stricker is that he lacks the really big shot at the big moment. And with Congressional measuring up to 7,500-yards or so, I worry that his sort of player will be eliminated from contention. Im just hoping USGA director Mike Davis moves the tees up at least some of the time next week. Strickers age isnt a factor, not when you putt as well as he still does.
Elling: He might not be too old, but his fans must feel like they age a decade every time he contends. Watching Stricker trying to get off the course with a lead can eat away at your stomach lining, for sure. During the 2:34 weather delay on Sunday, I joked to his caddie, Jimmy Johnson, that he needed to make sure there was no drama over the six holes that Stricker had left. Then Steve carved it all over the place and barely made it out of Ohio alive. “You should have said it to him, not me,” Johnson cracked afterward.
Huggan: Did Stricker cry afterward? He usually does.
Elling: Yeah, he started to get verklempt on the 18th green during the awards ceremony when he started talking about what Nicklaus means to the game and Steve personally, and said, “I usually cry at these things.” He got an ovation for it.
Huggan: I bet Jack was thinking, “you big sissy.”
Elling: Jack actually sorta started the crying jag by reminding Stricker over the public-address system that he had watched him play in college, when Steve was at Illinois and beating son Gary Nicklaus team from Ohio State. Watching him offload all that pent-up emotion afterward is part of the guys charm and DNA. Wobbly down the stretch at times over the years, Stricker is Mr. Excitement. After a 2.5-hour weather delay, he wanted to ensure no other fans left early. For those who hung around, he made it memorable. Who else cries every time he wins? Deservedly, hes as popular as any American player with fans and was recently awarded by the American golf writers association for, basically, being Mr. Congeniality with the media.
Huggan: Yes, there is a lot to admire about Stricker, not least his friendliness toward everyone and anyone. Dont you just wish every pro was like that?
Elling: Stricker is also a model of consistency on the green grass, a lot like Luke Donald and Matt Kuchar. All three of them logged yet another top 10 last week, are firmly planted in the world elite, and theres something to be said for that. They are as good as it gets in the game at the moment, but watching Stricker struggle to keep his wits about him Sunday sure made some of us appreciate how unflappable Tiger Woods used to be with the lead. His ability to close grows more legendary every time another player struggles to seal the deal. I mean, Stricker almost became the second guy in as many weeks on the PGA Tour to lose a three-shot lead with four holes to play.
Huggan: Winning is supposed to be tough. We were misled by Tiger at his peak. He made it look easy when it is anything but.
The star-crossed Scot, Elliot Saltman, recorded a pair of aces on the same hole last week in Wales, putting him back on the radar again. How has he handled his recent issues?
Elling: Saltman was suspended by the European Tour after he was accused of repeatedly mis-marking his ball on the putting green … which is a nice way of saying he was cheating. Its rare that theres a preponderance of evidence, but the European Tour sent him to the bench and he just recently got off the limbo list. Its hard to envision the stigma ever going away, though, no matter how many holes he aces.
Huggan: Saltman must have a hide made of steel. His only public comments regarding his cheating ban have been to say how wonderful it is that so many pros are pleased to see him back. And if you believe that, youll believe anything. A long hard road remains for him, and the fight he had last week with fellow Scottish pro John Gallacher in a golf course parking lot is proof enough of that.
Elling: Huh? I believe Saltman. I also am still waiting by the front door for all the money to arrive from that embassy guy in Africa that I sent $10,000 to a few years ago. Hey, his email seemed legit. Trying to help the guy. I am sure hell get back to me. He just needed a loan to free up his other funds.
Huggan: Saltman can clearly play, though. He showed that last week in Wales with a top-20 finish, albeit in a weak-field event.
Elling: There was an awkward rules eruption in the States last week, when a PGA Tour official had a lengthy conversation with Masters champion Charl Schwartzel over whether a free drop should be proffered. Most fans, based on what I read and received in emails, were angered that Schwartzel was given relief from a sprinkler head at the Memorial. Personally, I would like to see a much tighter interpretation of the rules. Veteran broadcasters Nick Faldo and Peter Oosterhuis were skeptical of the ruling on TV. Geez, does any sport spend so much time ruminating on the rules? Probably not. But no other sport has so many asinine rules to begin with.
Huggan: I felt sorry for Schwartzel when he started getting stick from, of all people, those notorious fence-sitters Faldo and Oosterhuis. The problem, if there really is one, is not anything the Masters champion did, but the rule he was able to take advantage of. Being able to drop one club length away seems excessive; the nearest point of relief would seem more appropriate. Plus, I find it hard to believe that Faldo would have done anything different.
Elling: I thought the ruling was an eye-roller. How many times have we seen guys stand on their heads to get relief, then turn it into an improved lie on the fringe, putting green or fairway? I think theres a spirit of the rule here that is being bent. I am not picking on Charl, by any means. Everybody does it. Its become the culture, and watching it makes me cringe. As a final aside, Im not sure Saltmans luck has changed much. Had he aced one of the other par-3 holes at Celtic Manor instead, he would have won a free car. Karma is a rough mistress. Ask Tiger Woods.
The European Tour made its annual trip back to Celtic Manor for the first time since the Ryder Cup, and Graeme McDowells experiences werent quite so heroic this time. With his U.S. Open title defense coming up next week, is there reason to be alarmed?
Elling: After being right in the mix after 36 holes last week at the course where he helped secure the Ryder Cup, McDowell was blown away in the winds in the third round and posted his third score of 79 or higher since March, when he missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Moreover, McDowell was the defending champion at the Wales Open last week and finished T30, which rather remarkably, represents his best stroke-play result since the first week of March. So, yeah, its apparently time for another crash course with his coach. Using “crash” and “course” in the same sentence is a figure of speech, of course, in case Graeme is reading this.
Huggan: McDowell has had an erratic time of it lately. Im not so sure that change of clubs at the start of the year was such a great idea. Plus, when he gets it going badly, that unor one of the most amiable of men. His tweet right after the 81 linked to a picture of a beer bottle, which is where he was headed next, I suspect.
Elling: It was incredible to watch McDowell over the closing months of 2010 and the first few weeks of this season. He was, quite arguably, the best player in the world, Martin Kaymer included. But it seems to have all caught up with him. I dont know if he has overextended himself, as some have theorized, and spread himself too thin in playing both tours for the first time, or if he was punching above his weight class, which is possible. But boy, the game can surely use this guy.
Huggan: I suspect McDowell had worked his way through an inordinate amount of “media” in the runup to his U.S. Open defense. That stuff tires you out eventually.
Elling: Im not sure what McDowell does for a fast Band-Aid. Maybe hes not that far off. He was in the mix after 36 holes in Wales and was the 54-hole leader at the Players Championship before everything blew up, so maybe it wont take much to get this turned around. Like Stricker, hes an easy guy to root for.
Huggan: Of course, McDowell has already publicly announced that he has “no chance” on a course as long as Congressional is likely to be. Like I said, I hope the course is set up to give the medium-hitters at least an outside chance.
Elling: Early reports are that the course is dry and running pretty good in the fairways and that average length will not be a deal-breaker. Hope it doesnt rain. Otherwise, shortish hitters like Luke Donald and his ilk are going to have an even smaller window of opportunity.
Huggan: Im relying on Mike Davis to give everyone at least a fighting chance. He is, after all, the head honcho at the USGA these days.
Elling: Hope your trust is properly placed. Like the fabled Open qualifying process itself, everybody deserves a decent shot at glory when they get to the dance.
